Afro-Cuban Big Band Play-Along
By Joe McCarthy (Drumset/Percussion)
And Dave Samuels (Mallets/C Instruments)
The refreshing sound of Afro-Cuban jazz is now accessible in a big band setting with Alfred's new Afro-Cuban Big Band Play-Along by Joe McCarthy and Dave Samuels. This book and CD set contains 6 charts from McCarthy and Samuels' collaboration album, Afro-Bop Alliance, which won a 2008 Latin GRAMMYand is nominated for a 2009 GRAMMY award.
"There is definitely a need for Afro-Cuban play-along music in the education world," said McCarthy. "Our play-along takes the mystery out of this kind of playing and provides an opportunity to solo and experiment with a variety of grooves and style variations."
What makes this play-along so unique? McCarthy noted, "In Afro-Cuban music, the percussion section is traditionally timbales, bongos and congas, not a drumset. I combined the roles of timbale and bongo for the drumset part. Not only are you a drummer in the big band, but you're also taking care of the roles of percussionists. Additionally, the mallet edition provides a melodic understanding of the pieces and can be used with any C instrument. Improvisation opportunities are scattered throughout each piece, with tips, explanations, and practice riffs from the authors..."
The play-along is available in two versions: Drumset/Percussion (by McCarthy) and Mallets/C instruments (by Samuels). Each book contains a CD with the original Afro-Bop Alliance recording and a play-along recording for each track.