Afro-Cuban jazz

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Afro-Cuban jazz
Stylistic origins Son Cubano - son montuno - jazz
Cultural origins Cuban immigrants in New York City
Typical instruments Piano - Congas - Trumpet - Trombone - Bass guitar - Clav
es - Timbales - Bongos - Saxophone - Clarinet
Afro-Cuban jazz is the earliest form of Latin jazz. It mixes Afro-Cuban clave-ba
sed rhythms with jazz harmonies and techniques of improvisation. Afro-Cuban jazz
first emerged in the early 1940s with the Cuban musicians Mario Bauza and Frank
Grillo "Machito" in the band Machito and his Afro-Cubans, based in New York Cit
y. In 1947 the collaborations of bebop innovator Dizzy Gillespie with Cuban perc
ussionist Chano Pozo brought Afro-Cuban rhythms and instruments, most notably th
e tumbadora and the bongo, into the East Coast jazz scene. Early combinations of
jazz with Cuban music, such as Dizzy's and Pozo's "Manteca" and Charlie Parker'
s and Machito's "Mang Mang", were commonly referred to as "Cubop", short for Cuban
bebop.[1] During its first decades, the Afro-Cuban jazz movement was stronger in
the United States than in Cuba itself.[2] In the early 1970s, the Orquesta Cuba
na de Msica Moderna and later Irakere brought Afro-Cuban jazz into the Cuban musi
c scene, influencing new styles such as songo.
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 "Spanish tinge" the Cuban influence in early jazz
1.2 Mario Bauz and Machito
1.3 Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo
1.4 Other notables
1.5 1980s New York City
1.6 The Cuban branch
2 Clave license
3 Important albums
4 References
History[edit]
"Spanish tinge" the Cuban influence in early jazz[edit]
Although true clave-based Afro-Cuban jazz did not appear until the mid-twentieth
century, the Cuban influence was present at the birth of jazz. African American
music began incorporating Afro-Cuban musical motifs in the nineteenth century,
when the habanera gained international popularity. The habanera was the first wr
itten music to be rhythmically based on an African motif. The habanera rhythm (a
lso known as congo,[3] tango-congo,[4] or tango.[5]) can be thought of as a comb
ination of tresillo and the backbeat.
Habanera rhythm written as a combination of tresillo (bottom notes) with the bac
kbeat (top note). About this sound Play (helpinfo)
Musicians from Havana and New Orleans would take the twice-daily ferry between b
oth cities to perform, and the habanera quickly took root in the musically ferti
le Crescent City. John Storm Roberts states that the musical genre habanera, "re
ached the U.S. 20 years before the first rag was published" (1999: 12).[6] Scott
Joplin's "Solace" (1909) is considered a habanera.
Excerpt from "Solace" by Scott Joplin (1909). Variations on the habanera rhythm.
For the more than quarter-century in which the cakewalk, ragtime, and proto-jazz
were forming and developing, the habanera was a consistent part of African Amer
ican popular music.[7] Early New Orleans jazz bands had habaneras in their reper
toire and the tresillo/habanera figure was a rhythmic staple of jazz at the turn
of the 20th century. Comparing the music of New Orleans with the music of Cuba,
Wynton Marsalis observes that tresillo is the New Orleans "clave".[8] Although
technically, the pattern is only half a clave, Marsalis makes the important poin
t that the single-celled figure is the guide-pattern of New Orleans music.
WC Handy age 19, 1892
"St. Louis Blues" (1914) by W.C. Handy has a habanera/tresillo bass line. Handy
noted a reaction to the habanera rhythm included in Will H. Tyler's "Maori": "I
observed that there was a sudden, proud and graceful reaction to the rhythm...Wh
ite dancers, as I had observed them, took the number in stride. I began to suspe
ct that there was something Negroid in that beat." After noting a similar reacti
on to the same rhythm in "La Paloma", Handy included this rhythm in his "St. Lou
is Blues," the instrumental copy of "Memphis Blues," the chorus of "Beale Street
Blues," and other compositions."[9]
Excerpt from "St. Louis Blues" by W.C. Handy (1914). The left hand plays the hab
anera rhythm.
Jelly Roll Morton considered the tresillo/habanera (which he called the Spanish
tinge) to be an essential ingredient of jazz.[10] The habanera rhythm and tresil
lo can be heard in his left hand on songs like "The Crave" (1910, recorded 1938)
.
Now in one of my earliest tunes, New Orleans Blues, you can notice the Spanish tin
ge. In fact, if you can t manage to put tinges of Spanish in your tunes, you will
never be able to get the right seasoning, I call it, for jazz Morton (1938: Librar
y of Congress Recording).[11]
Jelly Roll Morton
Excerpt from Jelly Roll Morton's "New Orleans Blues" (c. 1902). The left hand pl
ays the tresillo rhythm. The right hand plays variations on cinquillo. About thi
s sound Play (helpinfo)
Although the exact origins of jazz syncopation may never be known, there s evidenc
e that the habanera/tresillo was there at its conception. Buddy Bolden, the firs
t known jazz musician, is credited with creating the big four, a habanera-based
pattern. The big four (below) was the first syncopated bass drum pattern to devi
ate from the standard on-the-beat march.[12] As the example below shows, the sec
ond half of the big four pattern is the habanera rhythm.
