And then came a lion... Conga / Harmonica (key of D) improvisation. 4/4 90bpm

Here's proof. Proof that things are a bit mysterious in my studio. Late last night my Bass Cajon all of a sudden decided to start accompanying me on its own - without me touching it. At first I thought that some apparitional bass player had…

Ilesa is a city located in the south west of Nigeria. This is a traditional rhythm pattern of the same name - but I'm not sure of the significance of the name. I played on 3 congas, accented with bell clave, block and cowbell, of course…

I couldn't resist crossing swords with Alex on this deft song of his which left me quite touchéd! *Inspired in part at least by accidental meat on meat.* Here's the original track.

At a recent charity event held in my small town's train museum, I was admiring a massive brass train bell when the curator walked up to me. I commented that a bell would really rather be heard then seen, and he agreed. I offered to digitally record…

A 7/8 improvisation on a set of 3 Bata drums, accented with afucha, tube shekere and cowbell. The number 7 is a symbol for perfection or completeness: 7 colors in a rainbow, 7 musical notes in a scale, 7 days = a week, etc. In Cuba, the…

This spooky track utilizes the "Paulstretch" program to stretch recordings of gongs, chimes and bells to 8.04 times their native length: no other effects were made to these acoustic recordings other than to stretch them. The gongs utilized are…

A single track of improvised chromatically tuned congas in 7/8, accented with clave, guiro, cajon and quinto. (For those who may be interested in collaborating on this, the triplet phrasing of this groove may be most easily counted like this…

This traditional Cuban rhythm is the well established "go-to" pattern for 4/4 songs. It is perhaps the most commonly heard conga pattern in 4/4 music. The bongo pattern that accompanies the congas is referred to as "martillo" (the hammer…

Here's to Johnny! Gifted composer. Talented musician. Supportive friend. 127 songs of posted AT rockin' goodness, posted from 2008-2011: the Stone Age! Thanks for all of the tasty tunes Johnny. 5/4 120bpm.

Aw, we tried to make this a bit more pro, but sometimes the really fun moments in life are fleeting. So here it is warts and all. But don't mind that - just get out onto the dance floor with Reg! It's ok: he's up to date on his shots. When…

Faith is assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. When Faith goes to the market, it always takes a basket. The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith and the beginning of faith is the end of anxiety. [George Mueller…

"High Life" is a musical genre that originated in Ghana in the 1900s and spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other West African countries by 1920. My friends from that part of the world consider this be the "go-to" rhythm for just about anything…

"Afoxe" is a rhythm played by carnival groups from Bahia in Northeastern Brazil. It is named after an instrument that is traditionally used to play this pattern: an afoxe is a beaded gourd; aka "shekere". In this rendition, I replaced the shaker…

A 3 track improvisation on 7 congas roughly tuned by ear to a chromatic scale. LYRICS: I walked a mile with Pleasure; She chatted all the way; But left me none the wiser For all she had to say. I walked a mile with Sorrow, And ne…

Perhaps you could use a little fatherly advice? Well here it is! Chording improvisation on 7 different conga drums tuned to an octave and set to 3-2 rumba clave. LYRICS Lookie here hot-shot: a silent fool is half a wise-man And there…

I asked CaptGene for something funky, trusting that a fishing guide from Babsom Park would know exactly what I was talking about. He did. The Captain knows funk. I used to have a link to his original version here, but that is no longer available…

Long drum solos aren't for everyone - I get it. Just do what many at Grateful Dead concerts did and look at it as an opportunity to go get another beer. On the other hand, if you are the sort of person who cheers at the fireworks show, I hope…

Out on the lawn there arose such a clatter! Sometimes, as they say, Christmas do come early. I found Johnny Stone's "Christmas Rock In Oz" under the tree and couldn't wait until Yuletide to unwrap it. What a rockin' gift! I know a bit about…

In Argentina they say "in Argentina everything may change - except the tango", but I couldn't resist adding some percussion to this beautiful nuevo tango by Vincent Voois, composed in the style of Astor Pantaleon Piazzolla. Check out Vincent…