Billy Martin is a remarkable drummer who has successfully carved out his own musical path. As the organic beat-maker for Medeski, Martin & Wood, Martin has successfully blended world-music cultures into his own style.

Riddim: Claves of African Origin traces the roots of African rhythmic systems to the Americas. Learning these African-based claves is similar to jazz musicians learning chord changes, voicings, and scale patterns which enable them to improvise on songs. Claves are our ancient and modern scales. These claves open up rhythmic subdivisions, substitutions and a much wider vocabulary to draw upon than playing static beats.

Call them systems, bell patterns, or claves, be assured that there is much freedom to be gained from owning these rhythms. The coordination required to play these rhythms will challenge and benefit every aspect of your playing.

This unconventional method book, by Medeski Martin & Wood drummer Billy Martin, is a serious four-way coordination workout based on a series of four-, six-, and eight-beat Afro-clave patterns and a few odd-note rhythms. Each clave is presented in the author’s unique notational system, which uses X/s for played strokes and periods for rests. The book gets progressively more difficult as various bass drum figures and left-foot/left-hand accompanying patterns are added to the mix. On the included CD, billy demonstrates many of the examples to help you get an understanding for how hard these things can groove. — Michael Dawson, Modern Drummer Magazine

Riddim is an extremely inventive resource and a must-have for anyone serious about understanding and applying these roots rhythms to any style of music. — David Stanoch, McNally Smith College of Music

96 pages
Language: English
CD features 87 tracks of drumming
Edited and produced by Dan Thress

Visit Billy Martin’s Riddim Website as well as Billy’s Riddim Book Tour on YouTube.

Available direct from Amazon.com
Distributed worldwide by Alfred Publications

Mokhtar Samba is an explosive and intellegent drummer who has recorded and toured with world music superstars, Salief Keita, Youssou N’Dour, Henri Dikongue, Carlinhos Brown, Richard Bona, Tama, Ultramarine, Joe Zawinul, Graham Haynes, Nguyen Le, and Jean-Luc Ponty.

African Rhythms and Indepedence for Drumset shows you how to develop some of the most interesting and powerful rhythms in the world. No matter if you play jazz, rock, funk, or worldbeat, this book will give you a new sense of coordination, confidence and swing.

Each rhythmic group is broken down in clear western notation that will guide you step-by-step in mastering these new feels and concepts. This is the book the pros have been raving about and we guarantee this Book and CD will make you a better player!

Rhythms/Countries: Gnawa (North Africa), Maghreb (North Africa), Mangambe (Cameroon), Bikutsi (Cameroon), Doudoumba (Guinea & Mali), Sabar (Senegal)

Vinnie Colaiuta: The grooves just LEAP off the page! Mohktar Samba’s illustrations of African Rhythm’s are wonderfully insightful, enriching, and masterfully done. Thank you, Mohktar for enlightening all of us!

Dennis Chambers: This is the best explanation of African rhythms that I’ve heard. I really love the way Mokhtar breaks everything down and presents it to you. I like the way he thinks and plays when he’s behind a drumset.

CD features 96 tracks of drumming
Bilingual text: English and French
Edited and produced by Dan Thress

Available from Amazon.com
Retail distribution by Alfred Publications

Victor Rendon is a sought after New York City timbalero/drummer, who is co-leader of The Latin Jazz Orchestra, and sideman with Mongo Santamaria, Chico O’Farrill, Carlos Patato Valdez, Ray Santos, Grupo Caribe, The Latin Jazz Coalition, Los Mas Valientes and many others. Rendon’s work has appeared in Modern Drummer, DRUM!, Percussive Notes, and Warner Bros. Publications.

The Art of Playing Timbales Vol 1 is designed for the beginning timbalero, or drumset player, who wants to understand how to play Afro-Cuban music in a professional setting. If you have just purchased a pair of timbales, this book will teach you everything from proper setup, stick sizes, rhythms, independence, transitions, song forms, and SOLOING. Each music example has a corresponding track number which can be found on the CD. Simply read the music exercises, and listen to the corresponding track number on your CD player.