Buddy Bolden's "big four" pattern.[13] About this sound Play (helpinfo)
It is probably safe to say that by and large the simpler African rhythmic patter
ns survived in jazz . . . because they could be adapted more readily to European
rhythmic conceptions. Some survived, others were discarded as the Europeanizati
on progressed. It may also account for the fact that patterns such as [tresillo
have] . . . remained one of the most useful and common syncopated patterns in ja
zz Schuller (1968; 19).[14]
The Cuban influence is evident in many pre-1940s jazz tunes, but rhythmically, t
hey are all based on single-celled motifs such as tresillo, and do not contain a
n overt two-celled, clave-based structure. Caravan, written by Juan Tizol and fi
rst performed in 1936, is an example of an early pre-Latin jazz composition. It
is not clave-based. On the other hand, jazzy renditions of Don Azpiaz's "The Pean
ut Vendor" ("El manicero") by Louis Armstrong (1930), Duke Ellington (1931), and
Stan Kenton (1948), are all firmly in-clave since the 2-3 guajeo provides the p
rimary counterpoint to the melody throughout the entire song.
Mario Bauz and Machito[edit]
The general consensus among musicians and musicologists is that the first origin
al jazz piece to be overtly based in-clave was "Tanga" (1943) composed by Cuban-
born Mario Bauza and recorded by Machito and his Afro-Cubans. "Tanga" began humb
ly, as a spontaneous descarga (Cuban jam session) with jazz solos superimposed o
n top.
Machito and his sister Graciella Grillo
The first descarga that made the world take notice is traced to a Machito rehear
sal on May 29, 1943, at the Park Palace Ballroom, at 110th Street and 5th Avenue
. At this time, Machito was at Fort Dix (New Jersey) in his fourth week of basic
training. The day before at La Conga Club, Mario Bauz, Machito's trumpeter and m
usic director, heard pianist Luis Varona and bassist Julio Andino play El Botell
ero composition and arrangements of the Cuban-born Gilberto Valdez which would s
erve as a permanent sign off (end the dance) tune.
On this Monday evening, Dr. Bauz leaned over the piano and instructed Varona to p
lay the same piano vamp he did the night before. Varona's left hand began the in
troduction of Gilberto Valds' El Botellero. Bauz then instructed Julio Andino what
to play; then the saxes; then the trumpets. The broken chord sounds soon began
to take shape into an Afro-Cuban jazzed up melody. Gene Johnson's alto sax then
emitted oriental-like jazz phrases. Afro-Cuban jazz was invented when Bauz compos
ed "Tanga" (African word for marijuana) that evening.
Thereafter, whenever "Tanga" was played, it sounded different, depending on a so
loist's individuality. In August, 1948, when trumpeter Howard McGhee soloed with
Machito's orchestra at the Apollo Theatre, his ad-libs to "Tanga" resulted in "
Cu-Bop City," a tune which was recorded by Roost Records months later. The jams
which took place at the Royal Roots, Bop City and Birdland between 1948 - 49, wh
en Howard McGhee, tenor saxophonist Brew Moore, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillesp
ie sat in with the Machito orchestra, were unrehearsed, uninhibited, unheard of
before jam sessions which at the time, master of ceremonies Symphony Sid called
Afro-Cuban jazz.
The Machito orchestra's ten- or fifteen-minute jams were the first in Latin musi
c to break away from the traditional under-four-minute recordings. In February,
1949, the Machito orchestra became the first to set a precedent in Latin music w
hen it featured tenor saxophonist Flip Phillips in a five-minute recording of "T
anga." The twelve-inch 78 RPM, part of The Jazz Scene album, sold for $25 Salazar
(1997).[15]
The right hand of the "Tanga" piano guajeo is in the style known as ponchando, a
type of non-arpeggiated guajeo using block chords. The sequence of attack-point
s is emphasized, rather than a sequence of different pitches. As a form of accom
paniment it can be played in a strictly repetitive fashion or as a varied motif
akin to jazz comping.[16] The following example is in the style of a 1949 record
ing by Machito, with Ren Hernndez on piano.[17]
"Tanga" in the style of Machito and His Afro-Cubans (recorded 1949). 2-3 clave,
piano: Ren Hernndez.
10 Innovations by the Machito's Afro-Cubans
1 - The first band to make the triumverate of congas, bongo, and timbales the st
andard battery of percussion in Afro-Cuban based dance music. Because of this, a
ll three instruments heightened their respective roles in Afro-Cuban based dance
music. The use of broken bell patterns by the bongocero in mambo horn sections,
the increased rhythmic vocabulary of the conga drum and its function in a band
setting, the increase importance of the timbales role in setting up figures play
ed by the horns and accenting them as a jazz drummer would do in a big band. e.g
. "Nage," also the first recorded example of all three percussion instruments pla
ying as a section.
2 - The first band to explore jazz arranging techniques with authentic Afro-Cuba
n rhythms on a consistent basis giving it a unique identifiable sound that no ot
her band in the genre of Afro-Cuban based dance music had at the time. Cuban big
band arranger Chico O'Farill stated: "This was a new concept in interpretating
Cuban music with as much (harmonic) richness as possible. You have to understand
how important this was. It made every other band that came after, followers."[1
8]
3 - The first band to explore modal harmony (a concept explored much later by Mi
les Davis and Gil Evans) from a jazz arranging perspective through their recordi
ng of "Tanga." Of note is the sheet of sound effect in the arrangement through t
he use of multiple layering.
4 - The first big band to explore, from an Afro-Cuban rhythmic perspective, larg
e-scale extended compositional works. e.g. "The Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite" by Chico
O'Farill.
5 - The first band to successfully wed jazz big band arranging techniques within
an original composition with jazz oriented soloists utilizing an authentic Afro
-Cuban based rhythm section in a successful manner. e.g. Gene Johnson - alto, Br
ew Moore - tenor, composition - "Tanga" (1943).
6 - The first TRULY multi-racial band in the United States.
