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Teacher’s Guide 2012–2013
Bobby Sanabria & Ascensión
Additional activities
and resources
Before the Performance
1. Have each student choose a musician or singer
and put together a short biography of the artist
that includes information about his or her involvement with jazz and Latin music. Some examples are:
Chick Corea, Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Jelly Roll
Morton, or Miles Davis. Have each student listen to
two or three examples of his or her artist’s music and
present one of them to the class along with the biography of
the artist. (1.1, 1.4) *
2. Bobby Sanabria’s recordings and performances demonstrate the
process whereby many kinds of music contribute to jazz and Latin
jazz. Have students explore some of the musical styles that fed into
jazz and Latin jazz and that also exist as separate musical genres.
Students should include the cultures and peoples associated with
the sounds in their research. Using the following suggestions, ask
students to prepare class presentations that include musical
examples.
a. African-American music. The
music of African Americans has
proved important both within AfricanAmerican culture and around the world.
(Susan McClary, a musicologist, asserts
that African-American music has been the
most globally influential music of the 20th century.) Research and
discuss the early history and context of African-American music and
culture, including spirituals, field hollers, blues, and ragtime. Focus
on important musicians and groups as well as on the contributions
of anonymous authors. Attempt to incorporate some information on
the music that slaves brought with them from Africa.
Photo by Tom Schwarz
b. Cuban music. Cuba has been a musical
powerhouse of African-based music since
the colonial era. Its musicians and sounds
have influenced jazz as well as almost
all the cultures of Latin America—and
Africa itself. Discuss some Cuban musical
genres, such as rumba, són, danzón,
religious music, bolero, and the history
and social context within which this
music flourishes. Include representative
musicians such as Arsenio Rodríguez and
Trío Matamoros. Encourage students to
contact a local Latin jazz musician and
conduct a phone interview using questions suggested in the Teacher’s Resource
Guide. If the local musician’s music is
available for listening, students should
share it with the class.
c. Blues. The blues is an AfricanAmerican musical invention said to have
originated in the Mississippi Delta and an
important component of jazz. Research
and discuss the history and social context
of the area where the blues was born and
flourished and also how it developed and
grew through today. Include some important musicians in the blues tradition such
as Howlin’ Wolf, Blind Lemon Jefferson,
Son House, Robert Johnson, Leadbelly,
and others. (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4)
3. Although Bobby Sanabria was born in
New York of Puerto Rican parents, his
style of groove often represents Cuba. Ask
students what other cultures, in addition
to Africa, may have influenced the music
of Cuba. Smithsonianjazz.org offers a
worksheet, “Feelin’ a Groove,” which helps
students identify the elements and importance of groove in jazz recordings. Students
listen to two renderings of “April in Paris,”
one by Count Basie and His Orchestra
(swing feel) and the other by percussionist
Tito Puente (Afro-Cuban). Through discussion and writing, students learn about
differences and similarities in groove and
rhythm sections. (1.1, 1.2, 1.4)
* Numbers indicate the NJ Core Curriculum
Content Standard(s) supported by the activity.
After the Performance
1. March is national “Music in Our Schools
Month.” Ask students to write a class song
with a Latin jazz beat. Then plan to make a
video by listing the shots to be staged and
finding costumes, instruments (or common
objects that create rhythm) and props.
Older students can participate in the editing
of the video. (1.1, 1.3) *
2. The Latin jazz music played by Bobby
Sanabria & Ascensión is diverse and
primarily draws upon the musical creativity
of people of African origin in both the
United States and Latin America. The
history of all these forms is linked intimately with slavery and colonialism as well
as the creative process by which they were
invented as they combine musical elements
of mostly African and European origin.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, immigrants
from Latin America settled in American
cities such as New Orleans, New York City
and Union City, N.J. Along with AfricanAmerican jazz musicians, they created
hybrid musical sounds anew, including
Latin jazz. Ask students to select one of the
following topics and prepare a class presentation that includes musical examples:
a. New York City. Research and discuss
New York City as a center of Latin jazz
through the present. Start with Dizzy
Gillespie and cubop, the Cuban-inspired
sound of his early 1940s Latin jazz experiments. Discuss the influence of Cuban
congero Chano Pozo on Gillespie’s music.
Include Machito and his Afro-Cubans,
Mario Bauzá and all the other great
Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians who
contributed to the development and
popularity of jazz, salsa, bugalú, and even
hip-hop.
b. Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican musicians.
