Four years ago, percussionist and Georgetown music professor Joe McCarthy formed the Caribbean Jazz Project, a Latin jazz band. Since its formation, the band has produced three albums and won local awards for their musicianship. Its latest record, Afro Bop Alliance, has earned the group its first Latin Grammy nomination. McCarthy also formed the World Percussion Ensemble and teaches an Afro-Cuban Percussion class at Georgetown.
What led you to start your band?
I had always been interested in Latin music since I was in college and music school. The main reason for starting the band was I didn’t have an outlet for it. I have to say, when you’re a younger musician, you listen to music that you really admire and want to be a part of, and now to see it come to fruition really means a lot. We’ve gone from a point where we had something that started out as an experiment—it was a shot in the dark—and now three records later to be nominated for this and be part of the Latin jazz scene means a great deal to every one of the guys in the band.
Has teaching Afro-Cuban Percussion at Georgetown influenced your music?
Well, the best part about teaching at Georgetown is really that I have the opportunity to pass on some of this wonderful music. Drumming is—gosh how can I explain it? It’s great for the spirit. It’s a very physical thing, and so people are able to feel the music instead of just listening to it. Most people who take the class are not music majors, but at the end of the class they can play as a group, and that’s one of the most rewarding things about teaching here. I think the word I was looking for is therapeutic.
What prompted you to form the World Percussion Ensemble?
I think a lot of my students, after they finish the semester, they want to keep going. This gives them an outlet to grow and go out and perform. They can share what they’ve learned. I think this is one of the things I’ve really noticed. Students take ownership of what they’ve learned in the class. What it means to make music in a larger capacity, learning how to listen, learning how to improvise, all these things that we take for granted in our life, they learn and pass on.
How did you find out you had been nominated for a Grammy?
Actually our Conga player works at NPR, and he had received a note as soon as the nominations came out. When I found out I screamed—I’m just kidding. But I was very surprised. I knew it was a great recording. But something of that magnitude—especially considering the other bands in that category—it was definitely a reaction of ‘wow.’
Where do you think your music career is going to go from here?
I’m a military musician. I play in the United States Naval Academy Band. That’s sort of my day job, I’m the principal percussionist. I see myself over the next six or seven years trying to cultivate the band. And obviously as far as Georgetown is concerned, I want to get this whole Afro-Cuban thing to continue. Latin music is kind of on a hot streak right now, not just Latin jazz but Latin pop. So anything that I can help get people interested in it is a great thing.
