A GUIDE TO THE: LATIN JAZZ GUIDE, A PATH TO AUTHENTIC PERCUSSION AND

ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE BY JAMES DREIER

THIS BOOK CONTAINS EXCERPTS OF THE ORIGINAL AND IS FOR CLINIC USE ONLY – PLEASE RETURN THIS CLINIC COPY AT THE

END OF THIS PRESENTATION

PLEASE GO TO WWW.LATINJAZZGUIDE.COM FOR MORE INFORAMTION AND RESOURCES

Dedicated to Bill and Mary Ellen Dreier

Edited by Ronny Schiff and Maggie SchmidtProduction by Charylu Roberts & O.Ruby Productions

www.SelfPublishMusicBooks.comCover Art: Drew Morton

Rhythm Section Score Editor: Steve ShanleyAdditional Contributions: Ed East

James Dreier Portrait: Molly Long Photography Photos Courtesy of Latin Percussion

ISBN 978-1-4950-2897-7

Copyright © 2015 James DreierAll Rights Reserved

Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6About the Percussion Solutions and Rhythms Section Practice, Play-along Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Section 1 The World of Latin Jazz and the Three Spheres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

A Brief History of Latin Jazz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Latin Rhythms/Style Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Road Map to Style Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Cuban, Clave-based Sphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Brazilian-based Sphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Caribbean-based Sub-Sphere. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 FAQ About Playing Latin Jazz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Section 2 The Cuban, Clave-Based Sphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Family of Common Cuban Percussion Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Cuban Musical Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 FAQ About Playing Cuban, Clave-based Jazz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Mambo Basic Info Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Mambo Check List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Basic Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Advanced Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Rhythm Section Practice, Play-along Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Mambo Performance Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Brief Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Cha cha chá Basic Info Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Cha Cha Chá Check List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Basic Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Advanced Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Rhythm Section Practice, Play-along Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Cha Cha Chá (Boogaloo) Performance Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Brief Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Rumba Basic Info Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Rumba Check List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Basic Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Advanced Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Rhythm Section Practice, Play-along Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Rumba Performance Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Brief Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Afro-Cuban 6/8 (Bembe) Basic Info Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Afro-Cuban 6/8 Check List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Basic Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Table of Contents

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Advanced Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Rhythm Section Practice, Play-along Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Afro-Cuban 6/8 (Bembe) Performance Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Brief Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Songo Basic Info Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Songo Check List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Basic Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Advanced Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Rhythm Section Practice, Play-along Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Songo Performance Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Brief Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Boléro Basic Info Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Boléro Check List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Rhythm Section Practice, Play-along Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Boléro Performance Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Brief Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Section 3 The Brazilian-Based Sphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89Family of Brazilian-Based Percussion Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Brazilian Musical Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91FAQ About Playing Brazilian-Based Jazz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Samba Basic Info Chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Samba Check List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Basic Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Advanced Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Rhythm Section Practice, Play-along Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Samba Performance Tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Brief Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Bossa Nova Basic Info Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Bossa Nova Check List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Basic Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Advanced Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Rhythm Section Practice, Play-along Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Bossa Nova Performance Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Brief Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Baião Basic Info Chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Baião Check List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Rhythm Section Practice, Play-along Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Baião Performance Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Brief Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Partido Alto (Samba Partido Alto) Basic Info Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Partido Alto Check List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Basic Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Advanced Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Rhythm Section Practice, Play-along Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Partido Alto Performance Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Brief Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Section 4 Caribbean-Based Sub-Sphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Family of Common Caribbean-Based Percussion Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Caribbean Musical Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 FAQ About Playing Caribbean-Based Jazz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Calypso/Soca Basic Info Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Calypso/Soca Check List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Basic Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Advanced Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Rhythm Section Practice, Play-along Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Calypso/Soca Performance Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Brief Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Merengue Basic Info Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Merengue Check List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Basic Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Advanced Percussion Solutions Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Rhythm Section Practice, Play-along Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Merengue Performance Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Brief Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Section 5 More Direction, Resources and Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152Where’s the Clave? Finding the Proper Clave Type and Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Set Up, Tuning and Maintenance of Latin Percussion Instruments (by Ed East) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Appendix A: Family of Cuban, Clave Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Appendix B: Partial List of Important Latin and Latin Jazz Musicians and Groups. . . . . . . . . 162 Appendix C: Glossary of Latin Jazz Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

See www.latinjazzguide.com for additional resources, information

and exclusive customer content.

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LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Road Map to Style InterpretationHow do you find the proper Latin style when there is no specific style indication on the part or score? Here are some steps to help you to identify style authenticity and consistency (where none may exist). For more information about some of the terms and information given here, please refer to the corresponding “Charac-teristics” chapter for each style that is referenced. The following examples are meant to show parts that might appear in published scores and are not necessarily meant to be examples of authentic style parts.

Look at the Bass Part

Check out the section of the chart where the bass is playing consistent time and analyze the part as shown in the example below.

Example 1–1: Bass Part Excerpts A.

Bass line A above suggests a Brazilian-based approach (bossa nova, samba) and is discussed further in the “Brazilian Musical Characteristics” chapter.B.

Bass line B above suggests a Cuban, clave-based approach (cha cha chá, mambo) and is discussed further in the “Cuban, Clave-based Musical Characteristics” chapter. C.

Bass line C above suggests a Caribbean-based approach (calypso, soca) and is discussed further in the “Caribbean Sub-Sphere Musical Characteristics” chapter.

NOTE: This sequence works best with medium to up-tempo tunes. For slower tempo styles, refer to the individual “Basic Information Charts” presented in each style-chapter.

? b 44 .œ Jœ œ œG6 G6.œ jœ œ œF6 .œ jœ œ œF6 .œ Jœ œ œ

? bbb 22 .œ Jœ œ œCm6 Cm6.œ Jœ œ œG 7

.œ Jœ œ œ .œ Jœ œ œG 7

? b 44 .œ Jœ .œ JœF6 .œ jœ .œ Jœ .œ Jœ .œ Jœ .œ jœ .œ Jœ

? b 44 .œ Jœ œ œG6 G6.œ jœ œ œF6 .œ jœ œ œF6 .œ Jœ œ œ

? bbb 22 .œ Jœ œ œCm6 Cm6.œ Jœ œ œG 7

.œ Jœ œ œ .œ Jœ œ œG 7

? b 44 .œ Jœ .œ JœF6 .œ jœ .œ Jœ .œ Jœ .œ Jœ .œ jœ .œ Jœ

? b 44 .œ Jœ œ œG6 G6.œ jœ œ œF6 .œ jœ œ œF6 .œ Jœ œ œ

? bbb 22 .œ Jœ œ œCm6 Cm6.œ Jœ œ œG 7

.œ Jœ œ œ .œ Jœ œ œG 7

? b 44 .œ Jœ .œ JœF6 .œ jœ .œ Jœ .œ Jœ .œ Jœ .œ jœ .œ Jœ

NOTE: Sometimes a chart will have mixed signals. For example, it might show a Brazilian bass line, but Cuban-based percussion parts. In this circum-stance, it is best to change the percussion parts to fit the rhythm section parts.

15

If there is strong enough evidence to point to a specific style, then go to the appropriate “Sphere Home Page” and follow the information shown to determine the exact style, instrument selection, and other considerations. If the bass line is not conclusive enough, then continue to the next step.

Look at the Drum-Set Part

Look for any evidence of a style-specific rhythm cell in the drum parts, as given in the example below:

Example 1–2: Drum Set Excerpts from Three Different Styles

Drum set pattern A above has both a conga imitation — cross-stick and tom tom — as well as a cascara-like hi-hat pattern, which suggests a Cuban, clave-based approach.

Drum set pattern B above features the tell-tale Brazilian bass drum part found in bossa nova and samba, which suggests a Brazilian-based approach.

Drum set pattern C above outlines the “Big Three” rhythm (discussed in the “Caribbean Musical Character-istics” chapter) and therefore would suggest the Caribbean-based approach. If there is strong enough evidence to point to a specific style, then go to the appropriate “Sphere Home Page” and follow the information given to determine the exact style, instrument selection and other consid-erations. If the drum-set part, along with the bass line, is not conclusive enough, then continue to the next step.

NOTE: Remember, any two-bar pattern presented here can appear in the opposite direction — first bar second, second bar first. Keep your eyes and ears open to the direction of the clave or any two-bar rhythmic cell.

ã 22 y y œ y yœ˙ ˙y y œ y yœ˙ ˙

ã 22 y>

y y>

y>œ yœœ y œ Œ y

y>

yT y> ‰ y

>œ yœŒ y œ Œ y

ã 42 œ y œ œ y œyœ>

yœ>

yœ yœ yœ>œ y œ œ y œyœ yœ

>yœ yœ yœ yœ

>

A.

B.

ã 22 y y œ y yœ˙ ˙y y œ y yœ˙ ˙

ã 22 y>

y y>

y>œ yœœ y œ Œ y

y>

yT y> ‰ y

>œ yœŒ y œ Œ y

ã 42 œ y œ œ y œyœ>

yœ>

yœ yœ yœ>œ y œ œ y œyœ yœ

>yœ yœ yœ yœ

>

A.

B.

