Title: The Funky Cha-Cha
Origin: Cuban/Cuban-American Jazz
Instrumentation: Standard big band w/extended Latin percussion
I am not exceptionally conversant in world musics that include regeneration and creation, with the exception of Latin, Cuban, and Mariachi styles that are fused in with big band jazz. I enjoy big band jazz a great deal along with its various options and extensions, especially the more Caribbean and Central American styles.
The The Funky Cha-Cha is a Sandoval chart that I've known for a great time and have taught to my jazz bands as well. I initially heard a high school big band from Texas play it at Midwest with Sandoval soloing with them. It was a fabulous performance. This type of music fits within typical big band structures, but it utilizes dance percussion other than the drum-set as the engine that drives the time, much like our various Salsa and Mariachi examples in the listening texts. It is certainly representative music of both styles, big band and Salsa, that is to be danced to. As I listen to the percussion groves, they grove as one would expect within Salsa music, but over the top is the big band instrumentation. I think it's a delightful fusion.
This gives us a vehicle to teach world musics to our students, because it uses a structure, the big band, that is exceptionally familiar to high school band students, but it fuses Latin dance and grooves into the structure. With the chart and groves, the kids are regenerating world music, but with the improv sections, students also get a chance to also create world music. You'll notice within the solo sections, even the dance percussion parts get a shot at a solo section while the rest of the rhythm section keeps that good dance time underneath.
A great example of the blend of musical styles and Western instrumentation. Arturo Sandavol lives here in Miami where I live and I have heard his musical arrangements several times. I completely agree that latin jazz and big band sound are viable musical elements to teach students about world music. I have used a song called Senor Cador with my high school band to teach latin jazz and solo improvisation. The drummer get a real workout and the soloists get to experience creating music as it happens. Your trumpets must be very good to play as high as these musicians play if you have used this chart. Is there a way to bring the difficulty of this chart down to a level where high school students would sound just as good? I also have trouble with enough players to take on this large ensemble music? Will it sounds as good with less players on each part? Thanks for sharing this music.
ReplyDeleteThere's a Peter Blair arrangement for school bands that is around grade 3. I believe that's the one I've used. There's also a grade 5 that my current school owns, and that one is rather challenging for the trumpets.
DeleteThis is a great example of teaching certain styles of world music and their influence in other music genres. I am reminded of 'Desafinado' by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd. That piece opened the door for the Brazilian samba of Antonio Carlos Jobim. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7lmMNweUVU) I am constantly trying to learn different ways to 'sneak-in' other cultures into my teaching. This past year I taught my 8th grade band the James Swearingen piece, 'Mambo Cubano' which uses Cuban instrumentation and rhythmic patterns. The kids loved it and really took to learning it. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh0WbrdYlzU)
ReplyDeleteI love this example of Arturuo Sandoval, who I met in Knoxville a few years back. His unique blending of traditional jazz big band swing with salsa. Nice touch finding such a superb music performance from online. Finding quality arrangements of "authentic" latin jazz is tough for many bands in the states, and what I learned from a band director in Miami rings true for me -- if you want to do salsa/cha cha/rumba/mambo right, you have to expose the students to the real deal before you ask them to play it on the page. Videos, live performers all the way. Best if someone who gigs can come in and demo for the young musicians how they crash that cymbal on downbeats physically to get that longer splash while going against the cowbell/agogo etc.
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