Ok here we go.....the first dedicated timba drumming clinics in the country begin APRIL 6 & 7 in Seattle Washington. The instructor is master percussionist Calixto Oviedo, the drummer with the iconic band NG La Banda during the period that produced their greatest recordings, including Santa Palabra, Échale Limón, and El Trágico. For his full biography and discography click here. 

APRIL 6 - Beyond Salsa Percussion
Timba Drumming Clinic
Seattle Pacific University - http://www.spu.edu - 9:30 AM
3307 3rd Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119-1997
Phone: 206-281-2142 / Dan Adams Percussion Studies

APRIL 7 - Beyond Salsa Percussion
Timba Drumming Clinic
University of Washington 
http://www.music.washington.edu - 1:00 PM
1100 Ne Campus Parkway, Seattle, WA 98105
Phone: 206-543-121 / Richard Karpen Director


Calixto's clinics coincide with his performances with the AFRO-CUBAN ALL STARS tour. Seattle shows include April 5-6-7 at the JAZZ ALLEY (http://jazzalley.com). 

Jazz Alley - jazzalley [at] jazzalley [dot] com
2033 6th Avenue, Seattle WA 98121
Phone 206.441.9729

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Check out how Paulo FG handles this loving farandulera. When the bomba gear begins she decides that grabbing the mic stand is not enough, she's gotta "get some of that action".  Mayor tembleque ensues. When that is not enough she jumps on hoping for a ride, fully dangling from his neck. A water break is needed...and the stellar imprvisation begins...

(after Paulo grabs some air, and water......)
Las cubanas, con su gozadera
Se le puede dar un deo, se coje la mano entera
A esas cubanas, que son abusadoras
Tu no te ves muy dafne, y yo tengo mi señora

crowd: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

No me metas en compromiso, no me metas en eso
Que ya bastante tengo, que andan diciendo
Dicen que yo, por aquí, dicen que yo, por allá
Me cojen los paparazi y después, y me van a ripiar

Ahí está la gente de TIMBA, punto com
Y después dicen que Paulito es un puto, puto, puto, punto com
Y no puede ser, yo estoy tranquilo
Por que la cojen conmigo, si yo le dije a Michael pa' rriba

Pero lo que pasa es que la gente
No se da cuenta y quiere ponermela dura
Sobre todo cuando tu llegas, cuando estás pegao
Cuando eres figura, se te arriman por al lao y te rayan la pintura 

NEW CORO
Cuando estas pegao, cuando eres figura
Se te arriman por al lao, y te rayan la pintura

(When your hot on the charts, when you are a public figure
They rub up against you and scrape your paint)

HELL YEAH! Boooommmmbbbaaaaa. Te la comiste Paulo con ese coro.
Thank you delaa24 whoever you are for this great video. Aché pa' tí.

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Attention Timba Lovers in New York! A free screening of the Los Van Van concert documentary Eso Que Anda / Van Van Fever is happening on Friday, April 1rst, 6:00 pm at the Bronx Museum of the Arts (presented by Havana Film Festival New York). 

Cuban Ian Padrón follows Los Van Van, the most popular band in Cuba since 1969, during their last tour in Cuba attended by more than 1 million people and examines the band’s history and future plans. In addition, The Pedrito Martínez Project will be playing with an unique interpretation of Caribbean-tinged Afrobeat rhythms. So, cool Timba movie + live Cuban music....can't be beat on a Friday night in NYC! Please snd pics if you go.

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¿Buscas una transcripción completa del piano y bajo para el cuerpo y coro del tema clásico "Seis Semanas"? ¿O como aprender a tocar como el creador de tus montunos favoritos de Los Van Van? O la mejor biografía de César "Pupy" Pedroso con su discografía completa? Te puede tomar más de seis semanas pero el Sincronizador Central de la Timba te lo pone en bandeja de plata con Volumen 10 de MÁS ALLÁ DEL PIANO SALSERO. Descraga una muestra gratis aquí. 

César Pupy Pedroso - Photo by Tom Ehrlich

The tenth volume in the Beyond Salsa Piano series focuses on César "Pupy" Pedroso, the founding pianist and one of the principal composers of Cuba's most popular band, Los Van Van, and now the leader of Los Que Son Son, the most successful new Cuban group of the 2000s. Doubling as a history and music appreciation course, the book contains extensive music notation examples of Pedroso's piano tumbaos, or "montunos", as well as transcriptions of solo and head arrangements. 

Illustrated in detail is Pupy Pedroso's trademark "contrary motion" montuno style, which, while very easy to execute produce much richer sounding harmonies than the standard salsa approach. The book also includes "sidebar" sections on the importance of rumba in salsa, rhythm section "gears", controlled improvisation and the evolution of bass tumbaos in Cuban music.

Bass tumbaos are included for each of the 54 piano transcriptions and some also include string section guajeos and second keyboard parts. Volume 10 also includes a detailed biography with rare photos from Pupy's private collection and information about his extensive musical family. The discgraphy section lists Pupy's work in two ways: by album, and by song, as many of his compositions were recorded by various artists.

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