Celebrating their 25th anniversary, The Latin Grammy® Award-winning New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band (NYABABB) is an Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble featuring a global alliance of the greatest musicians on the scene today. NYABABB was a nominee recipient at the 2023 Latin Grammy® Awards in the "Best Arrangement" category for Waltz of the Flowers from the recording, The Pan American Nutcracker Suite, released on the Angelface Records label, and winner of Latin Jazz Album of the Year at the 9th Annual Latin Grammy® Awards in 2008 for the recording “Afro Bop Alliance featuring Dave Samuels,” released on the Heads-Up label. This recording was also nominated for a Grammy® in the same category that same year at the 51st Grammy Awards®. NYABABB has released eight recordings to date featured on the Origin and Zoho labels.
NYABABB was founded and is led by drummer Joe McCarthy. The band features first call Jazz and Afro-Cuban musicians based in New York City who collectively perform with the greatest names in the business. The band draws from their own extensive catalog of music featuring the writing and composing talents of Joe McCarthy, Vince Norman and other members of the band including collaborations with Alex Brown, Hector Martignon, Dave Samuels, Victor Provost and Roland Vazquez. The music of NYABABB has long been inspired by the great Bebop tradition, married to the rich cultural stylings of African, Afro-Caribbean, Brazilian and countless other multi-ethnic styles of music.
The New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band has been featured at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Yale University (Ellington Jazz Series), The Segerstrom Center for Arts, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, The Silver Spring Jazz Festival, The Provincetown Jazz Festival, The WC Handy Jazz Festival, The San Antonio Jazz Festival, The Levitt Pavilion, Yoshi's, The Side Door Jazz Club, Arlington Music Hall, The Jazz Lab, Blues Alley, Bethesda Blues and Jazz, Rams Head On Stage with Paquito D’ Rivera, The Jazz Educators Network International Convention (JEN), The Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), The University of Florida, Georgetown University, George Mason University, University of Maryland, West Chester University, The SFCPA, Rowan University and The Smithsonian’s Jazz Appreciation Series, among many others.
Guests who have recorded and/or performed with the band include Paquito D’ Rivera, Poncho Sanchez, Francisco Torres, Luis Perdomo, Manuel Valera, Samuel Torres, Ruben Rodriguez, Ryan Keberle, Hector Martignon, Roberto Quintero, Arturo O’ Farrill, Dave Samuels, Roland Vazquez, Zaccai and Luques Curtis, Michael Mossman, Ray Vega, Antonio Hart, Oscar Stagnaro, Luis Bonilla and Joe Magnarelli.
In addition to their Latin Grammy®, NYABABB has received a total of four Wammie Awards (Washington DC Area Music Association) two for Best Latin Ensemble, one for Best Latin Recording and one for Best Big Band Recording.
Active in education, NYABABB has led numerous clinics and master classes around the country at both the collegiate and secondary school levels, including The University of Texas Arlington, The University of Central Oklahoma, Rowan University, Shenandoah Conservatory, Florida Atlantic University, Georgetown University, George Mason University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Washington College, The 'Iolani School, The SFCPA and West Chester University. The music of The NY Afro Bop Alliance Big Band is featured in leader/drummer Joe McCarthy’s educational Afro-Cuban Big Band Play-Along Series, published by Alfred Music, named by both Modern Drummer Magazine and the Zildjian Readers Poll as one of the Best Educational Drum Set Videos.
