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As I'm working through some new material for this new group, sometimes the charts are calling out for rhythms which seem open to a bit of interpretation.
For example, one song Sin tu Carino with Ruben Blades. In two sections of the song the chart calls for "bomba", the guys I play with call it "caballo".
The way the timbalero demonstrates the rhythm is something like this SS-SS-O-|SS-SS-O-, I'm assuming the chart is calling for the "buleador" part in the bomba ensemble written out in the appendix of the Latin Real book, which goes like this more or less HHTSTOO- | HHTSTOO- , or at least that's my interpretation of the chart, I really know nothing about bomba. Finally it sounds to me in the recording I have that the conguero is playing S--SSOO- | S--SSOO- , but it's a little difficult to make out with the timbales and the bongos going off.

I'm just wondering what everyone else's take is on the bomba.caballo rhythm, and whether caballo or bomba is what it is mostly referred to as?

Another tune we do is Yerbeno Moderno by Celia Cruz, which is labeled as an Afro-son. Not that I really know what exactly an Afro-son is. Anyways, that tune has a section calling for Afro, which I've heard and read and discussed here played is O-sSSOOS- | O-sSSOOS- (little s is 16th note), however the track I'm listening to has O-sSoOSS | O-sSoOSS (little s is 16th note, little o is low drum). Which is more or less what The Latin Real Book has as Afro in the appendix. Is that Afro-son? Or just a funky Afro variation.

I've tried out the songs with each of the variations and kind of have my own preferences, I'm interested in other people's approaches and maybe hearing whatever the 'orthodox' interpretation might be as well. You know I learned to read charts doing orchestral percussion which is fairly strict, the Latin Real Book seems to be a bit different .

bongosnotbombs wrote:The way the timbalero demonstrates the rhythm is something like this SS-SS-O-|SS-SS-O-, I'm assuming the chart is calling for the "buleador" part in the bomba ensemble written out in the appendix of the Latin Real book, which goes like this more or less HHTSTOO- | HHTSTOO- , or at least that's my interpretation of the chart, I really know nothing about bomba. Finally it sounds to me in the recording I have that the conguero is playing S--SSOO- | S--SSOO- , but it's a little difficult to make out with the timbales and the bongos going off.

Geordie, I learned Bomba from a Puerto Rican guy a few years ago, and he played the part with the distinct feel of a big Tresillo - Cinquillo depending on how you count it.
Bass tt Bass Tone Tone.
BTTB-OO-
RRLR-LR-

Seemed like a cool way to do it.. The way you've got it written should do the same thing (oh, I just noticed that you didn't put a space after the third slap, I would write it like this - [S-SS-OO-])

That might be what he's playing, it's hard to tell for me to tell precisely what the conguero is playing with the timbale parts and the bongos, and everything else.

I hear caballo like this: s..ss.O. oo.ss.O
also like this: sthtstOt oothtstOt

The feel is bomba like with the strong open tone on the 4 of the tumba.

dan

I play it like that sometimes too, well the first half of what you wrote anyways.

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