Musicians enter your life in various ways, and the influence that they exert ranges from passing fad to lifelong presence. Every musician’s childhood touches music in some way - their parents or greater community brings music into their lives and it sticks. When a certain artist represents a community’s musical preferences, that artist becomes an influential icon that shapes the artistic landscape. At other times, musicians simply discover influences through the recommendation of a friend. Sometimes these suggestions stick and at other times they don’t, but coming from a trusted source, they instantly gain merit. Some artists enter our lives as part of a musical growth spurt, as we dig deeply into their musical approach to better ourselves. They might provide educational materials, or we might simply learn all their music by ear, but the connection drives us closer to that musician. A chance encounter with a musician might happen through a process of self-discovery, as we look for new frontiers. These unexpected inspirations usually act as pleasant surprises, and we often hold onto the memory for a long time. There’s a multitude of ways that we might encounter a musician, but once they’ve made an impact, we are undeniably tied to their influence.
Drummer Robby Ameen entered my musical landscape before I dove deeply into the Latin Jazz world and he’s been there ever since. When I first became interested in Latin Jazz as a young bass player, one of my college instructors recommended a new book to me for study, Funkifying the Clave from Ameen and bass player Lincoln Goines. I worked through all the bass tumbao exercises and then jumped into the play-alongs. I spent hours learning some great Latin Jazz charts like “Mambo For Tajrid” and “Blue Cha-Cha” and along the way I learned how to groove in Afro-Cuban styles by playing along with Ameen’s solid drumming. Later a friend brought some Ruben Blades charts into a rehearsal, leading me to buy several of his recordings. Once again, I found Ameen sitting behind the drum kit in Seis Del Solar, the band that fueled Blades’ sound for years. I found Ameen in several more places through the years, including stints with Dave Valentin. In the past several years, I’ve marveled at Ameen’s drumming as part of trombonist Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side band - all their albums are spectacular, but Ameen sound particularly good on Another Kind of Blue. Ameen joined with another iconic drummer, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez to produce several funky clave driven albums that turned the percussion world on its ear. Ameen recently released Days in the Life, his first solo album as a leader, a Latin Jazz-fusion recording that once again reaffirms his massive musical presence. With each new step in Ameen’s career, I consistently look forward to the new musical horizons.
Ameen’s current release, Days in the Life, is a particularly inspiring collection of music that brings together Ameen’s prodigious drum skills with his voice as a composer. It’s a whirlwind ride through a creative musical mind, filled with stylistic blends and rhythmic intricacies. We’ll be spending more time with Ameen’s stellar album here at LJC soon, but I’ve been enjoying this one so much recently I couldn’t wait any longer. Today’s Weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix is dedicated to Ameen and his inspiring work as a drummer. We’ve got three clips that show him flexing his musical muscles behind the drum kit - enjoy!
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Want to hear more music featuring Robby Ameen? Check out these albums: Robby Ameen & Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez: Robby and Negro at The Third World War
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Do you have a video to contribute to satisfy our weekly Latin Jazz video fix? If so, send it in - it’s time to feed our addiction. I’m looking for live performances, from any context. I’ll most likely be posting one video per week, but if you’ve got another idea, let’s talk. So come on Latin Jazz videographers, musicians, and fans - let’s share some of our memorable videos! Get my contact info HERE
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