An Introduction to Rumba and Afro-Cuban Jazz

An early rumba performer who made a major contribution to latin jazz is Chano Pozo, who met Dizzy Gillespie in 1947 and became part of Dizzy's band as he helped popularize the Afro-Cuban jazz style. Pictured below are Chano (left) and Dizzy (right), along with a fun album cover from one of their early musical collaborations.

Here's an unusual video, which simply shows a jazz record being played on a turntable ... but we include it here, because it's an original recording from 1947 featuring Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo performing Manteca, which was co-written by Dizzy and Chano, and became a huge hit of the Afro-Cuban jazz genre.

Going back to the history of this music, one can say that the mixing of African, Spanish, and local cultures in Cuba created a unique body of music and dance. Jazz musicians in the United States had been aware of latin music styles and had incorporated some of it into early jazz, but in the 1940's and 1950's, when musicians from Cuba began to play with jazz musicians in New York, the union of these musicians helped make the circle complete with the development of Afro-Cuban jazz.

We know this is just barely touching the tip of the vast topic of Rumba and Afro-Cuban jazz, but hope that this basic introduction provides some interest into further investigation of Latin and jazz music.