African Jazz, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Brazilian Jazz, Cuban Jazz, Latin Jazz, World Fusion

Afro-Cuban Jazz is a combination of jazz improvising and rhythms from Cuba and Africa; it is also known as Latin jazz. There were some hints of Afro-Cuban jazz in isolated cases during the 1920s and '30s -- Jelly Roll Morton's "Spanish tinge" in some of his more rhythmic piano solos, a few Gene Krupa performances where he sought to include South American rhythms, and even in the Latin pop music of Xavier Cugat. However, the true birth of Afro-Cuban jazz can be traced to trumpeter-arranger Mario Bauza. Bauza introduced trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie to the masterful Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo (they teamed up in 1947-48 to create innovative music before Pozo's death) and also persuaded Latin bandleader Machito to use jazz soloists. During the late '40s, Stan Kenton began to integrate Latin rhythms in his music, and with the rising popularity of Tito Puente and Cal Tjader during the 1950s, Afro-Cuban jazz caught on as one of the most popular jazz styles. In more recent times some groups have developed Afro-Cuban jazz beyond its boppish roots, performing Thelonius Monk and John Coltrane tunes, adding funk to the mixture, and having more adventurous solos. The spirit of the music -- a true fusion between North, South, and Central America -- and an emphasis on infectious rhythms are the keys.

Kliknite za proširenje...

Beginning with "Peanut Vendor," the 1930 hit by Don Azpiazu & His Havana Casino Orchestra, Cuban music proved a sympathetic collaborator with American jazz. (Of course, Jelly Roll Morton had made explicit the "Spanish tinge" in jazz years earlier.) The first nearly equal fusion of jazz and Cuban players occurred in the mid-'40s , when Mario Bauza introduced bop wunderkind Dizzy Gillespie to Cuban master percussionist Chano Pozo. Cubans and Americans began collaborating intensely -- Charlie Parker and Buddy Rich recorded with Machito, while Chico O'Farrill arranged for Stan Kenton as well as Benny Goodman. Some of the most interesting Cuban jazz records were made during the 1950s and '60s, including those by Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria, and Tito Puente. By the '70s, Cuba finally had its own great jazz band, Irakere, with excellent musicians including Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, and Chucho Valdes. During the late '90s, the Buena Vista Social Club spurred a renewed interest in Cuban music.

Kliknite za proširenje...

Of all the post-swing styles, Latin Jazz has been the most consistently popular and it is easy to see why. The emphasis on percussion and Cuban rhythms make the style quite danceable and accessible. Essentially, it is a mixture of bop-oriented jazz with Latin percussion. Among the pioneers in mixing together the two styles in the 1940s were the big bands of Dizzy Gillespie and Machito, and the music (which has never gone out of style) has remained a viable force through the 1990s, played most notably by the bands of Tito Puente and Poncho Sanchez. The style has not changed much during the past 40 years but it still communicates to today's listeners. Latin jazz is also sometimes called Afro-Cuban jazz, a term preferred by Mario Bauza and Ray Barretto.

Kliknite za proširenje...

World Fusion refers to a fusion of international music, but the term also refers to world music with jazz, specifically with one of three subgenres (ethnic, non-Western, and new music). The ethnic music subgenre has incorporated jazz improvisations (for example, Latin jazz); frequently, only the solos are improvised jazz. The accompaniments and compositions are essentially the same as the ethnic music. The second subgenre features jazz that has incorporated limited aspects of a particular non-Western music. Examples include performances of Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia"; music on some of the 1970s' quartet recordings by Keith Jarrett's quartet and quintet on Impulse, in which Middle Eastern instruments and harmonic methods are modified and used; some of Sun Ra's music from the 1950s into the 1990s, in which African rhythms are incorporated; and some of Yusef Lateef's recordings that feature traditional Islamic instruments and methods. The last subgenre of world fusion with jazz influences consists of new musical styles that result from distinctly original ways of combining jazz improvisation with innovative ideas -- and the instruments, harmonies, compositional practices, and rhythms of an existing ethnic tradition. The product is original, but its flavor still reflects some aspects of a non-jazz, ethnic tradition. Examples include Don Cherry's bands Codona and Nu; some of John McLaughlin's music from the 1970s and the 1990s that drew heavily on the traditions of India; some of Don Ellis' music of the 1970s that drew on the music of India and Bulgaria; and work by Andy Narrell in the 1990s that melds the music and instruments of Trinidad with jazz improvisations and funk styles. World fusion jazz did not first occur with modern jazz, and its trends are not exclusive to American jazz. For instance, Polynesian music was fusing with Western pop styles at the beginning of the 20th century, and its feeling attracted some of the earliest jazz musicians. Caribbean dance rhythms have been a significant part of American pop culture throughout the 20th century, and since jazz musicians frequently improvised when performing in pop music contexts, blends have been occurring almost continuously. Django Reinhardt was melding the traditions of Gypsy music with French impressionist concert music and jazz improvisation during the 1930s in France. Also see Latin jazz and jazz-rock fusion.

Kliknite za proširenje...