Nañigo Navidad

Written for large percussion ensemble, “Nañigo Navidad” is a three-minute work that features two traditional Christmas carols, “We Three Kings” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” in musical fusion with the Afro-Cuban nañigo rhythm. This single-movement piece begins with a stately introduction drawn from Handel’s “Organ Concerto No. 10 in D minor Op.7 No.4,” which quickly evolves into a driving nañigo that binds the two carols together.

Brian Slawson finds the pocket within each of the traditional tunes in a way that fits comfortably with the nañigo, making this a piece that percussion students and their audiences will easily be drawn to. He has created a piece that can fit a variety of music programs by offering instrument substitutions and opportunities for subtle improvisation for the drum and drum set parts. The large instrumentation and approachable parts are fitting for intermediate players and would work well as a percussion feature on a winter holiday concert.

—Quintin Mallette
Percussive Notes
Vol. 60, No. 1, February 2022