ã 22 y y œ y yœ˙ ˙y y œ y yœ˙ ˙

ã . JÛ Û ÛBig Three Rhythm

.Û JÛ Û ÛÛ

C.

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LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Look at the Other Rhythm Section PartsLook at the piano and guitar comping patterns. They may suggest a Cuban Montuno Pattern, a Brazilian Two-bar Pattern or a Caribbean “Big Three” pattern as follows. These terms are all explained in detail in the “Characteris-tics” pages of each style.

Example I–3: Rhythm Section Excerpts

A: Piano part A above would suggest a montuno pattern, therefore it would be a Cuban, clave-based approach.

B: Piano or guitar comping patterns similar to the one shown in B above, suggest a variation of the Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm and therefore a Brazilian-based approach.

C:

Comping patterns in the rhythm section that outline the “Big Three” rhythm, as shown in C above, suggests a Caribbean approach. After following these suggested steps and using the information and reference material presented here, a specific Latin jazz style should be found. Go to the appropriate “Sphere Home Page” and follow the infor-mation presented to determine the exact style, instrument selection and other considerations. If the style is Cuban, clave-based, refer to the “Where’s the Clave” chapter and follow the steps to help determine clave direction.

ã 42 Û Û ≈ Û ÛD 6

9 .Û Û Û .ÛC 69 Û Û ≈ Û ÛD 6

9 .Û Û Û .ÛEb 69

& # 22 .Û JÛ Û ÛG6 .Û JÛ Û Û

F6 .Û J JÛ Û ÛEb9sus4 Û Û ‰ Û Û ÛD9

&?bbb

bbb

22

22

Piano œœ œœ œœjœœ œœjœœ

œ œœn œ jœ œœ Jœ

jœœ œœnjœœ ..œœ

jœœJœœœn Jœ .œ jœ

G7

œœ œœ œœjœœ œœjœœ

œ œœn œ jœ œœ Jœ

Cm6Cm6 jœœ œœnjœœ ..œœ

jœœJœœœn Jœ .œ jœ

G7

ã 42 Û Û ≈ Û ÛD 6

9 .Û Û Û .ÛC 69 Û Û ≈ Û ÛD 6

9 .Û Û Û .ÛEb 69

& # 22 .Û JÛ Û ÛG6 .Û JÛ Û Û

F6 .Û J JÛ Û ÛEb9sus4 Û Û ‰ Û Û ÛD9

&?bbb

bbb

22

22

Piano œœ œœ œœjœœ œœjœœ

œ œœn œ jœ œœ Jœ

jœœ œœnjœœ ..œœ

jœœJœœœn Jœ .œ jœ

G7

œœ œœ œœjœœ œœjœœ

œ œœn œ jœ œœ Jœ

Cm6Cm6 jœœ œœnjœœ ..œœ

jœœJœœœn Jœ .œ jœ

G7ã 42 Û Û ≈ Û Û

D 69 .Û Û Û .ÛC 6

9 Û Û ≈ Û ÛD 69 .Û Û Û .ÛEb 6

9

& # 22 .Û JÛ Û ÛG6 .Û JÛ Û Û

F6 .Û J JÛ Û ÛEb9sus4 Û Û ‰ Û Û ÛD9

&?bbb

bbb

22

22

Piano œœ œœ œœjœœ œœjœœ

œ œœn œ jœ œœ Jœ

jœœ œœnjœœ ..œœ

jœœJœœœn Jœ .œ jœ

G7

œœ œœ œœjœœ œœjœœ

œ œœn œ jœ œœ Jœ

Cm6Cm6 jœœ œœnjœœ ..œœ

jœœJœœœn Jœ .œ jœ

G7

NOTE: Brazilian styles such as samba and bossa nova are often written in cut time (2/2 meter) in published charts to make them easier to read using eighth notes and quarter notes. Brazilian musicians usually prefer 2/4 or 4/4 meter.

NOTE: When in doubt, go to calypso. Experience dictates that when a chart is written in a generic “Latin” style, the bass line will often be closer to a Caribbean style, and therefore calypso will make an otherwise divergent chart have some continuity and authenticity.

17

Cuban, Clave-Based SphereCuba, Puerto Rico*

Musicians Playing Clave-Based Music Song Title (Style) Ray Barretto “El Watusi” (boogaloo)Maurio Bauzá “Mambo Inn” (mambo)Celia Cruz “Bemba Colora” (rumba- cha cha chá)Dizzy Gillespie “Manteca” (jazz mambo)Francisco “Machito” “Blen Blen Blen” (mambo) GrilloEddie Palmieri “Vamonos Pa’L Monte” (guaracha- mambo)Tito Puente “Oye Como Va” (cha cha chá) “Ran Kan Kan” (mambo)Poncho Sanchez “Morning” (bolero)Arturo Sandoval “A Night in Tunisia” (rumba-jazz)Ramón “Mongo” “Afro Blue” (Afro 6/8) SantamaríaCal Tjader “Soul Sauce” (cha cha chá)

CUBAN: [MAHM-bo] [ROOM-bah] [bem-BEH] [bo-LEH-(r)oh]

PUERTO RICAN: * [BOHM-bah] * [PLEH-nah]

!

PRIMARY DRUMS: Congas or tumbadoras Timbales [tim-BAL-hes] Bongo Drum set

HAND HELD: Claves [CLA-veh] Maracas Cowbells or campanas Shekere [CHE-ke-ray] Güiro [WEE-rho]

* = Presented in the companion website

*Showing the most common styles found in Latin Jazz (see page 22)

18

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Brazilian Based Sphere

Musicians Playing Brazilian Music Song Title (Style) Astrud Gilberto “Meditation” (bossa nova)João Gilberto “So Danço Samba” (jazz samba)Gilberto Gil “How Insensitive” (bossa nova)Stan Getz “The Girl from Ipanema” (bossa nova)Joe Henderson “Once I Loved” (bossa nova)Antonio Carlos Jobim “Corcovado/ Quiet (bossa nova) Nights of Quiet Stars” Milton Nascimento “Os escravos De Jo” (contemporary afoxé)Sergio Mendes “Magalenha” (samba Bahia)Airto Moreira “Tombo” (jazz samba in 7/4)Hermeto Pascoal “Aquela Coisa” (jazz baião)Horace Silver “Song for My Father” (jazz bossa nova)

(multiple varieties) [by-YAWN] [ma-ra-ka-TU] [FRAY-vo] [SHO-ro]

!

PRIMARY DRUMS: [SUR-du]: A family of large, tubular, low sounding drums strapped over one shoulder (samba batucada). Played with one mallet and hand HAND HELD:

[ah-go-GO]: Two differently pitched bells attached by a curved metal grip

Large triangle for baião [gung-zah]: Shakers that can

be cylinder or substituted with egg shakers (not maracas)

[pan-DAY-roh]: Similar to single-head tambourine, but with different cymbal types that face each other

[tam-bo-REEM]: Small one-sided drum played with a multi-pronged beater

[AH-pea-toh]: Samba whistle

*Showing the most common styles found in Latin Jazz (see page 89)

19

Musicians Playing Caribbean-Based Music Song Title (Style)

Harry Belafonte “The Banana Boat Song” (“Day-O”) (calypso)Burning Flames “Island Girl” (calypso)Sonny Rollins “St. Thomas” (jazz calypso)Olga Tañón “Muchacho Malo” (merengue)Wilfrido Vargas “El Africano” (merengue)Johnny Ventura “Morena” (merengue) Musicians Playing Caribbean-Influenced Jazz

Caribbean Jazz Project “Sadie’s Dance” Yellowjackets “Rush Hour” Andy Narell “Shadow Play”

and [SOH-kah] (Trinidad, Tobago, West Indies islands) [meh-RHEN-gey] (Dominican Republic)

!

PRIMARY DRUMS: Pan/Steel drums: Family of drums cut from steel barrels, mounted and played with small stick- mallets Brake drums: Old car brake cylinders played with stick or metal beaters (can substitute cowbells). Drum Set and CongasHAND HELD: Triangle Shakers (not maracas)

PRIMARY DRUMS: Tambora [tam-BO-rah]: (can use conga as a substitute)HAND HELD: Güira [WEE-rah]: Metal cylinder- like instrument that is scraped with a metal-pronged scraper (like a metal güiro) Cowbells (usually mounted)

Caribbean Based Sub-SphereTrinidad, Dominican Republic, Tobago, Virgin Islands*

*Showing the most common styles found in Latin Jazz (see page 130)

22

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Mambo

Cha cha chà

Rumba

Afro Cuban 6/8 (Bembe)

Songo

Bolero

The Cuban, Clave-Based Sphere22S E C T I O NS E C T I O N

23

Family of Common Cuban Percussion Instruments

Bongos

Maracas

Timbales with mounted wood block and cowbells

Shékere

Congas

Claves

Photos provided courtesy of Latin Percussion®

Guiro

24

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Cuban Musical CharacteristicsClave Cuban music, at its very core, is built over a 2-bar rhythmic structure called clave. This pattern acts like a rhythmic cantus firmus (fixed song) that supports and guides a variety of complex, syncopated and contra-puntal musical structures built on top of it. The example below shows the two most common clave patterns.

