Bobby Sanabria
Master of Latin
Percussion
Friday, October 13th, 2006
7:00 p.m.
Student Matinees:
October 12th & 13th at 10:30 a.m.
STUDY GUIDE
BOBBY SANABRIA - A YOUNG MUSICIAN'S INSPIRATION by J.J. Schmuckler
Everyone in the world has inspiration. There is always something that drives a person to want
to reach a goal or accomplish something in life. Inspiration can come from anything. It can
come from a close friend, a stranger, a piece of art, or a song. Bobby Sanabria's inspiration
helped him become one of the leading composers, arrangers, drummers, percussionists and
educators in jazz and Latin music.
"In the late 60s and 70s in New York City's South Bronx, there were always rumbas happening
in the parks surrounding the projects." Sanabria told an interviewer. "I was always an observer
of these rumbas in the park across from my building, 681, in the Melrose Housing Projects. In
the evenings I would go to sleep hearing guaguancó (a specific kind of Afro-Cuban rhythm)... I
could always pick out the different voices being played on the conga drums and the bell
patterns and reproduce them when I would go home. I finally got the nerve to sit in at one of
these rumbas because there was someone who couldn't keep up with the rhythm on the
cowbell. I asked if I could try and this person who lived in my building "Chickie," who usually
led these park jams said no. Another man who also lived in my building, said, 'Let the kid
play'. I played and kept the beat... After we finished, everyone applauded. That was my first
informal drum lesson; I was 12.'
Bobby Sanabria couldn't have asked for a better place to spend his childhood. From his birth
on June 2, 1957 until he left for college in 1975, Bobby enjoyed every minute of growing up in
the South Bronx, "...it was a great time to be young, Latino, and growing up in New York City.
There was drumming heard in every neighborhood and the music we had inherited from the
great jazz and mambo era of the 1940s and 50s inspired us to seek out our cultural roots...
This, combined with all the music I was listening to, is the foundation of my playing,
composing, arranging and teaching today." Many people throughout the years influenced
Sanabria. However, his greatest influence was his father. As a young boy Bobby remembers
his father coming home from work exhausted. "You see, he worked at that time as a machinist
making parts for the military in Valley Stream, Long Island... It would take him two hours to
get there from the South Bronx and two hours to get back. My mother, Juanita, told me not to
bother him when he got home, to let him sit in his Lazy Boy chair... and let him listen to music
where he would escape the stress he was going through at work. I did what she said but I
would lie down on the floor next to him doing my homework and in the process got an
incredible music education. You see my father listened to all kinds of music, - jazz, Afro-
Cuban, Brazilian, Dominican, rock, rhythm & blues, funk and the music of his and my mother’s
homeland, Puerto Rico. We also used to watch TV together and see incredible musicians in
those days like drummers Buddy Rich, Ed Shaugnessy, Grady Tate, Bobby Rosengarden and
trumpeters Doc Severenson, Dizzy Gillespie as well as conga players like Candido and Mongo
Santamaria among many others. Jazz was still a big part of TV and radio in those days and it
was always exciting when they appeared."
"I read on the back of Tito's Puente's albums that he was credited as chief arranger and many
times the composer. This was great because it re-affirmed for me that a drummer or
percussionist was a musician just like a pianist or horn player. This is what I aspired to, to
become a great musician like maestro Puente and the great jazz musicians I saw and heard on
TV."
Today, Bobby Sanabria has certainly fulfilled all of goals that he aspired to as a child growing
up in the south Bronx.
THE TWO CAREERS OF BOBBY SANABRIA
Today, Bobby is considered to be a leader in the world of Latin and jazz and their fusion.
Bobby's two careers as an instrumentalist and a teacher reaffirm his importance to this
community.