7 - The first band in the United States to publicly utilize the term Afro-Cuban
as the bands moniker (Machito & The Afro-Cubans), thus identifying itself and ac
knowledging the West African roots of the musical form they were playing. This w
as/is in and of itself a long overlooked contribution by the orchestra in effect
to the then burgeoning civil rights movement. It forced both NYC's Latino and A
frican American communities to deal with their common West African musical roots
in a direct way, whether they wanted to publicly acknowledge it or not.
8 - The first Afro-Cuban based dance band to OVERTLY explore the concept of clav
e conterpoint from an arranging standpoint. The ability to weave seamlessly from
one side of the clave to the other without breaking its rhythmic integrity with
in the structure of a musical arrangement.
9 - The band because of its forward thinking, musical director, Mario Bauz, and i
ts lead vocalist, Machito, promoted and set a standard of professionalism and mu
sical excellence that had to be met by other subsequent band leaders. Jos Curbelo
, Tito Puente, Marcelino Guerra, Tito Rodriguez, Elmo Garcia and any other group
that followed. Although it could be clearly argued that Xavier Cugat had establ
ished an extremely high level of professionalism much earlier with his orchestra
at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (1931), the sound emulated by the majority of band
leaders in NYC was not that of Cugat, but that of the Machito Afro-Cubans. Cugat
performed for NYC's high society elite and not for NYC's Latino community, whic
h was concentrated in East Harlem (El Barrio) and subsequently the South Bronx.
Cugat's sound was one they may have experienced through recordings on radio, but
this community had little direct live access to it both because of their social
and economic strata.
10 - The Machito Afro-Cubans provided a proving ground for the exchange of progr
essive musical ideas, experiences, and performance of musical compositions and a
rrangements for Afro-Cuban based dance music and its fusion with jazz arranging
techniques along with jazz oriented soloists in a multi-racial framework that ha
d not existed until the orchestra was formed. Because of this, they completely r
evolutionized the way Afro-Cuban dance music and in a sense, the way jazz was pl
ayed. Dizzy Gillespie and "Manteca" would never have even existed if it were not
for the existence of Mario Bauz and his influence on Dizzy Gillespie. Tito Puent
e's musical genius would not have developed in the way it did if this orchestra
had not existed Sanabria (2008).[19]
3-2 clave and 2-3 clave written in cut-time.
Mario Bauz developed the 3-2 / 2-3 clave concept and terminology. A chord progres
sion can begin on either side of clave. When the progression begins on the three
-side, the song or song section is said to be in 3-2 clave. When the chord progr
ession begins on the two-side, it is in 2-3 clave.[20] In North America, salsa a
nd Latin jazz charts commonly represent clave in two measures of cut-time (2/2);
this is most likely the influence of jazz conventions.[21] When clave is writte
n in two measures (above) changing from one clave sequence to the other is a mat
ter of reversing the order of the measures. Bauz consciously maintained a balance
of Latino and jazz musicians in Machito's band, in order to realize his vision
of Afro-Cuban jazz. Bauz had the unique experience of mastering both types of mus
ic, but it took time for him to teach the jazz musicians in Machito's band about
clave. The first time jazz trumpeter Doc Cheatham joined the band, Machito had
to fire him after just two nights because he couldn't cope with clave.[22]
When Mario first utilized Edgar Sampson to write the very first drafts of arrang
ements for the Machito and his Afro-Cubans, he would draw three sticks for Samps
on underneath the bar with the three-side and two sticks underneath the bar with
the two-side. This way he would always know rhythmically where he was in the ch
art and supervise Sampson who was unaware of the clave concept in Cuban music. M
ario utilized Sampson s harmonic mastery and Mario utilized his rhythmic mastery.
Sampson asked Mario "Why does it have to be this way?" Mario told me that he loo
ked at Sampson and said "This is what makes Cuban music Cuban!" Sanabria (2010: 24
8).[23]
Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo[edit]
Dizzy Gillespie (1955)
Mario Bauz introduced bebop innovator Dizzy Gillespie to the Cuban conga drummer,
dancer, composer, and choreographer Chano Pozo. The brief collaboration of Gill
espie and Pozo produced some of the most enduring Afro-Cuban jazz standards. "Ma
nteca" (1947), co-written by Gillespie and Pozo, is the first jazz standard to b
e rhythmically based on clave. According to Gillespie, Pozo composed the layered
, contrapuntal guajeos (Afro-Cuban ostinatos) of the A section and the introduct
ion, while Gillespie wrote the bridge. Gillespie recounted: "If I'd let it go li
ke [Chano] wanted it, it would have been strickly Afro-Cuban all the way. There
wouldn't have been a bridge. I thought I was writing an eight-bar bridge, but af
ter eight bars I hadn't resolved back to B-flat, so I had to keep going and ende
d up writing a sixteen-bar bridge."[24] It was the bridge that gave "Manteca" a
typical jazz harmonic structure, setting the piece apart from Bauz's modal "Tanga
" of a few years earlier. Arrangements with a "Latin" A section and a swung B se
ction, with all choruses swung during solos, became common practice with many "L
atin tunes" of the jazz standard repertoire. This approach can be heard on pre-1
980 recordings of "Manteca", "A Night in Tunisia", "Tin Tin Deo," and "On Green
Dolphin Street."
Gillespie's collaboration with Pozo brought African-based rhythms into bebop, a
post-modernist artform. While pushing the boundaries of harmonic improvisation,
cu-bop as it was called, also drew more directly from Africa, rhythmically.