Example 2–1: 3:2 Son and Rumba Clave

Son [sõne] claveSon clave is named for its connection to the son musical style, one of the historic pillars of

Cuban music. Originating in Cuba’s eastern countryside, but later a favorite in urban areas, son evolved into a classic Cuban mix, with African-derived but uniquely Cuban percussion instruments (bongos, claves and maracas) and rhythm sensibilities, Spanish/troubadour vocal tradition and European instru-ments (trumpet, guitar, upright bass). The Cuban tres, a larger version of the American mandolin, was also an important part of the mix. Son has exerted a strong influence on many later Cuban styles.

The son clave pattern is slightly less syncopated than its rumba counterpart (as shown in the example above) and is, therefore, considered easier to play and dance to. Traditionally, it is the clave pattern found most often in standard jazz band literature and used in mambo, cha cha chá, and other common “salsa” styles.

Rumba [ROOM-bah] clave Origins: Rumba clave, along with the 6/8 bembe bell pattern, comes from the Cuban-folkloric tradition and specifically from its namesake complex of rumba styles (see Rumba chapter in this book for more information). Another pillar of Cuban music, rumba originated as a secular expression of the Afro- Cuban population living in the urban areas and port cities. This heritage was reflected in the instrumen-tation of the hand drums: congas and cajón (large boxes); along with the hand-held instruments: claves, shékere and the guagua (hallowed out bamboo piece played with sticks), and the ever-important vocals.

The rumba clave pattern, with its one extra note of syncopation—the last beat on 3-side, is often considered more challenging to play and usually signals a unique musical vocabulary, which will be discussed further in the “Rumba Performance Tips” section.

NOTE: The Afro-Cuban 6/8 (bembe) bell part is another important Cuban “clave” rhythm that is associated with the folkloric and religious traditions, but also found in rumba Columbia and many jazz applications. See the Afro-Cuban 6/8 chapter in this book, as well as the “Family of Cuban Clave Patterns” in the Appendix section for more information on this important rhythmic cell.

ãã

2222

Son Clave

Rumba Clave

.Û JÛ Û Û

.Û JÛ .Û JÛŒ Û Û ŒŒ Û Û Œ

25

Most scholars point to West African musical traditions as the origins of clave. Cuba’s extensive slave trade that lasted through the 1870s, along with its unique geographical, social and political conditions, created a musical heritage with strong West African roots. The clave rhythm emerged from these roots and would eventually spread far from Cuba’s shores.

But only in Cuba did the idea of clave emerge as a codified, functional and structural tool for both musicians and dancers.

Montuno Many of the most well-known styles of Cuban music include a piano and/or guitar part, often referred to as

montuno. This is an arpeggiated pattern that outlines the harmonic motion of the tune. These patterns can be simple or very complex. A typical montuno is presented below with its corresponding clave pattern .

Example 2–2: Basic Montuno Pattern With Corresponding 2:3 Son Clave

The montuno pattern evolved from Cuban son and son montuno styles of music. Arpeggio-based patterns called guajéos were played on a mandolin-type instrument with three sets of double strings called a tres. These patterns were adapted to piano in the charanga and conjunto bands in the early 20th century Cuban dance halls. Today, montuno remains a signature sound of Cuban music.

NOTE: Remember, “clave” can refer to either the Afro-Cuban instrument (two wood dowels struck together) or the 2-bar rhythm cell that they play. See both the Family of Common Cuban Instruments and the Family of Cuban Clave Patterns page in this book.

NOTE: The son clave pattern is a common and familiar rhythmic cell in American R&B, funk hip-hop and rock ’n’ roll music. It is the same as the “Bo Diddley” or “Iko Iko” beat found in New Orleans music and continues to be a widely-used rhythmic device outside of Latin music.

&?

bbb

bbb

22

22

Piano œœ œœ œœjœœ œœ

jœœœ œœn œ jœ œœ Jœ

jœœ œœn jœœ ..œœjœœ

Jœœœn

Jœ .œ jœ

G7

œœ œœ œœjœœ œœ

jœœœ œœn œ jœ œœ Jœ

Cm6Cm6 jœœ œœn jœœ ..œœjœœ

Jœœœn

Jœ .œ jœ

G7

ã 22 Œ ŒÛ Û .Û JÛ Û Û Œ Œ Û Û .Û JÛ Û Û

NOTE: Montuno is a term that can also refer to a form-section of a classic mambo arrangement.

26

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

TumbaoBass and congas play a pattern referred to as tumbao, which simply means the basic groove and/or pattern. The bass tumbao follows a strong Cuban characteristic of landing on beat-four, anticipating the chord change by one beat, as shown in the example below. To Western ears, beat-four becomes a substitute for beat-one, and this can cause some confusion.

Example 2–3: Bass Tumbao Pattern

The conga tumbao pattern, when played as a two-bar pattern, shows the movement to the low conga drum on the 3-side of the clave, as shown in the example below.

Example 2–4: Two-bar Tumbao Pattern for the Congas with 2:3 Son Clave

A Note About Cuban HarmonyThe piano montuno and the bass tumbao reflect a harmonic vocabulary that has strong roots in both Spanish/Mediterranean formal music as well as West African oral-music traditions. These same musical roots helped to inform a harmonic vocabulary with strong P4 or P5 root motion that was easily transmitted and remembered, yet highly functional and adaptable. The example bellow shows a few typical progressions found in cha cha chá, mambo and other son clave-related styles.

Example 2.6: Typical Cuban Chord Progressions Shown in Roman Numerals (Key of C)

I IV V IV — (C, F, G, F)i7 V7 — (Cm7, G7)i7 v7 — (Cm7, Gm7)i7 iv7 — (Cm7, Fm7)I bVII IV — (C, Bb7, F)ii7 v7 — (Dm7, Gm7)ii7 v7 i7 — (Dm7, Gm7, Cm7)i7 iv7 V7 iv7 — (Cm7, Fm7, G7, Fm7)

? bbb 22 .. ...œ Jœ œ œCm6 Cm6.œ Jœ œ œG 7

.œ Jœ œ œ .œ Jœ œ œG 7

NOTE: Playing this bass tumbao part can be very difficult for the inexperienced bass player. See Mambo Performance Tips chapter for a step-by-step learning method for this part.

ã

44

44

Œ Û Û Œ

y y t>y y y œ œ

.Û JÛ Û Û

y y t>œ œ y œ œ

Son Clave

Congas

S ST T T T T T

S = slap T = open tone

27

Metal Calls MetalIn Cuban dance styles such as mambo and cha cha chá, the percussionist will “call” one another, usually with the bongo bell (or a timbale fill), from a “dry” softer sound, to a stronger “metal” sound. This provides dynamic contrast and momentum between form sections.

Example 2–5: Dry Percussion sounds to Metal Percussion Sounds

Softer dynamics and lighter feel Stronger, louder sections with more energy

Cascara pattern on timbale shell Bell pattern (many variations) on or hi hat mambo-bell or bell of cymbal

Martillo pattern Large bongo bell part

Basic tumbao pattern More active varied tumbao pattern

This scenario and all percussion patterns referenced above can be found in the “Percussion Solutions Scores” for mambo and cha cha chá in this book, and in many Latin drumming publications. This metal-calls-metal concept can also be easily heard in many of the listening examples given in the Background sections.

One of the particularly strong characteristics of Cuban music is the complete command of tempo, rhythm and time. Cuban musicians seem to combine the ability to build complex syncopations and counterpoint (in clave) over a unified fundamental pulse, while maintaining an elastic time-feel. This keeps the music and the time flexible and dynamic, but never sloppy.

The strong tendency to increase tempo throughout a tune—a purposeful accelerando—comes from the rumba and folkloric traditions of Cuba. This gradual and controlled tempo change builds excitement and energy in the music. A good example of this is the tune “Sandunguera” by the Cuban super-group, Los Van Van. There are multiple recordings of the salsa classic, but each one features a gradual, organic and consistent accelerando that creates a sense of musical climax and brings vitality to the music.

NOTE: It is a real challenge to replicate the natural and controlled tempo acceleration found in some Cuban music, without sounding as if there is unintentional rushing. This is an excellent opportunity for musicians to work on and consider issues regarding tempo, feel and what qualifies as “good time.”

28

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

SummaryThe idea of a two-bar rhythmic cell is a West African musical characteristic that can be found in much of the diaspora. But only in Cuba did it manifest itself into a musical building block. All other musical elements, including melodic lines, percussion parts, tumbao and montuno patterns are all organized and directed by clave.

It is important to remember that even though Brazilian music and other “Latin” styles do not share the concept of clave as a systematic, structural-tool, similar two-bar rhythmic cells do appear in other Latin music styles. For example, the “Two-Bar Brazilian Rhythm,” a common organizing cell discussed in the Brazilian Musical Characteristics chapter, has strong rhythmic similarities to Cuban clave and will demand many of the same performance practice considerations. But, Cuba is where clave both organizes the music and, as Bobby Sanabria states, helps to “excite the human organism for its maximum potential on the dance floor.” (Latin Music USA, PBS broadcast).