After becoming the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the prestigious Berklee College of Music
in 1979 and winning the Faculty Association Award at the school, he began working as the
drummer and timbalero for legendary Cuban conguero Mongo Sanatamaria. Mongo was
known for his small group approach to Latin oriented jazz and he was famous for not only his
virtuosity on the congas, but as a composer of such classic songs like Afro Blue, Sofrito and his
mega hit, Watermelon Man, which was written by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock who many hip
hoppers know from his classic composition, Rock It. Bobby recorded two albums with Mongo
and traveled the world over a two year period where the public and other leaders began to
take notice of his talents. Since those early days, he has continued working and recording with
other legendary figures like Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Chiico O'Farill, Candid, Paquito D'Rivera,
Arturo Sandoval, Dizzy Gillespie, Marco Rizo, Mario Bauzá, Celia Cruz and many others who
were his boyhood inspirations. You've probably heard Bobby playing drums or percussion on
many of the TV and radio commercials you've heard, most recently a big ad for Reebok as well
as movies like The Mambo Kings. Some of Bobby's greatest work was as part of Mario Bauzá's
Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra. Bobby recalls that "...playing for Mario was the greatest experience
of my life... He developed the whole concept of fusing the complex rhythms of Afro-Cuban
music... with the improvisational qualities of jazz." Bobby recorded three albums with Mario,
two of which were nominated for Grammy's, which are considered masterpieces in the history
of the big band jazz tradition.
Even though Bobby has worked for some the biggest names in jazz and Afro-Cuban based
music (salsa), he has always felt it was important to lead his own groups to let his own
musical ideas come across to the public. He leads a variety of groups, each with its own
distinct musical voice. The first one, Ascensión, is made up of nine musicians and features a
horn section of alto and tenor sax with trumpet and trombone. Bobby calls it his "... mini-big
band." With this group he recorded an album called ¡NYC Aché! This features Bobby's boyhood
hero, Tito Puente as a guest and was nominated for many awards. Bobby has a 19-piece big
band, which recorded an album called, Afro-Cuban Dream - Live & In Clave!!! It was hailed by
the critics and called a modern day masterpiece, bringing the Latin big band tradition into the
21st century. It received a mainstream Grammy nomination, for Best Latin Jazz album of 2001.
Bobby's other group, Quarteto Aché, has obviously only four musicians. It utilizes tenor
saxophone, piano and acoustic bass with Bobby on drums. He enjoys it because all the players
are featured as virtuoso soloists. His latest album, simply entitled, Quarteto Aché, has been
hailed by Ben Ratliff of the NY Times as "... rambunctious, well-schooled, propulsive, slangy,
and above all historically literate." In other words, it's hip!
Besides being a performer, Bobby is also a teacher. He is currently a professor at the
Manhattan School of Music and The New School University's Jazz & Contemporary Music
program where he directs the only two authentic big bands in the country at both schools
dedicated to preserving the Afro-Cuban big band jazz tradition. He also travels all over the
world giving seminars and clinics teaching people about jazz and Latin music spreading clave
consciousness and increasing awareness of the great traditions that make us all move and
groove.
WHAT IS AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ AND HOW AND WHERE WAS IT BORN?
Afro-Cuban jazz, the music Bobby Sanabria is known for playing, is a combination of jazz
improvisation and rhythms from Cuba that have roots that extend back to West Africa. There
are many different types of Afro-Cuban rhythms and styles of Afro-Cuban music. Some act as
powerful sounds that dominate a song and others act as a background to the music. But no
matter what the style, the foundation of the music is a rhythm of five beats called, La Clave
that energizes the music and is the keystone upon which all of the rhythms in the music are
built.
Mario Bauzá, a trumpeter, saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer and arranger that
Bobby Sanabria played and recorded with, is responsible for the development of Afro-Cuban
jazz. He was a child prodigy on clarinet in his homeland of Havana, Cuba, playing amazingly at
the age of 12 with the Havana Philharmonic! But at the age of 16 he came to NYC with the
orchestra of pianist Antonio Maria Romeu to record in 1926. When he arrived, he stayed at the
apartment of his cousin, trumpeter René Endreira in Harlem. Mario came back to NYC to live
and become a full-fledged jazz musician in 1930. By 1933 he had switched to trumpet and
began performing with the greatest jazz orchestras of the day, including those of Chick Webb,
Fletcher Henderson and Cab Calloway.
