This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he recommends a method book for getting serious about Latin bass.
Contents
The Latin Bass Book
The Latin Bass Book, by Oscar Stagnaro and Chuck Sher, is a great pick if you want to get a genuinely authentic handle on Latin rhythms — tumbao, Afro-Cuban grooves, Brazilian styles, Caribbean styles, and more.
“Latin” music as it’s commonly played outside of Latin America often differs quite a bit in playing style from the real thing back home — sometimes getting good-naturedly ribbed as a watered-down, “jazz-ified” version of Latin music. Written by an actual South American bass player from Peru, this book distills genuinely authentic Latin bass playing, rather than the more familiar, simplified version most non-Latin players pick up.
Latin Tunes I’ve Played Recently at Jazz Sessions
Latin-style tunes come up often even at straight-ahead jazz sessions. Some I’ve played recently:
On Green Dolphin Street
My Little Suede Shoes
I’ll Remember April
The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
Nica’s Dream
Blue Bossa
Recuerdame
A Latin Bass Line
A common rhythmic building block is a pair of dotted quarter notes followed by a quarter note, played like this:
That said, this is exactly the kind of line that gets called the “jazz-ified” version mentioned above. In more authentic Latin playing, the root doesn’t always land on beat 1:
When it locks in, it sounds great — but since the root isn’t landing on beat 1, the whole groove can fall apart unless every player in the band is genuinely experienced with the style.
Because of that, the first version — with the root anchored on beat 1 — holds together more reliably and is easier to sustain through a long session. That’s the version I lean on myself most of the time at sessions, but if you want to really dig into authentic Latin bass playing, the second approach is well worth exploring.
Reading about authentic Latin phrasing is one thing — actually locking it in with a band in real time is exactly the kind of feel a teacher can help you build.
Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?
This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.
At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.
Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.