Early performances of "Manteca" reveal that despite their enthusiasm for collabo
rating, Gillespie and Pozo were not very familiar with each other's music. The m
embers of Gillespie's band were unaccustomed to guajeos, overly swinging and acc
enting them in an atypical fashion. Thomas Owens observes: "Once the theme ends
and the improvisation begins, . . . Gillespie and the full band continue the beb
op mood, using swing eighths in spite of Pozo's continuing even eighths, until t
he final A section of the theme returns. Complete assimilation of Afro-Cuban rhy
thms and improvisations on a harmonic ostinato was still a few years away for th
e beboppers in 1947."[25] On a live 1948 recording of "Manteca," someone is hear
d playing the 3-2 son clave pattern on claves throughout a good portion of this
2-3 song.[26]
The rhythm of the melody of the A section is identical to a common mambo bell pa
ttern.
Top: opening measures of "Manteca" melody. Bottom: common mambo bell pattern (2-
3 clave).
Other notables[edit]
In early 1947 Stan Kenton recorded "Machito," written by his collaborator / arra
nger Pete Rugolo.[27] Some consider the piece to be the first Afro-Cuban jazz re
cording by American jazz musicians. John Storm Roberts observes that the piece "
has no Latino instrumentalists on it, a lack of that is obvious; the crisp, fast
montuno with which the piece opens is weighed down by not-so-adept drumming fro
m Shelly Mann."[27] Later, on December 6 of the same year, Kenton recorded an ar
rangement of the son "The Peanut Vendor" with members of Machito's rhythm sectio
n. Kenton continued to work with Afro-Cuban rhythms and musicians for another de
cade; the 1956 Kenton album Cuban Fire! was written as an Afro-Cuban suite by Jo
hnny Richards.
Mongo Santamara (1969)
Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamara first recorded his composition "Afro Blue" in
1959.[28] "Afro Blue" was the first jazz standard built upon a typical African
three-against-two (3:2) cross-rhythm, or hemiola.[29] The song begins with the b
ass repeatedly playing 6 cross-beats per each measure of 12/8, or 6 cross-beats
per 4 main beats 6:4 (two cells of 3:2). The following example shows the original
ostinato "Afro Blue" bass line. The slashed noteheads indicate the main beats (n
ot bass notes), where you would normally tap your foot to "keep time."
"Afro Blue" bass line, with main beats indicated by slashed noteheads.
In the mid-1940s the mambo craze originated with the recordings of Perez Prado,
who included jazz elements, and ideas from Stravinsky in his arrangements.[30] T
he giants of this era in New York were Tito Puente, Tito Rodrguez, and Machito an
d his Afro-Cubans. Also important was the great double-bass player Cachao (Israe
l Lpez), who organized a number of descargas (jam sessions) in Havana (1950s) and
New York (1970s). One of the most respected Afro-Cuban jazz combos was led by v
ibraphonist Cal Tjader. Tjader had Mongo Santamara, Armando Peraza, and Willie Bo
bo on his early recording dates. In 1975 Tjader hired a young Poncho Sanchez to
fill the conga chair. Sanchez went on to become one of the most successful Latin
jazz artists.
Guajeos (Afro-Cuban ostinato melodies), or guajeo fragments are commonly used mo
tifs in Latin jazz melodies. For example, the A section of "Sabor" is a 2-3 onbe
at/offbeat guajeo, minus some notes. The following excerpt is from a performance
by Cal Tjader.
A section of "Sabor" by Joo Donato, as arranged by Mark Levine, and performed by
Cal Tjader.
1980s New York City[edit]
Jerry Gonzalez (2011)
Afro-Cuban jazz has been for most of its history, a matter of superimposing jazz
phrasing over Cuban rhythms. However, by the early 1980s a generation of New Yo
rk City musicians had come of age playing both salsa dance music and jazz. The t
ime had come for a new level of integration of jazz and Cuban rhythms. This era
of creativity and vitality is best represented by the Gonzalez brothers Jerry an
d Andy, who in 1967, at the ages of 15 and 13, formed a Latin jazz quintet inspi
red by Cal Tjader's group.[31] Jerry plays congas and trumpet and Andy plays bas
s. During 1974 1976 they were members of one of Eddie Palmieri's most experimental
salsa groups. Andy Gonzalez recounts: "We were into improvising. . . doing that
thing Miles Davis was doing playing themes and just improvising on the themes of
songs, and we never stopped playing through the whole set."[32] While in Palmier
i's band the Gonzalez brothers started showing up in the Down Beat Reader's Poll
. In 1974, the Gonzalez brothers and Manny Oquendo founded the progressive salsa
band Libre. While in the band, the brothers began experimenting with jazz, usin
g a variety of authentic Afro-Cuban rhythms. Libre recorded Charlie Parker's "Do
nna Lee" as a danzn, Miles Davis's "Tune Up" as a conga de comparsa, and Freddie
Hubbard's "Little Sunflower" as a mambo. In 1979, Jerry Gonzalez released his fi
rst album as a leader: Ya yo me cur. His Afro 6/8 rendition of Wayne Shorter's "N
efertiti," accompanied by three shekeres and a hoe blade as the only percussion,
was a jazz milesone. Soon he formed his best-known band: Jerry Gonzalez and the
Fort Apache Band which included his brother Andy and other members as Kenny Kir
kland, Sonny Fortune, Nicky Marrero, Milton Cardona, Papo Vazquez and the late J
orge Dalto. The ensembles first two albums were recorded live at European jazz f
estivals, The River is Deep (1982) in Berlin and Obatal (1988) in Zurich. These w
ere followed by their hit album, Rumba Para Monk (1988), earning them recognitio
n from the French Academie du Jazz with the Jazz Record of the Year award. This
was the record that caught the ears of the jazz community, and is still consider
ed a stellar project. After that, the 15 member-band was compressed into a sexte
t: Larry Willis (piano), Andy Gonzalez (bass), Steve Berrios (Drums) and Carter
Jefferson (sax) and Joe Ford (sax). The Fort Apache Band had established by this
time, a new standard for the integration of jazz and Afro-Cuban music.