In 1939 he finally decided to form a band with his brother-in-law, the vocalist Frank Grillo
(Machito), after the musicians of the Cab Calloway orchestra told Mario they thought Cuban
music was corny sounding. Mario vowed that he would prove them wrong. His vision was to
combine the best of both worlds. The powerful rhythms of Mario's native Cuba, and the
arranging techniques and the instrumental improvisational virtuosity of the jazz musician.
While Machito would be the front man, lead vocalist and carry the bands name, Mario would
be responsible for supervising the music as conductor/musical director. It was a partnership
born from their boyhood friendship. The Machito Afro-Cubans (later known as the Machito
Orchestra) would set the standard for all subsequent orchestras as their new jazzed up Latin
sound conquered NYC audiences. They featured the best musicians and nurtured others, like a
young 17-year-old boy by the name of Tito Puente who would sub in the band. Although the
first club they performed and rehearsed at, The Park Palace Ballroom is no longer in existence,
you can visit the site where it once stood, 110th Street and 5th Avenue in NYC's Spanish
Harlem, which is also known as "El Barrio."
So when someone asks you, "Where was Afro-Cuban Jazz born?" You can say proudly, "Right
here in NYC!"
WHAT IS LATIN JAZZ?
Although most people always associate the term Latin Jazz with the rhythms of Cuba, it is a
misnomer. Latin jazz is really an all-inclusive term that refers to the rhythms and styles of all
of Latin America, not just one place. Today we live in an exciting time period. Just as the
Machito Afro-Cubans broke new ground by combining the rhythms of Cuba with jazz, today,
rhythms from different parts of the Caribbean, Central and South Americas are also being
combined with jazz. Bobby Sanabria's first group, Ascensión was the first group to do this way
back in the early 1970's while he was in college by taking what Bobby calls a, Pan-Latino
approach to jazz. You might hear anything from Venezuelan joropo, Cuban danzón, Puerto
Rican bomba, Brazilian samba, etc. all combined with modern jazz techniques and other styles
like funk, rock and R & B at one of Bobby's concerts.
WORD BANK
AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ - The combination of Afro-Cubanrhythms with jazz arranging and soloing
techniques. First developed by Mario Bauzá in NYC's Spanish Harlem, AKA El Barrio.
ARRANGEMENT - The re-organization of a song in a creative way adapted to the instruments
that are being used.
ARRANGER - A musician who is skilled in the art of arranging from small groups to big bands
and even full blown orchestras.
BE-BOP - A complex style of jazz developed by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and alto saxophonist
Charlie Parker in Harlem, NYC in the 1940's. Its angular melodies, fast tempos and complex
harmonies set new heights for solo virtuosity. It was as hard for the musicians to play as it
was for the audience to understand. Today, mastery of the be-bop style is a must, if one is to
call themselves true jazz musicians.
BONGÓ - An instrument made up of two small drums (one slightly bigger) joined together by a
block of wood. When played, they are held between the knees while sitting. The bongó does
riffs called repiques during the performance of son music. The bongó player also utilizes a
large hand held bell during the montuno, which is called cencero, or in NYC bongó bell. Hence
the name, bongócero, someone who plays both the bongo and the bell. The instrument was
invented in the eastern region of Cuba for the son style.
CLAVE - The clave is the basic building block of Afro-Cuban music. The name comes from
three Spanish words. Llave which means key, clavo which means nail, and clavar which means
to hammer in or out. The rhythm is made up five repeated beats played by two sticks held in
the hands split up 3 + 2 or 2 + 3. The word clave also is the name of the two sticks that play
the clave beat. There are two types of clave patterns, the rumba clave and the son clave.
COMPOSER -A person, who writes songs, be they simple or complex.
CONGAS - The congas are barrel shaped drums about 30" tall that are descended from larger
log like drums that came from the Bantú people of the Congo in West Africa and were brought
to Cuba during the colonial period. There are various sizes, but the most common are the
quinto - the smallest, the conga medium size, and the tumbadora - the largest. A person
whoplays the instrument is known as a conguero.
IMPROVISATION - All styles of music feature some improvisation, even classical music, and of
course hip-hop. But in jazz, it's taken to a virtuosic level. In jazz it is the art of inventing
melodies on the spot within the structure of a song. These improvised melodies are the way
the musician tells you stories. They rely on their creativity, knowledge, and their emotions to
tell you those stories. Think of free styling in hip-hop, but using musical instruments.
