Welcome to part five in our continuing series on ways to interpret the classic Ted Reed book Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer. This time we’ll apply Afro-Cuban ideas to the written manuscript. The following applications can be used with any of the seventy-two repetitive one-measure examples from pages 29, 30, and 33–36, the thirty-two-measure rhythmic melodies from pages 37–44, or the accented-8th-notes section that begins on page 46. At the core of Afro-Cuban music is clave. Check out the music of Mario Bauzá, Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo, Mongo Santamaria, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, and Michel Camilo. Listening to Afro-Cuban music will help you recognize and feel the direction of the clave rhythm, which is critical when playing in this style. Examples 1–4 show 3:2 and 2:3 son and rumba clave rhythms with the accompanying cascara (timbale-shell patterns) and tumbao (bass parts). Jazz drummers usually voice the […]