Feliciano Arango: A Collection of Bass Lines. Vol.1: The Greatest Hits of NG La Banda

This Bi Lingual (English and Spanish) book is a compilation of NG La Banda’s greatest hits during the time that Feliciano Arango was the principal bassist for the group (1988–2002). There is great value in archiving these bass lines because the rhythmic style of the bass changed completely in Cuban dance music during this time period. This marks the beginning of a new era of the bass’s role as an accompanying instrument in Cuban music. At its onset, this new style of playing was criticized due to its complicated rhythmic figures executed during the montunos and body of the arrangement. It was believed that this new way of playing, aggressive and with frequent rhythmic variation, would affect the demanding dance floor audience. Instead, new ground was broken with the bass as a principal force united with “the bomba” (rhythmic ostinatos performed by the conga and drums) that radically changed Cuban dance music for the musicians and dance floor audience. This style is generally referred to as “Timba.” This book has fourteen fully transcribed bass lines and montunos exactly as played from the recordings. In addition, we show some of the original bass parts (from Jose Luis Cortés arrangements) so that you can compare and recognize the creativity and invention of Feliciano Arango, “selected as the best Timba bassist of all time” during his more than 20 years in the group. The intention of this book is for Timba and bass enthusiasts to apply the Timba stylings in a complete arrangement, as if performing with the group, with introduction, verses, montunos, mambo, bomba, “bloques” and coda. This first volume is dedicated to the greatest hits of NG La Banda and gives the musician a note by note transcription of each of the enclosed bass lines in order to instill a greater understanding and fluidity in their journey through Cuban Timba bass stylings.