Switching from 4/4 to 6/8 and back - recordings

[tjaderized]

While helping somebody to research a biography on vibraphonist and Latin Jazz pioneer Cal Tjader, we encountered the question of when he first switched between 4/4 (e.g. a mambo or rumba) to 6/8 (Bembé type) during a tune. I'm still listening through his recordings of the 1950's to find out, but besides that: What was the first recording issued in Cuba, and in the USA, showing this musical feature?

I'm not at home, thus do not have my collection at hand, but I remember a Folkways LP about the Cuban Danzón including an example.

Thanks for your help!

[davidpenalosa]

Hi Mike,
Off the top of my head, I'm not aware of Cal Tjader switching from 4/4 to 6/8 except on the title song "Guarabe" (Fantasy LP 9533, 1977). Tjader only conceived of 4/4 clave in 2-3 and 6/8 clave in 3-2. I love his music, but like most Latin jazz musicians of his era, Cal Tjader did not have a fully developed concept of clave. You can hear this on "Guarabe", where he goes from 3-2 12/8 to 2-3 4/4. In other words, he broke clave
-David

[tjaderized]

Thanks for the input.

I know "Guarabe", but find it hard to classify that first part of the piece as being in a Bembé type or clave-type groove. I hear it more as a linear 3/2 groove, not necessarily based on clave, although you of course can play a x.x.xx.x.x.x pattern to this - but where Cuban 6/8 is always ambiguous, polymetric, in its design, having three or four beats as equal choices at your disposal, "Guarabe" clearly is a 3 beat groove.

I wouldn't underestimate Cal's understanding of clave - he certainly had more than the average Latin Jazz musician, but sometimes took liberties an orthodox Latin musician never would, which is not a bad thing per se.

It seems Cal's first switch from 4/4 to 6/8 was in a 1956 recording of "Invitation" on the "Latin Kick" album for Fantasy.

I found out there is a Danza composed in 1921 (!) titled "El Nanigo" which switches from 4/4 or rather 2/4 to 6/8 - I have a 1954 recording of this. You can find it on the Foklways LP "The Cuban Danzón".
I know I have some rumba recordings with Bembé or Abakua patterns mixed in, but need more time to find them.

[davidpenalosa]

Hi Mike,
Thanks for pointing out “Invitation”. I forgot about that tune. Tjader goes from a clave-neutral bolero to 6/8. The time gets ambiguous with a legato transition when he returns to 4/4 (at 2:32) with the “Afro-Cuban” (a 1940s band rhythm loosely based on a 4/4 bata rhythm). The transitions between the 6/8 and 4/4 sections were not arranged in a way that really reveals a continuity of clave.

I’m not underestimating Cal's understanding of clave; I base my comment on statements from musicians who played with him and from listening to his music. On “Cubano Chant” you can hear the Tjader band “break clave” when going from a 3-2 rumba to a 2-3 mambo (0:37) and back to the rumba (0:49). Furthermore, they play the head in 3-2 over the rumba and play it in 2-3 over the mambo.

I don’t mean to single him out for criticism. Latin jazz musicians of that era (50s-70s) were not versed in the art of switching from one side of clave to the other within the same piece of music. I don’t listen to Poncho Sanchez much these days, but he is an example of someone who still demonstrates this “old-school” Latin jazz lack-of-clave-awareness.

I have the Folkways version of "El Nanigo". Are you looking for Cal Tjader songs in particular that go from 4/4 to 6/8, or just pieces in general that do that? Can you cite some other Tjader tunes that do that? I believe that Sexteto Habanero may have done a 4/4 – 6/8 transition.

I agree that “Guarabe” is a strong three-beat groove, but the main riff is based on 6/8 son clave:

XoXoXooXoXoo

…which of course implies a cross-rhythmic structure. However, I think you are correct about its emphasis and imagine that Cal was not thinking in terms of cross-rhythm when he wrote that.

I disagree that 6/8 clave is “poly-metric”. There is only one meter; the four underlying beats per clave cycle are the main metric reference. The four beats and the six beats are not equal; there is a hierarchal structure. The four beats are primary and the six beats are secondary. 6/8 clave music is contra-metric; the rhythmic events systematically contradict the metric structure.
-David