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Who's the best (and available) latin drumming teacher in LA?

P.S.: Sorry to bother you with yet another LA topic but I want to get the most out of my free time there.

Look up Aaron Serfaty. He was a session guy in Venezuela back in the day and he was one of my teachers at LAMA. He's also teaching at USC.

Alex Acuna, Jimmy Branly, Efrain Toro, Joey Heredia, etc...

I'll add Chuck Silverman to the list...I'm sure he's still at it.

Gotta put another one in for Chuck Silverman, the guy is a master and a veritable encyclopedia of the Latin worlds music.

Alex is awesome as well.

Hey Tombo! i just noticed this is your post. I will have to side with the Chuck Silverman option. For teaching...learning head to head...he is very very very good! hope you can get a hold of him. If not I can contact him for you.
P

I studied with Chuck. Amazing teacher and REALLY cool guy!

willyz wrote:Look up Aaron Serfaty. He was a session guy in Venezuela back in the day and he was one of my teachers at LAMA. He's also teaching at USC.

Yes, real good player... Check out Aaron's playing on Otmaro Ruiz's Distant Friends.

http://www.amazon.com/Distant-Friends-O ... B000001A4M

Aaron & Otmaro with Arturo Sandoval

I think it should be noted that, without in depth experience, it'll only matter to the point of relevance.

That is to say, coming from someone who has studied, in depth, when it comes to "American" Latin playing - It's all about approximation. You're only approximating various percussionist on a drum set, and with great disadvantages at that. However if you know what you are trying to fake, it does make it easier to fake it.
That said, pretty much everything you play in the US (assuming you are a 'Western' drum set player) is still going to be "groove" orientated, that is to say 2 & 4 still prevail. And while I can make it sound like Samba, Partido Alto, Songo, etc.. it's still an approximation of the real thing APPLIED to the American music concept.

You can really find everything online. From the bell patterns to whatever. Mix and match. Not to say your quest is not of sound quality, but to maybe give you the direction as a DRUM SET player, to understand you're job is to approximate the rhythms and make them groove (most often) in a 4/4 setting of music based on 2 & 4.

So if you only have a few hours with one of these guys, rock their brains on how to make it applicable and feel authentic within the context. You can spend hours learning how to play the actual percussive instruments without learning how to apply the rhythms to drum set.

if you do find a good teacher don't learn patterns. play the accents of the music.