This wonderful series of complete album transcriptions by Erik Veldkamp is a study of the Afro-Cuban style of trumpet playing. Machito, one of the most revered artists in the history of Afro-Cuban music, lives up to his well-deserved reputation for giving 200 percent in concert At the Crescendo. Machito’s band is the quintessential example of the genre, and his trumpeter Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros on this album is the benchmark for how to lead an Afro-Cuban band from the lead trumpet chair.

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. Pachanga a la Crescendo
2. Mangos
3. Maggie’s Mambo
4. Varsity Drag Mambo
5. Cuban Fantasy
6. No Tiene Telerana
7. Ven Conmigo Guajira
8. Bernie and the Wolf
9. El Columpio
10. Ayer Lo Vi Llorar
11. Todo Es
12. Jamaicuba
13. Alma con Alma
14. Mi Otono
15. Almendra
16. Pent-Up House

Album Review

Machito, one of the most revered artists in the history of Afro-Cuban music, lives up to his well-deserved reputation for giving 200 percent in concert At the Crescendo. Captured live at Hollywood, CA’s Crescendo (a legendary, long-gone Sunset Strip nightclub owned by record exec/producer/concert promoter Gene Norman), Machito and his orchestra swing hard and passionately on both fiery, rhythmic salsa like “Ven Conmigo Guajira,” “No Tiene Telerana” and “El Columpio” and spirited Latin-jazz interpretations of Sonny Rollins’ “Pent-Up House” (wrongly credited to Miles Davis in the CD’s liner notes) and Ray Bryant’s “Cuban Fantasy.” No one with even a moderate interest in Afro-Cuban music should pass up this dynamic performance.