What Is Latin Jazz?

Chris Washburne discusses the history and definition of Latin Jazz, and offers a few theories as to the music's origins.

Chris Washburne - Trombone
Eric Suquet - Director
Bill Thomas - Director of Photography
Richard Emery - Production Assistant
Seton Hawkins - Producer

Recorded April 19, 2013

[juanoquendo]

A very nice and concise explanation. I think it's important to clarify two things though. 1. Way before Dizzy took off with Cubop, latin orchestras were playing Jazz standards in the Latin style. Latin-Jazz or Afro-Cuban Jazz as it was called in the 40's stems originally from Bauza and his involvement with the Machito Orchestra. Dillespie used to go to the clubs and hear this and decided that he had to play it. Bauza introduces Pozo to Dizzy and the rest is history. 2. The NO-Latin connection is very correct in it's concept except that latin music in that epoch had no real definition and it was mostly European based. Latin music specifically from Cuba did have it's exposure to the emerging jazz scene, but the Joplins of the era brought little of it forward that we would recognize mainly because the popular latin music that we know of wouldn't emerge until the 1920' and 30's.

[maurengo]

Surely bossa nova would deserve a mention in the history of Latin jazz. Any comments?

[mustafa.ib.rah]

Didn't Mario Bauza call it "Afro-Cuban Jazz"??

[wyctjmf]

What are good examples of early NO jazz tunes with strong and clearly hearable latin influences?

[uhoh]

Great talk. "Jazz": a problematic term which has evolved to emphasize the post-war era and small group non-dance music that came out of jam sessions and cutting contests. The great popular Jazz of the 30's is so redolent of racial stereotype, bordering on Blackface, it's been at least partially "cancelled", defacto. Louis Armstrong, who was not a fan of BeBop, is one of the very few successfully rehabilitated into the "modern" Jazz frame. Fats Waller, perhaps the most famous African-American performer of all time, in his lifetime, has not made the cut. For Jazz keyboards, Peterson, Bill Evans, Chick Corea, and Monk, who ironically was greatly influenced by Waller. Pre-war "Jazz" is essentially a museum. Cuban Son, on the other hand is the powerhouse underneath an incredible living tradition of Latin dance music....where the trombone is revered as no place else :)

[mathias]

I often hear about how Carribbean islands influenced each other, but ho was it possible ? There was not studio early on as I understand, so did people travel a lot, even between islands with different languages and country ?

[almateresaturrubiate]

Whatever happend to Latin Tejano Jazz player Levine Elias of San Antonio, TX

[yusefnegao]

Why do they keep saying Latin American and Caribbean when the Latin American countries they are referring to are in the Caribbean? My tv is located in my living room and in my house, you see how it makes no sense

[gabehcuodsuoitneterp]

Caravan by Ellington and Tizol, 1936, predates Cu-Bop by almost a decade.

[mysticakhenaton]

you can call it what you want. BUT, that Rhythm, and those Percussions...IS ALL AFRIKAN.