Rebeca Maulen in action
In the 1980s Tito Puente began recording and performing Latin jazz on a permanen
t basis. The Gonzalez brothers worked with Puente, as well as Dizzy Gillespie. E
ven McCoy Tyner hired the brothers when he tried his hand at this deeper level o
f Afro-Cuban jazz. The new wave of Latin jazz artists from the Big Apple include
Bobby Sanabria, Steve Turre, Conrad Herwig, Hilton Ruiz, Chris Washburn, Ralph
Irizarry, David Snchez, and Dave Valentine.
Global resurgence in Afro-Cuban jazz
The new wave of Afro-Cuban jazz became global. In the San Francisco Bay Area Joh
n Santos Machete Ensemble featured a stellar line up of artists who have gone on
to record in the genre under their own names: Rebeca Maulen, Wayne Wallace, and J
ohn Calloway. Other notable Bay Area musicians include Michael Spiro, Latin jazz
veteran Mark Levine, and the Cuban-born Omar Sosa and Orestes Vilato.
Jan L. Hartong s Nueva Manteca is based in The Hague, Netherlands and Yilian Caizar
es in Lausanne, Switzerland.[33]
The Cuban branch[edit]
"Jazz bands" began forming in Cuba as early as the 1920s. These bands often incl
uded both Cuban popular music and popular North American jazz, and show tunes in
their repertoires. Despite this musical versatility, the movement of blending A
fro-Cuban rhythms with jazz was not strong in Cuba itself for decades. As Leonar
do Acosta observes: "Afro-Cuban jazz developed simultaneously in New York and Ha
vana, with the difference that in Cuba it was a silent and almost natural proces
s, practically imperceptible" (2003: 59).[34] Cuba's significant contribution to
the genre came relatively late. However, when it did come, the Cubans exhibited
a level of Cuban-jazz integration that went far beyond most of what had come be
fore. The first Cuban band of this new wave was Irakere.
With Irakere, a new era in Cuban jazz begins in 1973, one that will extend all t
he way to the present. At the same time, this period represents the culmination
of a series of individual and collective efforts from our so-called transition p
eriod, which will end with the Orquesta Cubana de Msica Moderna. Irakere was in p
art a product of the Moderna, as its founding members completed their musical tr
aining in that orchestra and also played jazz in the different quartets and quin
tets that were created with the OCMM. Among the founders of Irakere were pianist
Chucho Valdz, its director since the beginning, [and] saxophonist Paquito D'Rive
ra, who acted as assistant director Acosta (2003: 211).[35]
"Chkere-son" (1976) introduced a style of "Cubanized" bebop-flavored horn lines,
that departed from the more "angular" guajeo-based lines typical of Cuban popula
r music.
"Chkere-son" is an extremely interesting one. It's based on a legendary 1945 Char
lie Parker bebop composition called "Billie's Bounce." Almost every phrase of th
e Parker song can be found in "Chkere-son" but it's all jumbled together in a ver
y clever and compelling way. David Pealosa sees the track as a pivotal one - perh
aps the first really satisfying fusion of clave and bebop horn lines Moore (2011:
web).[36]
The horn line style introduced in "Chkere-son" is heard today in Afro-Cuban jazz,
and the contemporary popular dance genre known as timba. Another important Irak
ere contribution is their use of bat and other Afro-Cuban folkloric drums. "Bacal
ao con pan" is the first song recorded by Irakere to use bat. The tune combines t
he folkloric drums, jazzy dance music, and distorted electric guitar with wah-wa
h pedal.
According to Ral A. Fernndez, the Orquesta Cubana de Msica Moderna members would no
t have been allowed by the orquesta to record the unconventional song. The music
ians travelled to Santiago to record it. "somehow the tune made it from Santiago
to radio stations in Havana where it became a hit; Irakere was formally organiz
ed a little bit later" (2011: web).[37]
Ironically, several of the founding members did not always appreciate Irakere's
fusion of jazz and Afro-Cuban elements. They saw the Cuban folk elements as a ty
pe of nationalistic "fig leaf," cover for their true love jazz. They were obsessed
with jazz. Cuba's Ministry of Culture is said to have viewed jazz as the music
of "imperialist America." Pablo Menndez, founder of Mezcla, recalls: "Irakere wer
e jazz musicians who played stuff like 'Bacalao con pan' with a bit of a tongue
in cheek attitude 'for the masses.' I remember Paquito d'Rivera thought it was pre
tty funny stuff (as opposed to 'serious' stuff)" (2011: web).[38] In spite of th
e ambivalence by some members towards Irakere's Afro-Cuban folkloric/jazz fusion
, their experiments forever changed Cuban popular music, Latin jazz, and salsa.
Another important Cuban jazz musician is pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, whose innova
tive jazz guajeos revolutionized Cuban-style piano in the 1980s. Like the musici
ans of his generation who founded the timba era, Rubalcaba is a product of the C
uban music education system. Initially he studied both piano and drums. Rubalcab
a began his classical musical training at Manuel Saumell Conservatory at age 9,
where he had to choose piano; he moved up to middle-school at Amadeo Roldan Conser
vatory, and finally earned his degree in music composition from Havana s Institute
of Fine Arts in 1983. By that time he was already playing in clubs and music ha
lls in Havana.
