Afro-Cuban Jazz

Afro-Cuban Jazz has evolved through tremendous cultural exchange between outstanding musicians from the United States and the Caribbean. The sound of Afro-Cuban Jazz is unmistakable: syncopated, infectious, danceable rhythms blaze behind fiery horn sections and solo bravado. When the West African-derived rhythm Son came to New York in the 1940s by way of Cuban immigrants, Salsa and Mambo were spawned. Cuban trumpeter-arranger Mario Bauza began incorporating jazz into his brother-in-law Machito's Mambo band starting in 1941. Bebop trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie soon took notice, and hired Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo. In 1949, percussion virtuoso Tito Puente emerged on the scene, and gave rise to the Mambo craze of the 1950s. Meanwhile, musicians who stayed in Cuba became influenced by American styles; in the 1970s, the politically charged combo Irakere fused Afro-Cuban rhythm and Post Bop improvisation with the explosive energy of Funk and rock. Afro-Cuban Jazz remains popular today, with Poncho Sanchez, Arturo Sandoval, and Eddie Palmieri leading the way.