congaplace.com

Posted: **Sat May 11, 2002 5:46 am**

Hello,
A thread here at congaplace forum not too long ago got me interested in checking this song out.
The same thread also mentioned that somewhere bill's awesome solo can be found transcribed.
At this point, having listened to this solo many times, the transcript sounds like a great treasure to me.... anyone know how I can lay my hands on a copy?

To those of you who don't know insight.. it's a cal tjader tune written by Bill Fitch who was cal's conga player for about a year. Bill, pretty darn well rounded 19 year old musician, wrote all the parts for this song, including this solo that never leaves the beat.(ie, should be fairly easy to learn for a mid-level ).

curious... anyone knows what happenned with this guy's career? any other hot solos he wrote?... the little I mentioned above, which I over heard in a program dedicated to cal's memory, is all I know about the man.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!

ben_baboon@yahoo.com

Posted: **Sat May 11, 2002 5:03 pm**

Hi benbaboon, hope all is well. Bill Fitch's Insight solo appears transcribed on the Latin Percussionist newsletter, Issue#6, Fall 1997. You can order back issues at:

http://www.latinpercussion.com

Hope this helps!

Saludos, Jorge Ginorio

Posted: **Sun May 12, 2002 2:25 am**

Perfecto Jorge.....Muchas Gracias!

Posted: **Wed May 15, 2002 6:34 pm**

Hi BenB....Bill Fitch unfortunatly fell by the wayside many years ago in Boston. The last story was that he was begging for food or something and was invited to eat at a friends house where they played his tune for him. He said nothing ate ,said Thanks and left. He would be in his 60's by now. It is today one of the most prolific solos ever on record and it took me a bit to figure it out,Did you know that he also uses his elbow in one particular riff of that solo.....At your service JC JOHNNY CONGA....

Posted: **Fri May 17, 2002 3:13 pm**

I have another album with Bill Fitch and Benny Valarde(timbales),it;s called "The Latin side of Vince Guaraldi".It's on fantasy 1964. It is a mellow Bossa Nova style album with strings on some cuts...I know of no others that Bill Fitch had recorded. if there is anyone out there with some other recordings with him on it I would surely want to know. Thanks...At your service....JC JOHNNY CONGA....