How did you get involved in the show, and what was your input to the bass book?In 2002 I met met Alex Lacamoire, the musical director and co-orchestrator, while doing the workshop of Brooklyn the Musical. In talking, we discovered we’re both Cuban, and I mentioned that I gigged a lot on the salsa and Latin jazz scene. Years later he remembered that and called to ask me about doing In the Heights. Originally, he wanted electric and upright Baby Bass, but when we got together to go over some of the songs, I showed him how I could emulate the Baby Bass sound on electric, using my thumb while muting the strings with my palm.
I’ve made some minor contributions to the bass book, but I’ve had more input helping to make sure we’re playing everything in the right clave. At our first rehearsal for the Off-Broadway run, there was a song that didn’t feel right to me. I noticed we were playing it in the wrong clave—3:2 instead of 2:3—and we made the adjustment. For the Broadway run, the band was expanded from seven musicians to 13, and new numbers were added. Alex called me a couple of times to get my input on some clave issues, and after our first Broadway rehearsal, we stayed behind with our drummer, Andres Forero, to go through each number to determine if there were any problems with the clave. We made some changes, while leaving other parts intact to preserve the continuity of the songs.
What’s the biggest challenge in the bass chair?We cover a lot of ground, stylistically. There are various Latin styles, plus hip-hop, pop, and R&B. Getting the right subs has not been easy for any of us. You have to be able to play all of these genres authentically, and with the right feel. In addition, you have to understand the “Broadway” aspects of the job, such as following a conductor and ensemble playing. Some of these aspects are more a frame of mind than anything else. A Broadway show is not like playing a typical venue gig; the audience is there to see the show, not hear the band. However, thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s streetwise score and Alex and Bill Sherman’s arrangements, this show is as close to playing a “normal” gig as any Broadway show I’ve done.
With multiple percussionists, drums, loops, a click, and a conductor, how do you approach the time feel?It comes down to everyone in the rhythm section listening to each other. I make sure I’m locked with the drummer, and then everything else will fall into place. If I’m playing by myself with a click—which I like because there’s no question of where the time should be—I use the click as a reference and let it pull me along. It’s then up to me to put the pocket in the right place. With the conductor, it’s about interpreting what he’s feeling. A good conductor like Alex can convey that with his hands.
The most rewarding aspect is getting to play with this great band eight times a week. The reviews in both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal mentioned the band; very rare, indeed—especially with us not being seen. We always get audience members, including other musicians, coming over to the pit to tell us how much they enjoyed the music. It’s nice to get that kind of recognition playing a Broadway show.
GEAR
Basses Sadowsky Metro 24-fret 5-string, fretless Moon MBC-5
Strings Dean Markley Super Rounds and SR 2000s
Rig Eden WT-405 Time Traveler, Eden D210MBX 2x10 cabinet
Effects T.C. Electronic Chorus/Flanger
Monitoring Aviom A-16II Personal Mixer, Shure SCL3 earbuds
CAN BE HEARD ON
In the Heights: Original Broadway Cast Recording [Razor & Tie, 2008]; Andréa Burns, A Deeper Shade of Red [PS Classics, 2007]; The Wedding Singer: Original Broadway Cast [Sony, 2006]
CURRENTLY SPINNING
Pat Metheny, Bright Size Life [ECM, 1975] “One of the greatest jazz trios of all time, that, sadly, we’ll never hear live again.” Glenn Gould, Bach Goldberg Variations [CBS, 1982] “No one has ever brought so much soul into these pieces as Glenn Gould did.”