advanced instrumental studies-3 (bass) …academyofmusic.ac.uk/.../2014/04/ais-3_bass_wk02.pdf ·...

ADVANCED INSTRUMENTAL STUDIES-3 (BASS) WEEK 2

© Perform Music Ltd 2011-17 Material prepared by Kevin Sanders 1 This PDF document has a digital signature attached for security purposes.

Lesson Aims: 1) To engage in a more detailed study of the mambo rhythm looking at the

influence of Israel “Cachao” Lopez. 2) To study various exercises and examples of bass patterns and rhythms

from son styles and the performance piece Cachao Es Mambo 1) A MORE DETAILED STUDY OF THE MAMBO RHYTHM LOOKING AT THE INFLUENCE OF ISRAEL “CACHAO” LOPEZ. Along with his multi-instrumentalist brother Orestes, Israel “Cachao” Lopez introduced to Cuban music the African rhythms that transformed the island's traditional dance music (danzón) into what is now known as the mambo -- he also pioneered the descarga, the late-night jam sessions that revolutionized the sound and scope of Afro-Cuban pop and jazz. Born in Havana in 1918, Cachao was the product of a musical family. At age eight, he joined a local children's septet that supported silent film presentations. As a teen, Cachao played double bass with a local orchestra: Orquesta Arcano y Sus Maravillas, supporting guest conductors including Stravinsky, but by the time of Cachao's arrival, the orchestra was beginning to move away from its roots and into a more African-inspired, rhythmic approach fusing the popular danzón style with syncopated percussion. Together, the López brothers composed more than 3,000 danzónes for the group, most notably in 1938 ‘mambo’, which introduced an unusually slow, heavy rhythm and influenced Cuban music for generations to follow. By the time Cachao finally left the Orquesta Arcano in 1949, mambo was virtually synonymous with Cuban music as a whole. During the decade to follow, he played in a series of musical revues and orchestras. Over time, Cachao began organising descargas ("discharges"), informal, after-hours jam sessions that enabled the assembled musicians to experiment in a variety of styles and instrumental configurations. The improvisational, jazz-inspired approach proved so rewarding that, in 1957, Cachao began recording the sessions, releasing albums to international acclaim. The Cuban Revolution of 1959 nevertheless ended Havana's reign as a center of music and nightlife, and after leaving with the Ernesto Duarte Orchestra for a Spanish tour in 1962, Cachao did not return, beginning an exile that extended for the remainder of his lifetime. He later settled in New York City, playing in support to other Cuban musicians. Cachao spent much of the 1970s in Las Vegas, before settling in Miami in 1978. Although the South Florida region was by now home to a growing community of Cuban refugees, Cachao spent the 1980s in relative obscurity, often playing quinceañeras and weddings to support himself, while Latin music struggled to reclaim its onetime commercial prominence. Cachao's fortunes turned in 1989, when he befriended Cuban-born actor Andy Garcia, an avowed fan of the bassist's music. He enjoyed renewed success from then on, until he died from kidney failure in a Florida hospital in 2008 at 89 years old. So, Cachao is, to a large extent responsible for not only inventing the mambo style, but also bringing it to prominence, not just in his native Cuba, but also to the world in general.



What is ‘Mambo’? When most people speak of mambo, they are referring to the dance rather than a specific style of Latin music; however, mambo often has recurring elements within the compositions, perhaps most obvious of these being the horn motifs, often referred to as the ‘mambo’ where a break consisting of an odd number of bars is used a device to give the impression that the Clave is reversed. In general, the bass tumbao used in mambo is a straightforward son clave tumbao, although as can be seen from the following exercises, there are many variations that can be used, as long as the integrity of the clave direction and accents is adhered to. Try playing through this head arrangement of the Latin mambo: Sin Saber Porque (the track can be found on Youtube for reference) to get a good idea of how contemporary Mambo bass sounds.



2) EXERCISES AND EXAMPLES OF BASS PATTERNS AND RHYTHMS FROM SON STYLES AND THE PERFORMANCE PIECE CACHAO ES MAMBO Ex 1. A variation of the guaguanco tumbao developed by Cachao uses this accent on the bombo to mimic the tres golpes or middle drum of the percussion section. Here’s an example of a typical Cachao guaguanco tumbao

Ex 2. Here’s the first tumbao used for the composition ‘Cachao Es Mambo’ (the clave direction is shown between the staves). Which clave is this?

Ex 3. This is a variation of the above tumbao played during the horn mambo:



Ex 4. Here are the unison horn mambos, played with the bass in unison. Note how the first of these is three bars long, meaning that when the band comes in again, they start on the opposite side of the clave, giving the impression that the direction is reversed. Fill 1:

Ex 5. Further variations of the 2:3 son clave tumbao played during the Choro section. This is the vocal chorus – in mambo, it’s usually sung by the musicians in unison.

Fill 2: Here’s another two-bar fill used at the end of the choro breakdown, before the bass comes back in with the tumbao, and as the ‘stop’ ending:

Play through these whilst tapping your foot to the 2:3 clave rhythm. Then listen through to the recording, and try to play through the bass intro as accurately as possible.



Homework: 1) Practise the musical examples featured in this lesson (including Cacheo Es Mambo). 2) To continue preparation for the week 4 practical assessment (as below) Practical Assessment Part 1 Week 4 1) You must perform an authentic-sounding Latin-style bass part over each of the

backing tracks entitled Little Sunflower and Nica’s Dream.

2) Also, over the given backing track for Mambo for Tajrid, you must do the following:

• Compose your own Latin bass riffs and/or melodies in the gaps provided • Perform the entire piece to the given backing track: playing the set parts where

written along with your original parts • Submit a full transcription of the finished performance piece (you can do this

by printing off the given chart and filling in the blank spaces), which must be handed to your Tutor on the day of the practical assessment.

Note that you should aim to prepare all of the above in time for the following lesson so that your tutor can give you some constructive verbal feedback prior to the actual practical assessment in week 4.

advanced instrumental studies-3 (bass) …academyofmusic.ac.uk/.../2014/04/ais-3_bass_wk02.pdf ·...

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