This wonderful series of complete album transcriptions by Erik Veldkamp is a study of the Afro-Cuban style of trumpet playing. Machito’s band is the quintessential example of the genre, and his trumpeters on this album (Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros, Jeff Davis, Shunzu Ono, and Tony Cofresi) showcase how to articulate, swing, and groove over a series of tunes that are just dripping with Afro-Cuban style.

These books each include the full lead trumpet part, plus any trumpet solos featured in the tunes. You can follow along with the original albums and hear exactly how they are meant to be played.

Below you will find a full writeup on the album, plus the song list. To the left, you can find some samples, and above you can grab an immediate digital download.

Song List

1. El As De La Rumba
2. Quimbombo
3. Piñero Tenía Razón
4. Caso Perdido
5. Manicero
6. Sambia
7. Yerbero

Album Review

The album “Machito and His Salsa Big Band” was released in 1983 on the Concord Picante label. It features Machito and his band performing a mix of salsa, Latin jazz, and Afro-Cuban music. When it comes to Machito and his band’s music during the 1980s, it was a constant evolution, incorporating elements of jazz, funk, and disco while remaining grounded in Afro-Cuban rhythms and instrumentation. He collaborated with many prominent jazz musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz, and continued to tour and record throughout the decade.