JAZZ - America's greatest artistic contribution to the world. It was born in New Orleans over
100 years ago from the African American experience. It combines the blues, Afro-Caribbean
rhythms and European harmonic influences. Its main aspect is that the musician is featured as
an improviser within a band context.
LATIN JAZZ - An all inclusive term referring to any rhythms from Latin America being fused
with jazz arranging and improvisation techniques.
MAMBO - A West African-rooted word from the Bantú people of the Congo. It literally means a
song or chant that is repeated over and over again that makes you move and groove. Mambo
as a musical style originated in Cuba and its up-tempos and exciting conga drum beat were
brought to NYC in the 1940's where Machito & The Afro-Cubans combined it with jazz. It also
refers to the repeated riffs played by the horns that make the music reach a climax, which
excites the dancers. The dance is also called mambo. When you hear those repeated horn riffs
in Salsa bands, they are playing the mambo section of the arrangement.
MOÑA - A short improvised mambo section made up by the horn players.
MONTUNO - The word comes from two Spanish words. Montaña, which means mountain (the
son style of Cuban music came from the mountainous regions of Cuba) and montura, the
saddle of a horse. The montuno is the part in son (salsa) music, were you hear the chords in a
very funky repeated rhythm played by the piano. This happens over and over so the vocalists
and musicians can improvise and ride on this trance like state that makes you move and
groove. An example of a montuno played by the piano is the introduction to the song Gloria
Estefan recorded years ago, "Come on Baby Shake your Body do that Conga!"
PERCUSSION - Musical instruments in which sound is produced by striking something. Congas,
bongos, timbales, claves, maracas, the drum set, etc. are all percussion instruments. RUMBA A style of Afro-Cuban music Bobby heard growing up in the Melrose Projects of the South
Bronx. It utilizes a powerful mix of conga drums, vocals and dance with sometimes other
percussion instruments added. There are three styles - Yambú - the slowest, played on
wooden boxes known as cajónes, Guaguancó - the most popular and played at a medium to
fast tempo, and Colúmbia - the fastest and danced only by men.
SALSA - An umbrella term referring to Cuban rooted music played with a New York attitude.
Although it is a term that most musicians don't like, it began to be utilized by the NYC based
Fania record company in the 1960's to promote Afro-Cuban based danced music being
recorded by artists on their roster who were mostly of Puerto Rican descent. The most utilized
rhythms in the genre are mambo, rumba, guaracha, son montuno and son, which are all
Cuban rooted styles.
SON - The son is the root of the music that today is known as salsa. It was born in the
mountainous regions of the eastern part of Cuba, which is known by Cubans as Oriente. It is a
combination of a vocal tradition rooted in the southern part of Spain combined with West
African rooted rhythmic concepts. The word literally means folk song.
TIMBALES - The instrument Tito Puente played and brought to a virtuosic level. It is basically
two metal (usually brass or stainless steel) drums, one 14" and the other 15" mounted on a
tripod and played with sticks while standing up. They also utilize cowbells mounted on a rod
between the two drums. The instrument was invented in Cuba. A person who plays the
instrument is known as a timbalero.
VIRTUOSO - A person with exceptional skill or technique in any field, especially in the
performing arts. Someone who is a master on his or her instrument.
Check out these web sites for more information on all things jazz and Latin...
www.bobbysanabria.com
www.descarga.com.
www.jazzforyoungpeople.org
Listen to these radio shows to hear the music... you can hear all these stations on your
computer by typing in the call letters followed by .org
All times are Eastern Standard Time
For example, to listen to the first station on your computer type in wbgo.org
Latin Jazz Cruise 8-10 pm - Tuesday's WBGO FM 88.3
Ritmo Con Aché 2 - 4 pm - Sundays WBAI FM 99.5
New World Gallery 4 - 6 pm Sundays WBAI FM 99.5
This study guide was based on JAZZMATAZZ, a children's
magazine originally done by WBGO FM for its Jazz For
Young People concert series in the spring of 2004.