Egrem Studios of Havana was the first to record his music during the early and m
id 80 s, and these discs are still being released (recently Inicio, an album of pia
no solos, and Concierto Negro.) With Orquesta Aragon he toured France and Africa
in 1980. He introduced his own Grupo Projecto to the North Sea and Berlin Festi
vals in 1985. Beginning in 1986 Gonzalo began recording for Messidor of Frandfur
t, Germany, and put out three albums for that label with his Cuban Quartet, Mi G
ran Pasion, Live in Havana, and Giraldilla.
Today, Afro-Cuban jazz from Cuba is consistently the most rhythmically complex f
orm of Latin jazz. Many outstanding Cuban jazz bands, such as the saxophonist To
ny Martinez's group, perform at a level few non-Cubans can match rhythmically. T
he clave matrix offers infinite possibilities for rhythmic textures in jazz. The
Cuban-born drummer Dafnis Prieto in particular, has been a trailblazer in expan
ding the parameters of clave experimentation. See: "Drum Solo with Displaced Cla
ve" (Dafnis Prieto).
Clave license[edit]
More than a half century ago, Mario Bauz developed arranging in-clave to a high a
rt. Another name for clave is guide-pattern, and that is certainly how Bauz relat
ed to it. Bauz taught Tito Puente, and Puente's arrangers in turn, learned from h
im.[39] The techniques were passed down from one generation to the next. It's wo
rth noting that many of the highly educated, new generation of Cuban musicians r
eject the idea of 3-2/2-3 clave. Both the clave genius Dafnis Prieto, and Alain
Prez, an important innovator in timba and Cuban jazz, reject the concept.[40] Man
y of the younger musicians even reject the fundamental concept of "clave rules."
Prez states: "I just don't treat the clave as a study or a profound analysis con
ceived around where it overlaps and where it comes in. I didn't learn it in that
way" (2002: web).[41] New York-based Bobby Sanabria laments the pervasiveness o
f this attitude in Cuba: "The lack of clave consciousness in Cuba is starting to
be felt more and more where the rhythmic equilibrium established by the clave d
irection is being sacrificed due to lack of knowledge in how to work with it fro
m an arranging standpoint by young arrangers especially in the timba movement" (
2010: 251).[42] Perhaps Juan Formell, founder of Los Van Van, summed up this con
temporary Cuban clave attitude best when he said: "We Cubans like to think we ha
ve clave license . . . and we don't feel obsessed about the clave as many others
do" (1999: 16).[43] There is currently a "clave schism" between these two schoo
ls of thought.
Important albums[edit]
Machito's Kenya: Afro-Cuban Jazz was released in 1958, when Afro-Cuban jazz was
no longer fresh and original, and was slipping into clich and formula, but as the
re are not many classic Afro-Cuban jazz albums, this is regarded by Tony Wilds o
f Allmusic as "essential".[44]
Other important albums:
Afro Dizzy Gillespie
Afro-Cuban Kenny Dorham
Cuban Fire! Stan Kenton
Motherland Danilo Perez
On Fire Michel Camilo
La Verdad Eddie Palmieri
Mi gran pasion Gonzalo Rubalcaba
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Fernandez, Raul A. (2006). From Afro-Cuban rhythms to Latin jazz. Univ
ersity of California Press. p. 62. ISBN 9780520939448. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
Jump up ^ Acosta, Leonardo (2003: 59). Cubano be, cubano bop: one hundred years
of jazz in Cuba. Washington, D.C: Smithsonian Books. ISBN 158834147X
Jump up ^ Manuel, Peter (2009: 69). Creolizing Contradance in the Caribbean. Phi
ladelphia: Temple University Press.
Jump up ^ Acosta, Leonardo (2003: 5). Cubano Be Cubano Bop; One Hundred Years of
Jazz in Cuba. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Books.
Jump up ^ Maulen (1999: 4) Salsa Guidebook for Piano and Ensemble. Petaluma, Cali
fornia: Sher Music. ISBN 0-9614701-9-4.
Jump up ^ Roberts, John Storm (1999: 12) Latin Jazz. New York: Schirmer Books.
Jump up ^ Roberts, John Storm (1999: 16) Latin Jazz. New York: Schirmer Books.
Jump up ^ "Wynton Marsalis part 2." 60 Minutes. CBS News (26 Jun 2011).
Jump up ^ Father of the Blues: An Autobiography. by W.C. Handy, edited by Arna B
ontemps: foreword by Abbe Niles. Macmillan Company, New York; (1941) pages 99,10
0. no ISBN in this first printing
Jump up ^ Roberts, John Storm 1979. The Latin tinge: the impact of Latin America
n music on the United States. Oxford.
Jump up ^ Morton, Jelly Roll (1938: Library of Congress Recording) The Complete Re
cordings By Alan Lomax.
Jump up ^ Marsalis, Wynton (2000: DVD n.1). Jazz. PBS
Jump up ^ "Jazz and Math: Rhythmic Innovations", PBS.org. The Wikipedia example
shown in half time compared to the source.
Jump up ^ Schuller, Gunther (1968: 19) Early Jazz; Its Roots and Musical Develop
ment. New York: Oxford Press.
Jump up ^ Salazar, Max (1997). "The Beginning and Its Best" Latin Beat Magazine
v.7 n. 1.
Jump up ^ Pealosa, David 2010. The Clave Matrix; Afro-Cuban Rhythm: Its Principle
s and African Origins p. 256. Redway, CA: Bembe Inc. ISBN 1-886502-80-3.
Jump up ^ Moore, Kevin (2009). Beyond Salsa Piano; The Cuban Timba Piano Revolut
ion v.2 Early Cuban Piano Tumbao (1940 1959) p. 17. Santa Cruz, CA: Moore Music/Ti
mba.com. ISBN 144998018X
Jump up ^ Notes from The Mambo Inn -The Story of Mario Bauz. PBS documentary (199
8).