Remember:

NOTE: To have a more complete understanding of Cuban music, try learning some basic salsa dance steps; take some dance instruction or watch videos of people dancing to Cuban music. These activities will provide a more profound understanding of all the Cuban styles presented herein, and how clave functions for both musicians and dancers.

41

Cha Cha Chá

CHA CHA CHÁ (and Boogaloo)

BASIC INFO CHART

Sphere Cuban, clave-based

Country of Origin Cuba

Related Rhythmic Cell Son clave

Typical Meter/Tempo Range 4/4: quarter note = 100 – 126

Reference Song (Artist) “Oye Como Va” (Tito Puente)

Percussion (added in this suggested order, after drum set)

1. Congas 2. Guiro 3. Timbales 4. Bongos See “Percussion Solutions” and “Rhythm Section Play Along” scores in this section

The Cha Cha Chá SoundIn a very general sense, cha cha chá can be considered a slower version of mambo, with direct similarities and important differences.

Example 2–11: Forward (3:2) Son Clave

down beats in the right hand, higher register

provides the rhythmic drive and a signature sound

ã 22Son Clave .Û JÛ Û Û Œ Û Û Œ

NOTE: Boogaloo will be discussed in the cha cha chá “Performance Tips” section.

42

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Cha Cha Chá Checklist

☐ This tune really is a cha cha chá or boogaloo from the Cuban, Clave-based Sphere, from score/part indications, bass part, piano montuno parts, etc., (see p. 14).

☐ Original versions of this tune and/or similar reference tunes are available to all musicians in the ensemble (see p. 50).

☐ The clave direction (3:2 or 2:3) has been checked to see if the music shifts from one side of the clave to the other, within the arrangement (see p. 153).

☐ All musicians in the ensemble understand the clave pattern being used, can clap it and know how it affects their own parts (see p. 46).

☐ Only Cuban instruments are being used in the percussion section (see p. 23).

☐ All tunable Latin percussion instruments are tuned and set up properly (see p. 158).

☐ The percussionists know the basics of playing authentic parts correctly and in clave (see pp. 43–44).

☐ The bass player is able to play the part with correct rhythm and feel (see p. 47).

☐ Piano/guitar players can play cha cha chá and montuno patterns, when used, in the proper clave “direction” and with the correct rhythm (see p. 47).

Notes x

43

Basic Percussion Solutions Score

Cuban, Clave-based (presented here in 2:3 son clave)

T

ã

ã

&

ãããã

44

44

44

44

44

44

44

Drum Set

Drum Set(dry sound)

Drum Setvariation

(metal sound)

Congas(one drum)

Guiro

or

Timbales

Maracas

y>yT>y>yœ>œœ Œ Ó

œ Œ ÓyT>Å yT>Å y Å>yT Å

∆¥ ∆O ∆¥ ∆œœ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿x x 3 x x œ œ

œ œ̂ œ̂ œ œ̂ œ̂¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿

3

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

y>

yT>

y>

yœ>œ.œ Jœ Ó

.œ Jœ ÓyT>Å yT Å

>yT Å>yT Å

∆¥ ∆O ∆¥ ∆œœ¿ ¿ œ ¿ ¿x x 3 x x œ œ

œ œ̂ œ̂ œ œ̂ œ̂¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿

3

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

Cha cha chá: Basic

R R

R R R R R R R R RR

R RR R

F T T

Cha Cha Chá

44

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Advanced Percussion Solutions Score

Cuban, Clave-based (presented here in 2:3 son clave)

∆ ∆

~ ~

T

ã

ã

&

ããããã

44

44

44

44

44

44

4444

yT>Å yT Å yT Å yœ œœ Œ Ó

œ Œ Ó ÓyT>Å yT>Å y Å

>yT Å

∆ ∆œ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆œ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ œx x 3 x x x œ œ

œ œ̂ œ̂ œ œ̂ œ̂¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿

3

∆Å ∆œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

yT>Å yT Å yT Å yœ œ.œ Jœ Ó

.œ JœyT>Å yT Å

>yT Å>yT Å

‰ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆œ ∆¿ ¿ œ œ¿ ¿x x 3 œ œ x œ œ

œ œ̂ œ̂ œ œ̂ œ̂¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿

3

∆ ∆Å ∆ ∆œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~

Cha cha chá: Advanced

Hi-hat

L L L L LR R R R LL L R RR R

P___F P___FS F __ T T T T T T F

P___F S

Bell ofcym

Both sticks on shell (alt. stroke)

R L R L etc…

Percussion Solutions Score

Presented here in 2:3 son clave

Cuban, Clave-based

Drum Set(no extra perc.)

Drum Set(dry sound)

Drum Setvariation

(metal sound)

Congas(two drum)

Guiro

Timbales

Timbalevariation

Maracas

Suggested parts with percussion added (in order)

Suggested drum set part with no extra percussion

Small cowbell or bell of cym

or

45

Rhythm Section Practice, Play-Along Score

Cuban, Clave-basedq = 112

&&??ã

# ## ## ## #

22

22

22

2222

..

..

..

..

..

Guitar

Bass

RhythmCell

Reference

Piano

Û Û ‰ Û JÛœœœœ œœœœ Œ œœœœ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ

.œ Jœ œ œŒ Û Û Œ

Em7

Em7

Em7

Em7

A9

A9

A9

(A9)A9

Em7 A9

Em7 A9

(A9)Œ ‰ JÛ JÛ .Ûœœœœ Œ œœœœ œœœœ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœœ ‰ Jœ œ œ œ œ

.Û JÛ Û Û

Rhythm Section Practice Play-Along Score

Cha cha cháCuban Clave-Based

2:3 Son Clave

&&??ã

# ## ## ## #

..

..

..

..

..

Gtr.

Bass

Clv.

Pno.

Û Û ‰ Û JÛœœœœ œœœœ Œ œœœœ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ

.œ Jœ œ œŒ Û Û Œ

Œ ‰ JÛ JÛ .Ûœœœœ Œ œœœœ œœœœ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœœ ‰ Jœ œ œ

.Û JÛ Û ÛNOTE:

rhythm in the guitar part above.

These score parts represent typical (but not exclusive) rhythm section parts for this style, and can be played with the corresponding “Percussion Solutions Scores” for practice purposes. See www.latinjazzguide.com for video play-along clips and more information.

Cha Cha Chá

46

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Cha Cha Chá Performance Tips

Cha cha chá = Son Clave

One of the similarities between mambo and cha cha chá is the use of son clave for both styles. Once again, son clave is shown in the example below, and once again, a reminder that the melodic phrase can start on either the “3” or “2” side.

Example 2–12: 3:2 Son Clave

Playing a successful cha cha chá is very similar to playing a medium-slow, Basie-style swing tune that seems to stay just under the boiling point, but has occasional bursts of musical energy. Both require a heightened sense of time, articulation, control and attention to detail. The musical results are the same, as well: creating an exciting, cool, nuanced sound that lives deep in the rhythmic pocket.

The prevailing rhythmic characteristic of cha cha chá is the quarter note drive coming from the percussion section. More specifically from the timbales (or drum set), as well as the güiro. The primary sound that carries the quarter note pulse is the smaller, higher pitched cowbell. A cross stick on the snare drum can have the same effect if the bell sound is not available. The example below shows the drum set covering the quarter note with a cross stick.

Example 2–13: Basic Drum Set Part for Cha Cha Chá Accenting the Quarter Note

Similar to mambo, in specific sections of a typical cha cha chá, the percussion section will call one another from a “dry” sound to a “metal” sound, as shown in the “Mambo Performance Tips” chapter.

in two-bar phrases, due to the slower tempo and the available rhythmic space.

NOTE: Please review the “Cuban Musical Characteristics” chapter; as much of the infor-mation provided there pertains directly to cha cha chá.

ã 22Son Clave .Û JÛ Û Û Œ Û Û Œ

ã 44 œ Œ ÓyT>Å yT

>Å yT Å

>yT Å .œ Jœ ÓyT

>Å yT Å

>yT Å

>yT Å

47

montuno patterns that are more common in mambo. Rhythm section players can either play a syncopated part as shown in the piano part in the score below, or as strong clave-based rhythmic part similar to the familiar intro-duction to the tune “Oye Como Va,” as shown in the guitar part below. If the tune requires more of a standard jazz approach, the comping instruments may play a more jazz-based comping style suitable for any mid-tempo jazz tune.

Below is a mini-score excerpt from the “Cha Cha Chá Rhythm Section Practice, Play-along Score” given in this section of the book. It should be noted that the piano part shown is not typically played through an entire cha cha chá, but only where the tune needs some extra drive.

Example 2–14: Cha Cha Chá Rhythm Section Parts

Like mambo, cha cha chá is often performed as a vocal-based style. Even though there are many examples of an instrumental approach, performing a cha cha chá with vocal parts (usually in Spanish), including the lead voice and coro response, can result in a more profound musical experience for both the musician and audience.

&

&??

# ## ## ## #

22

22

22

22

..

..

..

..