The culture and musicians of this island
have deeply influenced the development
of Latin jazz. Discuss some Puerto Rican
musical genres, such as plena and bomba,
and the history and social context within
which these styles flourish. Identify some of
the Puerto Rican musicians, including Tito
Puente and Eddie Palmieri, who contributed to Latin jazz and its development.
c. Brazil. South America’s largest country
shares the honor of being the second
powerhouse (along with Cuba) of
African-based music in the Americas and
a major influence on American musicians.
In turn, Brazilian popular music is deeply
informed by American jazz. Discuss
some Brazilian musical genres, such as
samba, bossa nova, maxixe, and MPB,
as well as the history and social context
within which these styles flourish. Include
representative musicians, such as Baden
Powell, João Gilberto, Caetano Veloso,
Gilberto Gil, Carmen Miranda, and
Antônio Carlos Jobim. (1.1, 1.3, 1.4)
3. Have the class assemble a selection of
music reviews from print and other media.
Examine the role of a critic by asking
students to analyze and interpret the kinds
of music heard in the performance by
Bobby Sanabria & Ascensión. Ask students
to write their opinions as music critics. How
did the music reflect the cultures of Africa
and Cuba? Which words best describe how
music sounds? What did the students like or
dislike? Did it remind them of other music
they have heard? How did the instruments
play different roles? Which instruments or
musicians did they find most appealing and
which did not interest them? (1.3, 1.4)
4. Bobby Sanabria & Ascensión sometimes play in front of a room filled with
dancers. Ask students to write an original
scene or script, for a book or movie that
takes place at an event, club or concert
hall where Bobby Sanabria & Ascensión
are performing. Show the importance of
characters, location and time frame by
screening clips from a DVD about Latin
music-makers or an episode of I Love Lucy
that features a club scene of Ricky Ricardo’s
Cuban orchestra. Free templates for story
maps and scripts are found at educationworld.com. (1.2, 1.3, 1.4)
* Numbers indicate the NJ Core Curriculum
Content Standard(s) supported by the activity.
More Resources
Books for Teachers and Students
Asirvatham, Sandy. The History of Jazz.
Chelsea House Publications, 2003.
__________, The History of the Blues.
Chelsea House Publications, 2003.
Fernandez, Raul A. Latin Jazz: The Perfect
Combination/Latin Jazz: La Combinatión
Perfecta. Chronicle Books/Smithsonian,
2002.
Gridley, Mark C. Jazz Styles: History and
Analysis. Prentice Hall, 2006.
Monceaux, Morgan. Jazz: My Music, My
People. Knopf, 1994.
The Best of Latin Jazz: Compact Jazz. Verve
Records, 1993.
From Mambo to Hip Hop: A South Bronx
Tale. City Lore, 2009.
Myers, Walter Dean. Jazz. Holiday House,
2006.
Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology.
Smithsonian/Folkways, 2011.
Latin Music USA. Narrated by Jimmy
Smits. PBS, 2011.
Roberts, John Storm. The Latin Tinge: The
Impact of Latin-American Music on the
United States. Oxford University Press,
1999.
Cuban Originals. Orquesta Aragon, BMG,
1999.
Roots of Rhythm. New Video Group, 1994.
Buena Vista Social Club. World Circuit/
Nonesuch, 1997.
Websites
__________, Latin Jazz: The First of the
Fusions, 1880s to Today. Schirmer Books,
1999.
Southern, Eileen. The Music of Black
Americans. W.W. Norton & Company,
1997.
Sublette, Ned. Cuba and Its Music: From
the First Drums to the Mambo. Chicago
Review Press, 2007.
Szwed, John. Jazz 101: A Complete Guide
to Learning and Loving Jazz. Hyperion,
2000.
CDs
The Best of Fania All-Stars. Charly
Schallplatten, 2000.
Cuba: I Am Time. Various artists, Blue
Jackel, 1999.
Calle 54 (soundtrack). Michel Camilo, Blue
Note, 2001.
The Mambo Kings: Original Motion Picture
Soundtrack. Elektra, 1992.
DVDs
Buena Vista Social Club. Lions Gate, 2001.
worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com
Students can read about world jazz music
and listen to samplings.
LatinoMusicCafe.com
News, reviews, blogs and video.
Descarga.com
Reviews of a wide variety of Latin and
Caribbean music.
Rootsworld.com
Reviews of world music, including CDs
from Latin America.
Our Latin Thing. Fania, 2011.
Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns. PBS, 2000.
Videos
Chucho Valdes and Irakere: Latin Jazz
Founders. Malanga Films, 2008.
Search youtube.com topics “Latin jazz” and
“Afro-Cuban jazz” for videos of prominent
musicians and vocalists.