Groove o' the day: Tombo in 7/4

More from Airto's great record Fingers. I got burned last time crediting the drumming to Airto when it was really another great drummer da América do Sul, Osvaldo Fattoruso; this time I think it really is Airto on this track, but I was pretty sure last time, too, so... I guess I have to seek out a lot more of Fattoruso's playing and learn to recognize him.

These are the grooves for the major sections from Tombo in 7/4. It's a samba in 7, which in principle sounds like an insane and wrong concept, but it's not— Brazilian musicians have only been playing them for 50-60 years. Once you get the hang of it it's just a slightly different flavor of samba. The tune is in one of the major fake books, so odds are fairly good you'll have to play it some day.

The grooves are played pretty repetitively; variations are usually pretty subtle, and it's obvious when the player breaks from that to fill or improvise briefly. Pay attention to the timbres of the snare drum— the major rimshot accents sound almost like repique. On the first groove the tenuto/staccato markings indicate half-open and closed hihat notes.

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