Interview with Joe McCarthy of the Afro Bop Alliance
By Andrew Keatts
Joe McCarthy
Take a listen to Afro Bop Alliance >>
Soon.mp3
Percussionist for Grammy-nominated Afro Bop Alliance
The “Sailing Capital of the World.” Maryland's capital. Landing point of Kunta Kinte. Annapolis is known for many things, but it’s hardly recognized as a mecca for Latin Jazz or Afro-Cuban music. Yet, Annapolis-based band Afro Bop Alliance's new album won a Latin Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Recording of 2008, and a subsequent nomination for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in the category of Best Latin Jazz Album. Annapolis: Home of Latin Jazz.
Afro Bop Alliance percussionist and frontman Joe McCarthy came to Annapolis in 1994 after winning a position as a percussionist with the United States Naval
Academy Band. A native of Connecticut, McCarthy and his wife settled in Cape St. Claire to raise a family while he played in the Academy's band and worked as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. The stability provided by employment with the Academy's band enabled McCarthy to pursue his lengthy interest in Afro-Cuban jazz by forming Afro Bop Alliance. After creating two albums, the septet invited sometimes-guest performer Dave Samuels, a Grammy winner with his band, the Caribbean Jazz Project, to perform on its third album. The album was subsequently released under the band name Caribbean Jazz Project, with Afro Bop Alliance serving as the album's title. A few days after performing at Rams Head On Stage in celebration of the band's Grammy nomination, McCarthy sat down to discuss the genesis of his playing Latin jazz, what national recognition has brought, how a band finds its sound, and why stability fosters creativity.
What’s Up?: Growing up in Connecticut, how did you start playing Afro-Cuban music?
Joe McCarthy: Well, I was one of those kids that didn’t really get serious about music until...probably eleventh grade. When I arrived at The Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, Conn., I realized that my classmates were light-years ahead of me. The stuff I was just learning, they had learned years ago. Basically, the first two years I was in college I didn’t go to class; I just practiced around the clock. After a few years, things started clicking and I started closing the gap to where I thought I could be competitive.
One of the other drummers was really into [Afro-Cuban music]. He was the one who had me listen to all the recordings. There wasn’t really a lot of that playing in Hartford at that time. I took an interest in it, but because of the fact of where I was and the things I needed to learn at that time, it was kind of on the back burner. I was like, I need to be able to make a living when I get out of here. I was kind of studying it on the side.
Once I got here [Annapolis] and I got the Academy job, things became a little more settled and I had more time where I could work on things that I wanted
to do. When the band started, as the straight-ahead jazz kind of thing, that's when I realized “no one else around here is really doing this thing [playing Afro-Cuban jazz.] This is what I want to do. This is my band. So this is what we’re going to play.” That's how it really started. So then we started figuring out what would work and what wouldn't work. We played a lot of other people’s music.
What’s Up?: In terms of having the day job at the Naval Academy, what does the stability allow you to do?
J.M.: I think that, especially now with the economy, stability and being a musician are two terms that can go together. The military is the largest employer of musicians in the world. A lot of people don’t relate to that. So I think the greatest thing— besides the patriotic sense, where you get to represent your country, which is a very great and honorable thing—when you have stability, then your mind is a little open to try to focus on being creative. You aren't worrying about making the rent. In terms of having a family, the feeling of security allows you to say, “I know that I can take care of my family but I can still make time to do this other thing.”
What’s Up?: Were there a lot of concessions to be made when the band was finding its collective sound?
J.M.: At that point, most of the people in the band were pretty unfamiliar with where I wanted to go. I would bring stuff in and we’d listen to the recordings, and then we'd figure out what was going to work for us. I was kind of the idea presenter. We were definitely always listening to the band. That's how a good band works. It wasn’t like I was trying to convince these guys to play something that they weren't into, because that never works.
What’s Up?: Aside from the obvious, what does each guy bring to the band?
J.M.: Dan (Drew), the trombone player, he is our arranger. Tim (Stanley), the trumpet and flugelhorn player, is a phenomenal improviser. Max (Murray), the bass player, is a gifted natural player, and he’s also our web guy, which is immensely important. Harry (Appelman), the pianist, in addition to being a wonderful improviser, knows the natural language of the music. And then there's something about the sound of the congos that authenticates the sound and sort of adds another layer of rhythm.
What’s Up?: After the Grammy nomination, what happens with Afro Bop Alliance? Where do you go from here?
J.M.: Me, Dan Louis (Hernandez, saxophones), and Tim are all active duty. Max is retired. Right now, Harry is the only guy not in the military. We have a lot of requests to go on tour, but we can't go on tour because of the military. If you start pushing with these promoters and they call you for a jazz fest, you can’t turn them down. You come off the list, and getting on the list is very difficult. I’m getting different calls now that we won the Latin Grammy; things have kind of changed. With the Grammy (nomination), things are going to change for us.
Listen to Afro Bop Alliance: Soon.mp3
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Georgetown University
Joe McCarthy
Latin Jazz
Soon
Hartt School of Music
Camino Nuevo
Afro-Cuban music
United States Naval Academy Band
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Caribbean Jazz Project
Grammy
Afro Bop Alliance
Rams Head On Stage
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