Guitar

Bass

Piano

Guitar

Bass

Piano

Û Û ‰ Û JÛ

œœœœ œœœœ Œ œœœœ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ

.œ J Jœ œ œ

Em7

Em7

Em7

Em7

A9

A9

A9

(A9)A9

Em7 A9

Em7 A9

(A9)Œ ‰ JÛ JÛ .Û

œœœœ Œ œœœœ œœœœ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœœ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ

&&??

# ## ## ## #

..

..

..

..

Û Û ‰ Û JÛœœœœ œœœœ Œ œœœœ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ

.œ Jœ œ œ

Œ ‰ JÛ JÛ .Ûœœœœ Œ œœœœ œœœœ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœ ‰ œœœœœ ‰ Jœ œ œ

Cha Cha Chá

48

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Boogaloo Performance Tips

The infectious beat and relatively simple parts to boogaloo make it an appealing style for both musicians and listeners. Think of boogaloo as cha cha chá, but with a stronger backbeat from the drum set player and more of a rock feel from the rhythm section. A basic, boogaloo drum set pattern is shown in the example below.

Example 2–15: Boogaloo Drum Set Part

Boogaloo is a crossover style that incorporates English with some Spanish (usually very simple Spanish parts). This is a great style for non-Spanish speakers who are looking to add vocals to a performance. What it lacks in musical sophistication, it makes up for in energy and appeal.

All Latin jazz styles have a strong groove element, but boogaloo is unique in its simplicity and reliance of feel to generate musical interest and energy. It really is as much a rock style as it is a Latin one. This does not mean abandoning principles of subtlety or musical nuance, but an approach that is focused on a danceable, groove-oriented feel and less on sophisticated elements of harmony, melody or dense syncopation (as in jazz rumba styles).

ã 44 yœ Å Å Å Å Åyœ>

y yœ>Åœyœ

yœ>

y Åœyœ>Åœ

NOTE: Simple and basic parts do not negate the usual degree of “feel” difficulty in either cha cha chá or boogaloo. Finding and playing this music with the proper “feel” can be challenging, as it is for almost all of the styles listed in this book. Listening, then going back to listen again is the most helpful tool in finding the proper feel. See the listening examples given in the “Cha Cha Chá/Boogaloo Performance Tips” section of this chapter for suggestions.

49

Cha Cha Chá Brief BackgroundCha cha chá (or cha cha) is one of the more familiar rhythms to emerge from Cuba’s rich musical history. Like many other popular styles, cha cha chá, evolved from earlier Cuban styles and eventually fueled a dance craze in the 1950s and ’60s that spread to North America and beyond. The medium tempo and accessible rhythms gives this style instant appeal for dancers, listeners and musicians.

The actual heritage of cha cha chá can be traced back to danzón, an early Cuban style with strong Euro-pean influences. This all-instrumental style featured strings, woodwinds, and a percussion section that included only the güiro and a small set of timpani, which eventually evolved into what is now known as timbales. Cha cha chá developed as an ending section to danzón, which turned up the heat a bit and gave it a more rhythmic—or African—push. Eventually, this section became a style of its own.

Boogaloo Brief BackgroundBoogaloo is an American hybrid of cha cha chá and early ’60s rock that came out of the Puerto Rican culture in New York City. Boogaloo soon spread via the power of popular music: radio, TV and its corresponding dance, and was an early Latin crossover sensation. With the same tempo as cha cha chá, but with a stronger rock- and soul-inspired backbeat, boogaloo is considered an early crossover style in the formative years of rock ’n’ roll. It became the vehicle for successful hits by artists such as Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto and Joe Cuba. Reference the “Listening Examples” below for some examples of this unique style.

NOTE: As is the case with many of the styles presented here, there are common namesake styles that exist in the books of the classic “dance band” repertoire. Although the names are the same or similar (rumba or rhumba), they usually bear little resemblance to the Cuban original. In the case of cha cha chá, however, the dance-band version at least retains the basic tempo and a semblance of the original feel.

NOTE: Boogaloo had far-reaching influences. It inspired not only American artists but also musicians from around the world, including The Beatles and their producer George Martin. The sound of boogaloo is indelibly incorporated into the roots of rock ’n’ roll music.

Cha Cha Chá

50

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Cha Cha Chá and Boogaloo Listening Examples

“Oye Como Va” Tito Puente 20th Century Masters, The Best of Tito Universal Music / 2005

“Slowvisor” Eddie Palmieri Palmas / Nonesuch Records /1994

“Algo Nuevo” Ray Barretto RicanStruction Codigo Music, LLC / 1979

“Amor Verdandero” Afro Cuban All Stars A Toda Cuba Le Gusta Nonesuch Records / 1997

“Soul Sauce” (’60s style small group)

Cal Tjader Soul Sauce—Cal Tjader Verve / 1964

“Comelon Hustle” Charlie Palmieri Impulsos Musical Productions, Inc. / 1975

“Cha Cha Cha Para Mi Alma” (contemporary small group jazz)

Mark Levine & the Latin Tinge

Serengeti Left Coast Clave Records / 2001

“Copla No. 4” Bebo Valdés Bebo De Cuba Calle 54 Records / 2005

“Bang Bang” Joe Cuba Joe Cuba: Greatest Hits Codigo Music / 2010

“El Watusi” Ray Barretto The Essential Ray Barretto / Codigo Music / 2010

“Micaela” Pete Rodriguez Fania Signature Vol. III – Boogaloo Fania / 2007

“Boogaloo Blues” Johnny Colon Fania Signature Vol. III – Boogaloo Fania / 2007

89

Samba

Bossa Nova

Baião

Partido Alto

The Brazilian-Based Sphere33S E C T I O NS E C T I O N

90

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Family of Common Brazilian Percussion Instruments

Agogô bells

Tamborim Caixa

Repinique

SurdosGanzá (shakers)

Pandeiro

Apito (whistle)

91

Brazilian Musical CharacteristicsTwo Dominant Styles Samba and its gentler and lighter companion style bossa nova are the two most common styles in Brazilian (Brasilian) jazz and the ones most likely to appear on the jazz musician’s set list. It is important to point out that there are many musical styles in Brazil (see the www.latinjazzguide.com for resources on these styles), yet the lyrical beauty and Afro-Brazilian rhythms of samba and bossa nova have historically dominated Brazil’s musical exports.

In “2” with a Sixteenth Note FocusLike most music that lives under the “Latin” moniker, Brazilian music is almost always felt over two funda-mental pulse-beats. But unlike most other Latin music, it is composed, transmitted and conceptualized by Brazilians in sixteenth notes, usually in 2/4 or 4/4 meter. According to the many Brazilian musicians with whom I have discussed this, perceiving and interpreting sixteenth notes helps to promote a more accurate, authentic feel. Publishers may gravitate to cut time (2/2) using eight-notes, as it is considered easier to read. However, Brazilians will even write slow tempo bossa novas using sixteenth notes.

In addition, the sixteenth notes are often articulated with an accent on the second “e-” or the fourth “a-” sixteenth note as shown in the example below:

Example 3–1: Common Brazilian Sixteenth-Note Articulation

NOTE: Brazilian music is not structured over the clave-pattern, even though many Brazilian rhythms can be analyzed as being “in” clave. The main difference is that even though the same Afro-centric rhythmic roots influence both musical traditions, Brazilian music does not use clave as a structural device. Also, the instrument clave, is not indigenous to Brazil, so it should not be included in any standard Brazilian musical context. Remember: Clave = Cuba.

ãã

42

42œ œ

>œ œ œ œ

>œ œ

œ œ œ œ> œ œ œ œ>œ œ

>œ œ œ œ

>œ œ

œ œ œ œ> œ œ œ œ>

1 e + a 2 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a

NOTE: When played correctly, the above examples help to produce the lilt often found in Brazilian sixteenth-note phrasing. It is helpful to think of playing a set of egg-shakers, held straight out from the chest, and played in unison, in a rounded back and forth motion. The natural movement of the arms, assuming correct technique, will help promote this staggered sixteenth-note feel.

92

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Common Brazilian Rhythmic Cells

The “Brazilian Mother Cell”A central rhythmic cell at the heart of Brazilian music is what composer and author Antonio Adolfo calls the “Brazilian Mother Cell” (Brazilian Music Workshop, Advance Music Pub., 1993). This rhythm is often played on the tamborim in Samba settings, and is interpreted somewhere between the written figure below and eight-note triplets. The example below shows the phrase, along with the finger mute that is used when playing the tamborim.

Example 3–2: Brazilian Mother Cell with Finger Mute Indicated

Two-bar Brazilian RhythmAnother common rhythm, used not only in percussion parts but also in rhythm section comping, is what this author calls the “Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm”—for lack of a better term. It is derived from the partido alto rhythm (discussed later in this chapter) and has strong clave-like characteristics.

The Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm follows the same up-beat/downbeat rule as well as the phrasing- on-beat-ONE rule discussed in the “Where’s the Clave?” chapter in the Appendix of this book. One measure functions like the “2 side” of the clave, with a downbeat played on beat-one; while the other measure func-tions like the “3 side” of the clave, with an up-beat played on beat-one. Also like clave, this two-bar rhythm figure can be phrased in either direction, as shown in the example below:

Example 3–3: The Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm Shown in Both Directions

NOTE: All musicians interested in playing this music should learn both the Brazilian Mother Cell and the Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm on a tamborim.

