¿Buscas una transcripción completa del piano y bajo para el cuerpo y coro del tema clásico "Seis Semanas"? ¿O como aprender a tocar como el creador de tus montunos favoritos de Los Van Van? O la mejor biografía de César "Pupy" Pedroso con su discografía completa? Te puede tomar más de seis semanas pero el Sincronizador Central de la Timba te lo pone en bandeja de plata con Volumen 10 de MÁS ALLÁ DEL PIANO SALSERO. Descraga una muestra gratis aquí. 

César Pupy Pedroso - Photo by Tom Ehrlich

The tenth volume in the Beyond Salsa Piano series focuses on César "Pupy" Pedroso, the founding pianist and one of the principal composers of Cuba's most popular band, Los Van Van, and now the leader of Los Que Son Son, the most successful new Cuban group of the 2000s. Doubling as a history and music appreciation course, the book contains extensive music notation examples of Pedroso's piano tumbaos, or "montunos", as well as transcriptions of solo and head arrangements. 

Illustrated in detail is Pupy Pedroso's trademark "contrary motion" montuno style, which, while very easy to execute produce much richer sounding harmonies than the standard salsa approach. The book also includes "sidebar" sections on the importance of rumba in salsa, rhythm section "gears", controlled improvisation and the evolution of bass tumbaos in Cuban music.

Bass tumbaos are included for each of the 54 piano transcriptions and some also include string section guajeos and second keyboard parts. Volume 10 also includes a detailed biography with rare photos from Pupy's private collection and information about his extensive musical family. The discgraphy section lists Pupy's work in two ways: by album, and by song, as many of his compositions were recorded by various artists.

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Attention Timba Lovers in New York! A free screening of the Los Van Van concert documentary Eso Que Anda / Van Van Fever is happening on Friday, April 1rst, 6:00 pm at the Bronx Museum of the Arts (presented by Havana Film Festival New York). 

Cuban Ian Padrón follows Los Van Van, the most popular band in Cuba since 1969, during their last tour in Cuba attended by more than 1 million people and examines the band’s history and future plans. In addition, The Pedrito Martínez Project will be playing with an unique interpretation of Caribbean-tinged Afrobeat rhythms. So, cool Timba movie + live Cuban music....can't be beat on a Friday night in NYC! Please snd pics if you go.

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It was twenty years ago today...Juan Formell taught the band to play. Actually forty, and as far as Miami is concerned, its more like ten years since Los Van Van's last appearance. At that time the show was cancelled due to the protests that rang clear -there is an understanding between the Cubans who lost everything and have suffered in exile. In response to this, another message has also continued to ring true. Los Van Van is a group of artists that herald a lasting musical movement, used by many to get in touch with their culture and shun the political spin. Inside of that tension many wish they could enjoy the music more openly and that some of the barriers can be brought down.   

This picture is the present. One that would have been impossible just two years ago. Take a good look at it. Corporate America is behind it. Maybe you should be too?

Many thanks to Eli Silva for this outstanding photograph. An ex-trumpet player based in the Miami area, Eli writes music reports and has an extensive photo gallery here on TIMBA.com. To solicit his professional photography services you can contact him at photographybyeli [at] aol [dot] com. Te botaste con esta foto Eli.

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Get ready for this upcoming show. Kicking off their US tour, Los Van Van, celebrates José Martí's January 28th birthday with a special peformance at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park in Key West, Florida. The band is also celebrating its 40th anniversary. 

Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. Gates open at 7pm for this three hour concert event. Martí was in Key West during the late 1890's to deliver a speech in support of Cuba's independence movement. 

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