At 368 pages, Beyond Salsa for Ensemble, Vol. 1 is the most ambitious of the 15 volume series. The course is designed for college and high school Latin music ensembles and working salsa bands seeking to add modern Cuban "timba" and "songo" material and techniques to their repertoires. The course begins with the basic salsa groove and then presents two modern Cuban grooves (one in 2-3 clave and one in 3-2 clave), with note-for-note transcriptions for piano, bass, bongó, timbales, congas, and drums - all explained in careful detail in a conversational style. The next part of the book teaches 36 rhythm breaks, or "efectos", that can be added to any Latin arrangement. Again, every stroke of every part is meticulously transcribed, with lead sheets also provided for more experienced players. Finally, the book contains a complete chart for performance of a popular Cuban hit by the popular group Los Que Son Son, led by Pupy Pedroso, the subject of several of the Beyond Salsa Piano books.

Kevin Moore - author of the "Beyond Salsa" series - currently consisting of 18 volumes - is the editor of the world's largest Cuban music website, www.timba.com, and the author of the popular "Tomás Cruz Conga Method", a 3-volume series published by Mel Bay Publications, available on amazon.com, and used as textbook at various colleges and educational institutions. Kevin also produced, co-wrote, and played on the salsa CD "Salsa Gitana", available at latinpulsemusic.com. The CD reached the semi-final level in the 1998 Grammy Award process. The author has also written several "online books" on various aspects of Cuban music, available for free as a public service on timba.com.