Metrotang - Lights Out (CD)

About the Songs
Four years ago, I began experimenting with traditional African rhythms and writing from the bottom up, starting with bass lines and melodies last. I created my own drumset parts to complement the African rhythms and to keep the integrity of the original rhythms. For example, in Blues 4 Y’All, the source was kotedjuga, a rhythm from Mali, which I mixed into a drumset part while keeping the character of the traditional rhythm. In Lights Out, a sweet swinging New Orleans feel has a bridge that uses a traditional Ekang rhythm, shifting meters from 9 to 7. In Funky Voyage, my inspiration came from an Nigerian rhythm, which I altered and mixed with a typical Latin groove. In I’m Moanin’ 2, the song begins with a rhythm from Cameroon called Bikutsi. Coco Loco, Full Moon in Philly, and Melba’s Mambo retain a more traditional Latin jazz feel, with some twists and turns of their own. Who’s Smoking? is a composition by Cuban composer Paquito d’Rivera, who sets the standard for writing and playing in many styles. Here I was able to play four different Brazilian rhythms in one song: baío, partito alto, 6/8, and samba.