One of the most exciting aspects of jazz drumming is how it allows for seamless transitions between different rhythmic feels. A classic example is On Green Dolphin Street, where the song moves between Latin and swing in a way that keeps the music dynamic and interesting.
These kinds of transitions are more than just stylistic choices—they create contrast, variation, and energy, whether you’re playing a solo section, a head arrangement, or trading fours with a band. The key to making these transitions feel natural? Drummers need to lead the shift in groove while keeping the momentum intact.
To help you explore this concept, we’ve put together a set of free MIDI grooves that demonstrate how to smoothly transition between swing and different Latin feels.
Download Free Jazz/Latin Transition Grooves
We’ve selected a few grooves (13 of them to be exact) from our upcoming Jazz Transition MIDI Pack to give you a taste of how these rhythmic shifts work in practice. These grooves are designed to help you:
- Practice transitioning between feels – Strengthen your ability to shift seamlessly between swing and Latin styles.
- Inspire new musical ideas – Experiment with different grooves and see how they change the feel of a tune.
- Expand your jazz vocabulary – Learn how drummers use phrasing and groove to guide the band through transitions.
What’s Included in the Free Grooves?
Swing to Classic Latin (140 BPM)
This is a go-to transition in jazz. The “Classic Latin” feel is often used in jazz standards when shifting between swing and Latin sections.
Swing to ECM (160 BPM)
This transition moves from traditional swing into an even-8th ECM feel, commonly heard in modern jazz.
Swing to 12/8-feel Afro-Cuban (140 BPM)
A transition between swing and the 12/8-feel Afro-Cuban groove, which adds a polyrhythmic flavor.
How to Use These Grooves
Mix and match transitions to find new creative ways to shift between styles or Try them in a jazz standard – Load them into your DAW and experiment with a tune like Green Dolphin Street or Blue Bossa.
Incorporate them into your solos – Use transitions to add rhythmic contrast in extended solo sections.
And if you’re up for it, please feel free to leave an encouraging comment below!
Thank you very much. I like it a lot.
Thanks for your generous gift!
Thank you very much. It’s a nice gift, and more importantly, it is useful.
I’ll use The ssd5 grooves.