This instrument is small, easy to use and sold in most music stores. Playing these rhythms on tamboirm, or just clapping the rhythms while stepping in “2,” will facilitate a more meaningful understanding of Brazilian musical phrasing.

ã 42 Û Û ≈ Û Û ≈ .JÛ Û Û

ã 42 ≈ .JÛ Û Û Û Û ≈ Û Û

“2 side” DOWN beat on beat ONE

OR

“3 side” UP beat on beat ONE

“2 side” DOWN beat on beat ONE“3 side” UP beat on beat ONE

ã 42 œ œ> œ œ œ> œx x

Finger mute

93

The following example (modified to 2/4 meter for consistency) is a melodic excerpt of a well-known bossa nova melody. Even though a Brazilian composer did not write this tune, it lines up nicely with the Brazilian Two-bar Rhythm scenario and is often phrased this way.

Example 3–4: Standard Jazz Bossa Melody Lined Up with Brazilian Two-bar Rhythm

Note the downbeat on the measures 1 and 3, and the off-beat melody note on measures 2 and 4. Of course, there are just as many examples of an off-beat melody starting on the other side of the two-bar phrase and, in fact, many Brazilians would consider this as the more common setting. Whatever the organization of the two-bar phrase, it is critical that all the musicians understand how it is lining up—much the same way as when considering clave direction in Cuban music—and perform the music accordingly.

Melodic Prominence/Harmonic RichesIn Brazil, the song—the melody—remains the dominant focus of both the music and the performance. And even though this is a broad generality that can be said for many musical styles, melodic focus must be recog-nized here as a primary focus. Perhaps this is due to the rich Portuguese and European vocal traditions that blended with the other peoples and cultures of colonial Brazil.

Below is an excerpt of a beautiful melody written by Brazilian pianist, composer and educator Rafael dos Santos that exemplifies this trait:

Example 3–5: Excerpt of Melody for “Debora,” by Rafael dos Santos

&ã

bbb 42

42jœ‰

.œ œ œ œ œÛ Û ≈ Û ≈Û

.œ Jœ.Û Û Û ≈ .Û Û Û

œ .œ œ

Û Û ≈ Û Û

˙1 2 3 4

R™™

™™

24&bbbbDEBORA

© Santos Music

Rafael dos Santos

&bbbb

&bbbb

&bbbb3 3

‰ ≈ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œn œ œ œ œn œ

‰ ≈ œnRœ œn œ œ œ œ œn œn œ œ œ œn œb œ Œ

‰ ≈ œRœ œ œ œ ˙ ‰ ≈ œR

œ œ œ œ œ ≈ œ œ œ œ œ

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œJ ‰

94

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Accompanying the lyrical nature of Brazilian jazz music is a sophisticated and rich harmonic vocabu-lary, heavily influenced by the “changes” found in American jazz. These chord changes often take surprising turns that may defy the standard ii-7 to V7 progressions of more conventional jazz standards. Brazilian chord changes, as shown in the example below, provide challenging harmonic fodder for improvisers and composers alike:

Example 3–6: Excerpt of Chord Changes for “Debora” by Rafael dos Santos

SummaryBrazilian jazz, dominated by but not relegated to samba and bossa nova, is unique in the Latin jazz family. A lyrical focus, rich harmonic substance and Afro-Brazilian rhythms propel its tropical sound. The Mother Cell and the Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm, though not clave per se, provide unique rhythmic structures and vocabu-laries that help organize the music and identify it as Brazilian.

Ebm7Fm7C7b9

Bbm7Fmaj7Am7/G

Am7Fm7 B7 E7Dbmaj7Fm/Eb

Eb7 Gm7Bb/AbAb7

Ab7 Dbm7 Gm7b5 C7

& 42 ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’

& ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’

& ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’© Santos Music

96

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

SAMBA

BASIC INFO CHART

Sphere Brazilian Sphere

Country of Origin Brazil

Related Rhythmic Cell Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm

Typical Meter/Tempo Range 2/2 in Published Chart: half note = 60 – 152 2/4 or 4/4 if Brazilian Origination: quarter note= 60 -152

Reference Song (Artist) “Samba de Orfeu” (Luiz Bonfá or Stan Getz)

Percussion (added in this suggested order, after drum set)

1. Ago-gó bells 2. Surdo (or stand-alone floor tom) 3. Shakers 4. Tamborim. See “Percussion Solutions” and “Rhythm Section Play Along” scores in this section

The Samba SoundThe samba sound is considered the signature sound of Brazilian popular music. This includes all the charac-teristics listed in the “Brazilian Musical Characteristics” pages, plus an active rhythmic soundscape, special-ized percussion instruments and:

in the “Brazilian Musical Characteristics” section.

Example 3–7: Two-Bar Brazilian Rhythm

the surdo part. Even jazz sambas will hint at this accent scheme.

Example 3–8: Basic Surdo Part for Samba, Emphasizing Beat 2

ã 42 Å œ> Å œ>

ã 42 ≈ .JÛ Û ÛÛ Û ≈ Û Û

ã 42 Å œ> Å œ>

ã 42 ≈ .JÛ Û ÛÛ Û ≈ Û Û

NOTE: Remember, like clave, musical phrases can begin on either side of the Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm.

97

Samba Checklist

☐ This tune really is a samba and from the Brazilian-based Sphere, from score/part indications, bass part, comping rhythms, etc., (see p. 14).

☐ Original versions of this tune and/or similar reference tunes have been made available to all mu-sicians in the ensemble (see p. 105).

☐ The Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm direction has been determined and all the musicians understand the importance of synchronizing with it (see p. 92).

☐ Only Brazilian instruments are being used in the percussion section (see p. 90).

☐ The percussionists know the basics of playing authentic parts correctly (see pp. 98–99)

☐ The bass player is able to play the bass part with correct rhythm and feel (see p. 102).

☐ Guitar/piano/vibes player can play the Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm patterns in the proper direc-tion and with the correct rhythm, feel and sound (see p. 103).

Notes x

Samba

98

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Basic Percussion Solutions Score

Brazilian-based

ã

ã

&ã

ãã

ã

42

42

42

42

42

42

42

Drum Set

Drum Set

Drum Setvariation

Agogô bells

Surdo or stand-alone

floor tom

Cylinder oregg shakers

Pandeiro, Tamborim

or Tamborine

Z>e Z

>e œ

>e Z e

R L R L R L R L

œ œ

y>y y y

>y>y y y

>Œ œ

œ ¿ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ œŒ œ.5 5 .5 5

Å œ>œ> œ œ œ> œ> œ œ œ>

œ œ œ

Z>5 Z 5 œ

>e Z e

R L R R L R LL

R L R L R L R L R R R L R LLL

œ œ

y>y y y

>y>y y y

>Œ œ

¿ œ ¿ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿Œ œ.5 5 .5 5

Å œ>œ> œ œ œ> œ> œ œ œ>

≈ œ œ œ

R = rim

Percussion Solutions Score

R = mallet

Samba: Basic

Hi-hat

Hi-hat

mute w/lefthand

+ + + +

o

Bazilian-Based

°°

R L R L R L R L R R R L R LLL

99

Advanced Percussion Solutions Score

Brazilian-based

ã

ã

&

ã

ãã

ã

42

42

42

42

42

42

42

œ y œ>œ y œ

yœ>

yœ>

yœ yœ yœ>

y>e y e>

y>y e y>

.œ œ .œ œ

œ ¿>œ œ ¿ œ

¿¥ ¿¥ ≈ ¿¥ ¿¥

œ œ œ œ œ œ

Å .œ> Åœ> œ œ œ> œ> œ œ œ>

œ> œ> œ œ œ>

œ y œ œ>

y œyœ yœ>

yœ yœ yœ yœ>

e>

y e y>

e>

y y>e

>.œ œ .œ œ

œ>¿ œ œ ¿ œ≈ ..j¿¥ ¿¥ ¿¥

œ œ œ œ œ œ

.Å Å .œ> Åœ> œ œ œ> œ> œ œ œ>

≈ œ> œ ≈ œ œ

Ride cym.

Percussion Solutions ScoreSamba: Advanced

Hi-hat

RR L R L R L

Bazilian -Based

Drum Set

Drum Set

Drum Setvariation

Agogó bells

Surdo orstand-alone

floor tom

Cylinder oregg shakers

Pandeiro, *

* Pandeiro can also play a sixteenth note, thumb-finger-palm-finger pattern similar to the Cylinder/egg shaker part above.

Tamborimor Tamborine

R = mallet

mute w/lefthand

++ + +° ° ° ° °

Samba

100

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Rhythm Section Practice, Play-Along Score

Brazilian-based

&

&?

?