Jump up ^ Bobby Sanabria, posting to the Latinjazz discussion list (2008).
Jump up ^ Pealosa, David 2010. The Clave Matrix; Afro-Cuban Rhythm: Its Principle
s and African Origins p. 133 137. Redway, CA: Bembe Inc. ISBN 1-886502-80-3.
Jump up ^ Maulen, Rebeca (1993: 52) Salsa Guidebook for Piano and Ensemble. Petal
uma, California: Sher Music. ISBN 0-9614701-9-4.
Jump up ^ Don Cheatham quoted by Roberts (1999: 78). Latin Jazz.
Jump up ^ Bobby Sanabria quoted by David Pealosa (2010: 248). The Clave Matrix; A
fro-Cuban Rhythm: Its Principles and African Origins. Redway, CA: Bembe Inc. ISB
N 1-886502-80-3.
Jump up ^ Dizzy Gillespie, from his book To Be or Not to Bop (1985); cited by Jo
hn Storm Roberts in Latin Jazz 1999. p. 77.
Jump up ^ Thomas Owens from his book Bebop: The Music and Its Players; cited by
Roberts (1999). Latin Jazz. p. 77.
Jump up ^ Dizzy Gillespie and his Big Band, featuring Chano Pozo. GNP CD 23 (194
8).
^ Jump up to: a b Roberts (1999: 73).
Jump up ^ "Afro Blue," Afro Roots (Mongo Santamaria) Prestige CD 24018-2 (1959).
Jump up ^ Pealosa, David (2010). The Clave Matrix; Afro-Cuban Rhythm: Its Princip
les and African Origins p. 26. Redway, CA: Bembe Inc. ISBN 1-886502-80-3.
Jump up ^ Acosta, Leonardo 2003. Cubano be, cubano bop: one hundred years of jaz
z in Cuba. Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. p. 86 etc
Jump up ^ Andy Gonzalez interviewed by Larry Birnbaum. Ed. Boggs, Vernon W. (199
2: 297 298). Salsiology; Afro-Cuban Music and the Evolution of Salsa in New York C
ity. New York: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313284687
Jump up ^ Boggs 1992 p. 290. Andy Gonzalez quote.
Jump up ^ "Die Sngerin und Geigerin Yilian Caizares in Moods". Neue Zrcher Zeitung.
16 September 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
Jump up ^ Acosta (2003: 59). Cubano be, cubano bop: one hundred years of jazz in
Cuba. Washington, D.C: Smithsonian Books. ISBN 158834147X
Jump up ^ Acosta, Leonardo (2003: 211). Cubano be, cubano bop: one hundred years
 of jazz in Cuba. Washington, D.C: Smithsonian Books. ISBN 158834147X
Jump up ^ David Pealosa quoted by Kevin Moore (2011: web). "Areito 3660 and 3926
(1976)," History and Discography of Irakere. Web. Timba.com. http://www.timba.co
m/encyclopedia_pages/1976-are-to-3660-3926
Jump up ^ Ral A. Fernndez quoted by Moore (2011: web). Timba.com. http://www.timba
.com/encyclopedia_pages/1976-are-to-3660-3926.
Jump up ^ Pablo Menndez quoted by Moore (2011: web). Timba.com. http://www.timba.
com/encyclopedia_pages/1976-are-to-3660-3926.
Jump up ^ Bobby Sanabria quoted by Pealosa (2010: 248). The Clave Matrix; Afro-Cu
ban Rhythm: Its Principles and African Origins. Redway, CA: Bembe Inc. ISBN 1-88
6502-80-3.
Jump up ^ Pealosa (2010: 249).
Jump up ^ Interview with Alain Prez by Pepe Martnez. Web. Timba.com.
Jump up ^ Bobby Sanabria quoted by Pealosa (2010: 251).
Jump up ^ Juan Formell quoted by Rebeca Maulen (1999: 6). 101 Montunos. Petaluma,
CA: Sher Publishing.
Jump up ^ Tony Wilds. "Kenya: Afro-Cuban Jazz - Machito | AllMusic". Retrieved 1
7 June 2011.
[hide] v t e
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List of jazz genres
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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ng citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and remov
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This is a list of subgenres of jazz music.
Genre Characteristics Era
Acid jazz Combined elements of soul music, funk, disco, including looping
beats and modal harmony 1980s 90s
Afro-Cuban jazz It mixes Afro-Cuban clave-based rhythms with jazz harmonies and
techniques of improvisation. 1940s ->
Asian American jazz Asian-American jazz combines standard jazz instruments w
ith Asian instruments (such as taiko, shamisen, erhu, suona, or kulintang), whic
h are often performed by musicians from Asia. 1950s ->
Avant-garde jazz a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-g
arde art music and composition with jazz. It originated in the 1950s and develop
ed through the 1960s. 1950s ->
Bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz characterized by a fast tempo, instrumen
tal virtuosity, and improvisation based on a combination of harmonic structure a
nd occasional references to the melody. 1940s ->
Bossa nova Brazilian melodic samba-like genre influential in Cool Jazz/West
Coast Jazz 1960s ->
British dance band British dance band is a genre of popular jazz and dance
music that developed in British dance halls and hotel ballrooms during the 1920s
and 1930s 1920s ->
Cape jazz Cape jazz (more often written Cape Jazz) is a genre of jazz that
is performed in the very southern part of Africa, the name being a reference to
Cape Town, South Africa. 1990s ->
Chamber jazz Chamber jazz is a genre of jazz involving small, acoustic-based
ensembles where group interplay is important 1960s ->
Continental Jazz Early jazz dance bands of Europe in the swing medium, to
the exclusion of Great Britain.
