Afrocubanites

Structure:

Signal, Main Rhythm, Signal, Break
Signal, Main Rhythm, Signal, Break
Signal, Main Rhythm, Signal, Break
Signal, Bell Party!, Signal, Break
Signal, Main Rhythm, Signal, Break to end

Main Rhythm

130bpm 4/4  1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
                          $
Shekere     X.xxX.xxX.xxX.xx   ("1, an' a 2, an' a 3, an' a 4, an' a")
2:3 Clave   ..X.X...X..X..X.
Block       ..xx..xx..xx..xx
                          $
Djembe 1    BttBttOtttSSttOt   ("Af--ro--Cu---banites, We're")
Djembe 2    oOSSoOSSoOSSoOSS   (!!!)
3:2 Bell    X..X..X...X.X...
+Dununba    D..D............

Dun Dun variations to add now and again:
+Kenkeni    ............K...
+Sangban    ..............G.
+Sangban    ......G.........

Djembe 2 is very hard and takes much practice. It generally enters after the Break, as an answer to the first Djembe 1 phrase "We're Afrocu-" ---> ONSLAUGHT, like this:

            1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
Djembe 1    BttBttOtttSSttOtBttBttOtttSSttOt
Djembe 2            oOSSoOSSoOSSoOSSoOSSoOSS

Here it is written out double-spaced in full, showing the reversing hands:

            1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -
Djembe 2    OOO.S.S.OOO.S.S.OOO.S.S.OOO.S.S.
            lrl r l rlr l r lrl r l rlr l r 

The hands need to swap each time otherwise it's impossible to play this fast. A simplified version:

            1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
Djembe 2    o.SSo.SSo.SSo.SS  ("Plum, take a plum, take a plum, ...")
            f lrf lrf lrf lr

Break Section/Ending

         1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
Signal:  o.OO.O.OO.SSS...   ("Now are you rea-dy to take a break?")
Break:   B...B...B...OOOO   ("Slow - things - down - ready for the
         O...............    gap    2        3      4
         OOOOO.SSO.SS....    Now we've done the gap, it gets difficult:
         O.SBB.BBO.S.....    here comes the end of the break soon.....
         O.SBB.BBO...O.O.    here comes the end of the break, and We're")
Djembe 1 BttBttOtttSSttOt   ("Af--ro--Cu---banites, We're")

Or, to finish:
         O.SBB.BBO...O.O.    here comes the end of the break, and We're")
Ending:  B                  ("OUT!")

Percussion keeps rolling throughout the Break, non-stop. The Dun Dun player just plays Bells in the Break.

Bell Party! :-)

After the third time round the Break, Djembe players stop and pick up Bells. The Dun Dun player continues playing just the Bell, and after two bars the Djembe players join them on 3:2 clave patterns. Adventurous players can do 2:3 cross-rhythms :-) This all goes on until the leader drops the Bell and plays a Signal leading back into the Break, at which the Djembe players put down their Bells and join the Break at the words "Now we've done the gap, it gets difficult". Then we return to the rhythm for one last time with manic soloing before ending with the Break: "here comes the end of the break, and We're OUT!"