ã

42

42

42

42

42

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

œœœœ œœœœ ≈ œœœœ œœœœbbb

œœœ œœœ ≈ œœœ œœœbbbœœ œœ ≈ œœ œœbbœ. ≈ œ œ>

Û Û ≈ Û Û

q = 112

≈ ....jœœœœbbb œœœœœb

œœœœœœœœ œœœbbn

nœœœ

œœ œœb œœ

œb . ≈ œ œb> œ

≈ .JÛ Û Û

œœœœ œœœœ ≈ œœœœ œœœœb

‰ jœœœ ≈ œœœ œœœbbb‰ Jœœ ≈ œœ

œœb

œ. ≈ œ œ> œ

Û Û ≈ Û Û

≈ ....jœœœœb œœœœ œœœœ...œœœ jœœœbbb..œœ Jœœb

œb œb>

≈ .JÛ Û Û

NOTES: - Guitar is the primary comping instrument for Samba. - Piano and guitar parts can play tog

SambaBrazilian Based

2 bar Brazilian Rhythm

Abm11Cmaj9 Cmaj9Db9(#11) Db7(#9)

Abm11Cmaj9 Cmaj9Db9(#11) Db7(#9)

Abm11Cmaj9 Cmaj9Db9(#11) Db7(#9)

Guitar

Piano

Bass

RhythmCell

Reference

NOTE:

avoid unison comping.

reversed, with the second bar first.

These score parts represent typical (but not exclusive) rhythm section parts for this style, and can be played with the corresponding “Percussion Solutions Scores” for practice purposes. See www.latinjazzguide.com for video play-along clips and more information.

101

Samba Performance TipsBrazilian Rhythmic CellsThe Brazilian Two-bar Rhythm and the Mother Cell rhythm, discussed in “Brazilian Music Characteristics” in this book, are both important aspects of the samba sound. Percussion and rhythm section players can use these ideas for comping, and soloists can use them as rhythmic templates for phrasing. If the entire ensemble applies these rhythm cells, musical potential is greatly increased.

For reference, the Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm (identical to the partido alto rhythm) is shown again in the example below. Like the Cuban clave to which it is related, it can appear in both directions.

Example 3–9: Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm Shown in Both Directions

It is very important to determine the direction of the Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm on any given Brazilian tune. If the composition is authentic, the melody and/or the comping patterns in the chart or recording will help determine the proper direction. Once the basic structure and direction is determined, make sure all musicians in the ensemble are synchronized.

Adding PercussionDon’t assume that just the “Latin” or “samba” indication on the music means the more percussion the merrier. It is a common musical trap to add too much and/or the wrong type of auxiliary percussion. Often, a well-played shaker or triangle is all that is needed, especially if the samba is on the jazzier side or if it is a smaller ensemble. Refer to the “Percussion Solutions Scores” for samba to see suggested percussion and the order to add them.

NOTE: Since samba contains virtually all of the musical characteristics described in the “Brazilian Musical Characteristics” section in this book, a review of that chapter is advised.

ã 42 Û Û ≈ Û Û ≈ .JÛ Û Ûã 42 ≈ .JÛ Û Û Û Û ≈ Û Û

NOTE: The Two-bar Brazilian Rhythm can be played with many variations and is not rigidly applied by Brazilian musicians. However, the basic rhythmic shape, with the off-beat starting one measure and a down-beat the other, is fundamental Brazilian characteristic and can be found in other Latin music.

NOTE: It bears repeating that percussion instruments are not “toys” in spite of that unfor-tunate nickname, and they should be given out thoughtfully to musicians who can play the parts well. Percussion never is static; it will either enhance or diminish the music, depending on who is playing and what they are playing.

Samba

102

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Enhance the Accent on Beat-TwoThere are various ways to enhance the second-beat accent in samba to achieve a more authentic feel.

The samba bass part is often written similarly to a standard bossa nova part and is one of the most recogniz-able musical characteristics of this style. Even though Brazilians prefer to think in terms of sixteenth notes in 2/4 or 4/4 meter, samba is typically published in 2/2 (“cut time”) or 4/4 meter as shown in the example below:

Example 3–10: Typical Samba Written Bass Part in 4/4

This bass part can be changed to simulate the surdo sound, so that the second half note (beat 2 in 2/2 meter) falls to a lower pitch. The example below shows the revised bass part with a muted pickup note to help articulate the lower pitch:

Example 3–11: Bass Simulating the Half Note Surdo Part Indicated by Arrows

Adding a surdo sound to the percussion of the ensemble is as simple as moving the floor tom away from the drum set and adding a musician to play this part. This supports the strong beat-two feel and relieves the drum set player from this duty. A simple surdo part is shown in the example below and also shown in the “Percussion Solutions Scores” for samba in this section:

Example3–12: Simple Surdo Part That Can Be Played on a Stand-Alone Floor Tom

Often, the written drum set part in samba jazz-band charts is too complicated and difficult to play. If the drum set player can play a simpler pattern that retains the essence of the style, the group can still achieve a solid samba sound. A basic samba drum set part is shown in the example below. When a surdo part and additional percussion instruments are added, as shown in the “Percussion Solution Scores,” a very successful samba sound can be realized.

Example 3–13: Simple Drum Set Part for Samba

? 44 .œ J¿ ˙ .œb J¿ œb œBass

Cmaj7 Abm9 Db9(#11)

?Bass .œ Jœ .œ JœbCmaj7 Abm9 Db9(#11).œb Jœb .œ Jœ44

ã 42 Å œ> Å œ>

ã 42 y>y y y

>y>y y y

>Œ œ

y>y y y

>y

>y y y

>Œ œ

103

Almost universally, Brazilian guitarists use a unison finger-picking style of comping, where all notes are played simultaneously and sometimes with a lower bass-note played in counterpoint. The rhythms used for this style of comping are all derived from the Two-Bar Brazilian Rhythm. This style of playing can be heard easily by listening to any samba or bossa nova recording by Luiz Bonfá, Gilberto Gil, Charlie Byrd and others. Refer again to the “Listening Examples for Samba” given in the “Brief Background” section.

Below is a suggested guitar comping/voicing for samba that is assigned first to the guitar. The piano player can also cover this part if the guitarist is busy soloing, or if there is no guitar. But the part was origi-nated for guitar and it is the instrument where this comping pattern sounds most authentic.

Example 3–14: Suggested Guitar Comping Pattern for Samba

In addition to the picking style, Brazilian guitarists also use chord voicings that utilize a variety of harmonic extensions. These voicings reflect the richness and sophistication of Brazilian harmonic approach (“changes” in jazz terminology). Guitar occupies a special place in this music, and both the comping style and the voicings are critical to establishing that unique Brazilian sound.

& 42 œœœœ œœœœ ≈ œœœœ œœœœbbb ≈ ....

jœœœœbbb œœœœœb

œœœœœ œœœœ œœœœ ≈ œœœœ œœœœb ≈ ....jœœœœb œœœœ œœœœ

Cmaj7 Cmaj9Abm9 Db9(#11) Db7(#9)

NOTE: For good examples and instruction on playing Brazilian guitar styles, see Nelson Faria’s, The Brazilian Guitar Book (Sher Music Pub., 1995) and Inside the Brazilian Rhythm Section (Sher Music Pub., 2005) with co-author Cliff Korman.

Carnival Parade in the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Samba

104

LATIN JAZZ GUIDE

Brief BackgroundSamba is a broad style-indicator that includes hundreds of sub-styles. In American jazz terminology, samba usually means a jazz samba, with roots in the carnival, parade music originating from the mostly black neighborhoods (favelas) of Rio de Janeiro. This mix of Colonial Catholic traditions and Afrocentric musical roots fuel carnival celebrations throughout Latin America as well as Mardi Gras in New Orleans. See photo on previous page.

This carnival samba is called Batucadas de Samba and features a large contingent of percussion, cere-monial costumed figures and spectacular floats that parade down the Sambadrome (Sambódormo), the avenue-stadium built in Rio to accommodate the massive parades. In essence, batucadas de samba is a very powerful, funky and syncopated march. Each year, long-established samba schools (escolas de samba) from various Rio neighborhoods spend many hours practicing, preparing and organizing their groups to compete for top prizes during carnival. This spectacle of drumming, color, dance, song and pageantry has helped make samba a major commercial and social focal point for Brazilians and an attraction for tourists from around the world.

Even though jazz samba is a distant and much more subtle cousin of the batucadas de samba, they have some common characteristics. For this reason, it is a good idea to have a sense of the instruments, parts and overall sound of batucadas de samba, or as it is commonly called, samba batucada. The example below shows a simple score for a typical samba batucada. Be advised that there are as many variations of samba and samba batucada as there are tropical birds in the Amazon forests.