Cool jazz Contrasts with the hard, fast sound of Bebop. Based largely on L
ester Young. 1940s-1960s
Crossover jazz where artists mix different styles of music into jazz 1970s ->
Dark Jazz A form of modern jazz characterized by the fusion of downtempo,
minimalist ambient music with jazz. 2010s -
>
Dixieland Dixieland music or New Orleans jazz, sometimes referred to as ho
t jazz or early jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at
the start of the 20th century. Stylistically it is essentially a form of Ragtim
e, typically transposed for brass band, banjo and/or clarinet. 1900s ->
Ethno jazz Ethno Jazz, a form of Ethno Music, is sometimes equaled to World
Music or is regarded as its successor, particularly before the 1990s. An indepe
ndent meaning of "Ethno Jazz" emerged around 1990 1990s ->
European free jazz European free jazz is a part of the global free jazz sce
ne with its own development and characteristics. 1960s ->
Free funk A combination of avant-garde jazz with funk music 1970s ->
Free improvisation Free improvisation or free music is improvised music wit
hout any rules beyond the logic or inclination. Free Jazz incorporates 'free imp
rovisation' but 'free improvisation' can be any genre, it isn't necessarily jazz
. 1960s ->
Free jazz Free jazz musicians attempted to alter, extend, or break down ja
zz convention, often by discarding fixed chord changes or tempos. 1950s ->
Gypsy jazz style of jazz music often said to have been started by guitarist
Jean "Django" Reinhardt in the 1930s 1930s ->
Hard bop incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and
blues, especially in saxophone and piano playing. 1950s ->
Indo jazz Fusion of jazz with Indian music (see also Sitar in jazz and Jaz
z in India). 1950s ->
Jazz blues Term is misnomer. Jazz is a branch of blues, all jazz is blues.
(link redirects to twelve-bar blues)
Jazz-funk Jazz-funk is a subgenre of jazz music characterized by a strong
back beat (groove), electrified sounds[1] and an early prevalence of analog synt
hesizers. 1970s ->
Jazz fusion Combines elements of Jazz and Rock. Characterized by electronic
instruments, riffs, and extended solos 1970s ->
Jazz rap Jazz rap is a fusion subgenre of hip hop music and jazz, develop
ed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The lyrics are often based on political co
nsciousness, Afrocentrism, and general positivism. 1980s ->
Jazz rock The term "jazz-rock" (or "jazz/rock") is often used as a synonym
for the term "jazz fusion". 1960s ->
Kansas City blues is a genre of blues music. It has spawned the Kansas Cit
y Blues & Jazz festival and the Kansas City Blues Society. 1940s ->
Kansas City jazz Kansas City jazz is a style of jazz that developed in Ka
nsas City, Missouri and the surrounding Kansas City Metropolitan Area during the
1930s 1930s ->
Latin jazz Draws heavily on salsa and merengue influences. Heavy use of per
cussion, including congas, timbales, bongos, guiros, and others.
M-Base M-Base is not jazz. 1980s ->
Mainstream jazz a genre of jazz music that was first used in reference to the pl
aying styles around the 1950s 1950s ->
Modal jazz Pioneered by Miles Davis, others. Characterized by use of modes,
such as dorian modes.
Neo-bop jazz A comparatively accessible, 'retro' genre that emerged in the 19
80s as a stylistic reaction against free jazz and jazz fusion. Notably associate
d with Wynton Marsalis 1980s ->
Neo-swing 1990s ->
Novelty ragtime 1920s ->
Nu jazz Music that blends jazz elements with other musical styles, such as funk,
soul, electronic dance music, and free improvisation. 1990s ->
Orchestral jazz Also known as "Symphonic Jazz" 1920s ->
Post-bop A genre of small-combo jazz that assimilates hard bop, modal jaz
z, avant-garde and free jazz without necessarily being immediately identifiable
as any of those forms 1960s ->
Punk jazz 1970s ->
Ragtime A genre that uses a specific type of syncopation in which melodic accent
s occur between metrical beats. Particularly popular with pianists pre World War
I, it is also the underlying stylistic form for most Dixieland jazz. 1890s ->
Shibuya-kei Shibuya-kei is a subcategory of alternative/indie rock which ori
ginated in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Japan. (not jazz) 1950s ->
Ska jazz 1960s ->
Smooth jazz In general a smooth jazz track is downtempo (the most widely pla
yed tracks are in the 90 105 BPM range), layering a lead, melody-playing instrumen
t (saxophones especially soprano and tenor are the most popular, with guitars a
close second) over a backdrop that typically consists of programmed rhythms and
various synth pads and/or samples. 1960s ->
Soul jazz 1950s ->
Stride jazz 1920s ->
Straight-ahead jazz 1960s ->
Swing Big Band arrangements, always swung. Pioneered by Duke Ellington, Count
Basie, Benny Goodman, others. 1930s-1950s
Third stream The fusion of the Jazz stream and Classical stream. 1950s ->
Trad jazz short for "traditional jazz", refers to the Dixieland and ragtim
e jazz styles of the early 20th century
Vocal jazz 1950s ->
West Coast jazz A less frenetic, calmer style than hard bop, heavily arranged, a
nd more often compositionally-based subgenre of cool jazz. 1950s 60s
See also[edit]
Saxo Boca1.JPGJazz portal
[show] v t e
Jazz
[show] v t e
Lists of music genres and styles
Categories: Jazz genresLists of music genresJazz-related lists
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