Each exercise on timbales is also arranged for drumset. Conga and bongo students will find their parts in each section of the book and CD. Please note: to take full advantage of this book, students are encouraged to learn each part for timbales, drumset, congas, and bongos.

Each section features play-along CHARTS and CD TRACKS with some of NY’s top Latino musicians: Sergio Rivera (piano), Victor Venegas (bass), Heriberto Rivera (bongo), Anibal Tito Rivera (congas), and Victor Rendon (timbales and drumset). By using these play-along charts you will gain valuable realistic playing experience that will directly translate to your school ensemble or professional group.

CHAPTERS: Introduction, Position of the Timbales, Different Sounds, Clave, Abanico, Cha Cha Cha, Son, Transitions, Bell Patterns, 6/8, Independence, Mozambique, Solo Phrases, References.

ALSO INCLUDED: INTERVIEWS with famous timbaleros: MIKE COLLAZO (Tito Rodriguez, Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente), JOSE MADERA (Machito, Fania All-Stars, Pacheco, Tito Puente), and JOHNNY ALMENDRA (Jovenes del Barrio, Willie Colon, Mongo Santamaria, John Scofield).

And SOLO TRANSCRIPTIONS from GUILLERMO BARRETO and MANNY OQUENDO.

CD features 75 tracks of drumming
Bilingual text: English/Espanol
Edited and produced by Dan Thress

Miguel “Anga” Diaz (1961-2006) will be remembered as one of the greatest congueros of all time. Known for his remarkable soloing and multiple conga/percussion inventions, Cuban-born Diaz, represents the link between the past, present, and future of conga playing.

ANGA MANIA! is our instructional DVD in which Anga demonstrates many of his systems and forms he uses to develop dexterous patterns, riffs and solos. Each example is demonstrated in a solo context then in a duet performance. In the MARCHA, GUAGUANCO and SOLOING sections Anga reveals his incomparable patterns and variations on five congas. Duet performances with virtuoso Cuban pianist GABRIEL HERNANDEZ help illustrate Anga’s ideas while he breaks-down his soloing phrases, playing each slowly and explaining the origin of each riff.

In the MIXING STLYLES section, Anga overdubs three layers of different drumming styles, mixing funk with the Cuban rhythms known as Pilon and Batumbata. He also shows how congas can bring an organic feel to the DJ-based styles such as jungle in duets with DJ GILB-R and an improvised trio segment featuring Anga playing his “Set-Cubano” mixing congas, bells, and drums (with both hands and feet) to create a phenomenal flow of rhythm.

Modern Drummer Magazine: Miguel “Anga” Diaz certainly knows conga traditions, but his flame burns brightest when breaking down barriers and mixing styles. That’s one reason he has been sought by heavy hitters like Irakere, Danilo Perez, Roy Hargroove, Ruben Gonzales, and Steve Coleman. This video’s centerpiece is Anga’s mastery of the five-conga setup, with which he creates patterns suggesting a ” harmonic ” tumbao. The one-hand/one-stick patterns combining congas and percussion are also exciting. The video doesn’t emphasize breakdowns, but the accompanying booklet, expertly transcrided by Victor Rendon, serves as a clear, studious guide to Diaz’ patterns. Performance highlights include hot duets with pianist Gabriel Hernandez, and for something completely different, a street-energy jam with DJ GILB-R. From start to finish, Diaz’ grooves are amazing. But it’s ultimately his unbridled joy in playing that’s most winning.—Jeff Potter

NTSC Format, Region 0
In Spanish with English subtitles
PDF transcriptions by Victor Rendon
52 Minutes, Digitally mastered

Available from Amazon.com
Retail distribution by Alfred Publications

Billy Martin’s Riddim Book Tour on YouTube

Anga’s solo from ANGA MANIA!