Example 3–15: Simple Samba Batucada

Samba can also be presented in a more popular style with typical rhythm section instrumentation (the guitar being a prominent voice) and with the all-important song. Most historians point to the 1917 hit song,

ãã

ããããã

4242

42

4242

4242

.œ œ .œ œ

œ œ ≈ œ œ

œ>œ œ œ

>œ>œ œ œ

œ>œ œ œ

>œ>œ œ œ

>

œ œ .œ œ

œ>œ œ œ

>œ>œ œ œ

>

e œ>

œ œ œ œ œ

≈ .Jœ œ œ

œ>œ œ œ

>œ>œ œ œ

œ>œ œ œ

>œ>œ œ œ

>

≈ œ œ ≈ œ œœ>œ œ œ

>œ>œ œ œ

>

e œ> œ>Shakers

(Chocalo)

Tamborim

Snare Drum(Caixa)

Pandeiro

Cuica

Bass Drum(Surdo)

Agogôbells

105

“Pelo Telefone” by singer Ernesto Santos as the first popular-music samba in Brazil. Each year a new samba song is chosen as a Carnival theme song. The winner is chosen far ahead of Carnival so the escolas de sambas and the entire country of Brazil, can learn it. Song, melody and lyrics are as important for samba as any other consideration.

Various strains and varieties of samba have moved outward from Brazil for over one hundred years. Today, samba can be played by anything from a large percussion group, to an electric fusion band, to a single person singing and playing guitar. The jazz samba that often appears in commercially published jazz charts for school jazz bands and played by small jazz groups in lounges and restaurants in Western countries can be far removed from the samba batucada and the hundreds of other samba varieties that exist and thrive in Brazil. But no matter what the approach, there is a universal appeal to the driving rhythms and the energetic and joyful sound that is authentic samba.

Samba (Jazz) Listening Examples

“Lamento no Morro” Vinicius de Moraes Vinicius de Moraes Alex / 1970

“Beiral” Viva Brasil Festa / Orchard / 2004

“Samba de Orfeu” Stan Getz The Very Best of Latin Jazz EML / 2007

“A Felicidade (Adieu Tristesse)” (live, good mix of batucada with jazz samba)

Stan Getz with João and Astrud Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim

Samba and Bossa Nova YOYO USA / remastered 2006

“Sambadouro” Sérgio Mendes Brasileiro / Elektra / 1992

“Só Danço Samba” Stan Getz/João Gilberto Getz/Gilberto Verve / 1963

“Timoneiro” Paulinho da Viola Bebadosamba / BMG / 1996

“Batuca No Chao” Martinho da Vila Brazil Classics 2: O Samba Luaka Bop / 2000

“Maturi” Hermeto Pascoal Hermeto Pascoal: Ao Vivo – Remasterizado WEA International Inc./2001

“Spain” (fusion jazz samba)

Chick Corea, Return to For-ever

Light as a Feather Verve / 1972

“Train Samba” (big band jazz samba)

J.J. Johnson Complete ’60s Big Band Recordings Lone Hill Jazz / 2007

“Yatra Ta” (electric ’70s fusion)

Tania Maria Piquant Concord 25th Anniversary Collection Piquant / Concord / 2006

“Bateria” (samba batucada)

Batuque Samba Squad Independent / 2006

Samba

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Where’s the Clave? Finding the Proper Clave Type and Direction

Set Up, Tuning and Maintenance of Latin Percussion Instruments

Appendix A: Family of Cuban Clave Patterns

Appendix B: Partial List of Important Latin Jazz Musicians

Appendix C: Glossary of Latin Jazz Terms

More Direction, Resources and Tools

55S E C T I O NS E C T I O N

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Set Up, Tuning and Maintenance of Latin Percussion Instruments (By ED EAST)

A successful experience performing any style of music begins with the selection of a quality instrument. Visit the companion website: www.latinjazzguide.com for recommended instruments and music retailers.

Conga DrumsWhen playing two or more conga drums, custom-arily the high drum is centered in front of you and the lowest drum is placed to your right. When playing 2 drums, the lower sounding drum is always placed to the right of the (right handed) drummer. However, many different 3 drum set ups can be used, depending on the performer and the context.

TuningConga drum tuning varies greatly from performer to performer and is dependent on the instrument itself. Nonetheless, you can hardly go wrong by listening to recordings of outstanding “congueros” [cohn.guhr.ohs](conga players) and copying the way they tune their instruments. Alternatively, you can try tuning the drums to their best resonant pitch. As a rule of thumb, tune them a perfect fourth apart. You don’t have to tune the lugs in a diametrical pattern, as is the case with most contemporary drums. Check for equal tension on each lug by placing a finger on the center of the drum and striking the perimeter of the drumhead. Listen for pitch differences and tighten or loosen the corresponding lugs in order to achieve the same pitch all the way around the drumhead. Remember, when playing a set of two or more drums make sure the lowest drum is to your right and the high drum is centered.

MaintenanceThe amount of maintenance your congas and bongos require will depend on the kind of weather to which they will be exposed and on the kind of drumhead you choose. Synthetic drumheads don’t require much attention. However, extreme heat can melt some brands of synthetic drumheads. Heat and dryness can, and will, tighten calfskin (or any animal hide) drumheads to the point of breakage, depending on how taut they already were. Cold temperatures and humidity will slacken the calfskin drumheads and detune them. When performing under humid conditions, you will need to check the drums’ tuning often and continue tightening the drumheads in order to keep them tuned. Make sure to loosen the rawhide drumheads after every perfor-mance, particularly if your drums will be exposed to extreme temperature/humidity changes.

The lugs should be oiled at least once a year. Some manufacturers suggest that you oil them more frequently. Certain manufacturers of wooden congas and bongos suggest that, before putting on a new drumhead, you should sand the rim of the drum making sure that it is smooth and free of rough spots. This will allow for smoother tuning and will prevent damaging the new drumhead.

Conga drums are the most commonly used instruments in the performance of Latin Jazz.

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With use, drumheads will become dirty and their sound will deaden. For synthetic heads, follow the manu-facturer’s cleaning instructions. For animal hide heads, some manufacturers recommend using a mixture of warm water and saddle soap to clean the head. Others suggest replacing the head.

Bongos

TuningAs with the congas, listening to recordings of great bands and the way their bongos are tuned is the best way to sharpen your ears. The most common tuning has the smaller drum (on the left) tuned very tightly and sounding almost like the bottom of a small, empty tin can. Many performers will substitute animal hide heads with x-ray film in order to achieve that sound. The larger drum (on the right) is tuned up to a point of least-possible-resonance.

MaintenanceThe amount of maintenance your bongos will require will depend on the kind of weather to which they are exposed and on the kind of drumheads you choose. Synthetic drumheads don’t require much attention. However, extreme heat can melt some brands of synthetic drumheads. Heat and dryness can, and will tighten calfskin (or any animal hide) drumheads to the point of breakage, depending on how taut they already were. Cold temperatures and humidity will slacken the calfskin drumheads and detune them. When performing under humid conditions, you will need to check the drums’ tunings often and continue tightening the drum-heads in order to keep them tuned. Make sure to loosen the calfskin drumheads after every performance, particularly if your drums will be exposed to extreme temperature/humidity changes.

The lugs should be oiled at least once a year. Some manufacturers suggest that you oil them more frequently. Some manufacturers of wooden bongos suggest that, before putting on a new drumhead, you should sand the rim of the drums making sure that they smooth and free of rough spots. This will allow for smoother tuning and will prevent damaging the new drumhead.

With use, drumheads will become dirty and their sound will deaden. For synthetic heads, follow the manu-facturer’s instructions. For animal hide heads, some manufacturers recommend suggest using a mixture of warm water and saddle soap to clean the head. Others suggest replacing the head.

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Cowbells, Ago-gó

CareRust and abuse are the main factors that affect these instruments negatively. Making sure that they are not stored in humid environments and wiping them off after each use will take care of the rust. Storing them with care and remembering that these are, indeed, musical instruments will help prevent abuse.

Güiros and Shékeres

CareUnless they are made of strong synthetic materials, breakage and abuse are the main factors that affect these delicate instruments negatively. Güiros can be easily repaired with any all-purpose glue or with wood glue.

Timbales

Customarily, the low drum is placed to your left and the high drum to your right.

TuningIn tuning the timbales, it’s suggested to use the same principle—perfect fourth as a starting point—as noted for the congas earlier. Listen to recordings and try to duplicate the tuning that sounds best to you or that which best applies to the music. The high drum should produce a crisp, higher pitch “crack” when playing a rim shot. However as you listen, take care to note that some artists, notably the great, Tito Puente, made recordings using a three- (or more) timbales setup. These setups deviate from the standard, two-timbales setup. This may cause confusion as you listen to recordings looking for a satisfactory tuning for your timbales. When tuning the timbales, use a diametric tuning system (low drum on the left, high drum on the right).

CareRust and abuse are the main factors that affect the timbales negatively. Depending on the climate and the playing conditions, make sure you lubricate the lugs once a year, at least. Always check for loose tuning nuts before playing.

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Appendix A: Family of Cuban Clave Patterns

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86

86

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.Û JÛ .Û JÛ

Œ Û Û Œ

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Û ‰ Û ‰ Û Û

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‰ Û Û ‰ Û

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*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Family of Cu

Play accented notes only = 6/8 clave

Reverse Afro 6/8Bembe Bell (2:3)

Reverse RumbaClave (2:3)

Forward RumbaClave (3:2)

Forward SonClave (3:2)

Reverse SonClave (2:3)

Forward Afro 6/8Bembe Bell (3:2)

MatanzasRumba Yambu

Clave (3:2)

* = Bombo Note