The Yumaversity of Timba Expands!

photos by Sue Taylor (also studio, food, chauffeur services, moral support ...)

For all of you who have been asking for instructional material for musicians other than pianists and congueros, your prayers will soon be answered, with Calixto Oviedo playing the role of God. After three days of filming I have enough material for at least  three mind-bending volumes to launch the Inside Cuban Percussion series. We also planned the NG La Banda Reunion Tour (someone needs to tell El Tosco!).

Calixto with Carlos Caro and Jesús Díaz

It took about 10 seconds for word of Calixto's presence to reach every percussionist in the Bay Area and the filming was attended by such luminaries as Carlos Caro, Jesús Díaz and the legendary Walfredo de los Reyes, all of whom were as knocked out as I was. It's one thing for a percussionist to make my jaw hit the floor, but when a player of the stature of Carlos Caro shows up four days in a row (counting the Juan d'Marcos concert), you know you've got something really special on your hands. Carlos even took on the role of videographer, finding the best angle for the mobile second camera for each exercise and making sure that every possible musical angle was covered as well. Top local drummer Alexey Berlind provided the drums and he and our own Mike Lazarus contributed a series of life-saving ideas that helped everything fall together brilliantly. I have quite a bit of work to do but this is going to be an unbelievable educational breakthrough when it's done. There was also plenty of time to plan out a series on bongó with Carlos and even a potential book with Walfredo who has been boldly going where no man has gone before in terms of combining clave with 5/4 and 7/4 time signatures ... among other things! Tom Ehrlich was at both the concert and the first day of filming, so many photos will be showing up on timba.com in the coming days.

If you're a drummer and have strong feelings about percussional notation methods, now's the time to voice your opinions as critical choices in that area will be made soon. You know where to find me.

Meanwhile, in the piano department, the final Melón book, Beyond Salsa Piano Volume 9, will be out this week. It's 130 pages, the longest of the series so far, and includes several complete arrangements of cuerpos, mambos etc. as well as the usual mind-blowing tumbaos. It also includes some material from Melón's new album Travesía. The Pupy books are also coming along nicely.

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Just saw a sneak preview of a video clip. Drummers are going to love this!

Posted by: Michelle White on Saturday, 24 July 2010, 09:04 PM