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latin jazz

Latin Jazz

United States · 1940s

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Latin jazz is a fusion of jazz harmony and improvisation with Afro–Latin American rhythms, song forms, and percussion. It combines the swing, bebop, and big-band traditions with clave-based grooves such as son, rumba, danzón, and mambo, and later integrates Brazilian feels like samba and bossa nova.

Typical features include the use of the clave (2–3 or 3–2), piano montunos (guajeos), bass tumbao patterns, timbales cáscara, conga marcha, and call-and-response horn "mambo" figures. While the rhythm section locks into cyclical patterns, soloists improvise using the vocabulary of jazz, creating music that is both danceable and harmonically rich.

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Jazz is an improvisation-centered music tradition that emerged from African American communities in the early 20th century. It blends blues feeling, ragtime syncopation, European harmonic practice, and brass band instrumentation into a flexible, conversational art. Defining features include swing rhythm (a triplet-based pulse), call-and-response phrasing, blue notes, and extended harmonies built on 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths. Jazz is as much a way of making music—spontaneous interaction, variation, and personal sound—as it is a set of forms and tunes. Across its history, jazz has continually hybridized, from New Orleans ensembles and big-band swing to bebop, cool and hard bop, modal and free jazz, fusion, and contemporary cross-genre experiments. Its influence permeates global popular and art music.

Swing is a jazz style centered on a buoyant, danceable groove created by a walking bass, four-to-the-bar rhythm guitar, a backbeat emphasis on 2 and 4, and a lilted “swung” eighth-note feel. Typically performed by big bands (saxes, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section) as well as small combos, it balances written arrangements with improvised solos. Hallmarks include call-and-response between horn sections, riff-based melodies, shout choruses that build intensity near the end of an arrangement, and rich sectional voicings grounded in blues language and ii–V–I harmonic motion. Tempos range from medium to brisk, serving social dances like the Lindy Hop and Jitterbug. Swing’s expressive phrasing, dance-floor focus, and sophisticated arranging made it the dominant popular music of the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Bebop is a modern jazz style characterized by fast tempos, intricate melodies, and harmonically advanced improvisation. It moved jazz from dance-oriented big-band music to art-focused small-ensemble performance, prioritizing virtuosity and spontaneous creativity. Typical bebop groups are quintets or quartets featuring trumpet, alto or tenor saxophone, piano, double bass, and drums. The music emphasizes asymmetrical phrasing, extended chords and substitutions, and contrafacts—new melodies written over the chord changes of popular songs. Rhythm sections center time on the ride cymbal, with the bass walking and the drummer "dropping bombs" on snare and bass drum. Melodies are angular and chromatic, and soloists outline rapidly shifting harmonies with bebop scales, enclosure tones, and altered dominants.

Big band is a large-ensemble style of jazz and popular dance music built around brass, reed, and rhythm sections playing arranged parts. Typical instrumentation includes five saxophones (often doubling clarinet/flute), four trombones, four trumpets, and a rhythm section of piano, guitar, upright bass, and drum set. The music emphasizes swing rhythms, call-and-response between sections, riff-based writing, and dramatic shout choruses, while leaving space for improvised solos. Born in American ballrooms and theaters, big band became the sound of the Swing Era, providing both music for dancing and a platform for sophisticated arranging and orchestration that shaped much of 20th‑century jazz and popular music.

Son cubano is a foundational Cuban genre that fuses Spanish-derived song forms and harmony with Afro-Cuban rhythms and percussion. Born in eastern Cuba (Oriente) and crystallized in Havana in the 1910s–1920s, it became the backbone of much of 20th‑century Latin popular music. Typical ensembles began as sextetos (tres, guitar, bongó, maracas, claves, and bass or marímbula) and later evolved into septetos with trumpet. Conjunto formats in the 1940s added piano, congas, and multiple horns. The music rides a son clave (in 3‑2 or 2‑3 orientation), features interlocking tres guajeos, a walking/tumbao bass that anticipates the downbeat, and call‑and‑response vocals in the montuno section. Harmonically it is rooted in I–IV–V with bluesy dominant sevenths and occasional secondary dominants. Lyrically it balances romance, everyday life, and streetwise wit, always aimed at dancing and social gathering.

Rumba is an Afro‑Cuban, percussion‑driven song‑and‑dance genre that arose in the port neighborhoods and solares of Havana and Matanzas. It features complex interlocking rhythms played on congas (tumbadora, segundo, quinto), claves, and palitos, with the quinto drum improvising over cyclical patterns. The music is built around the rumba clave (in 3‑2 or 2‑3 orientation), call‑and‑response vocals, and a lead singer who declaims verses followed by catchy coros. Three principal styles exist: yambú (slow, playful), guaguancó (medium, flirtatious, with the iconic "vacunao" gesture in the dance), and columbia (fast, virtuosic, traditionally for solo male dancers). Historically performed with cajones (wooden boxes) when drums were restricted, rumba is a secular, community practice whose poetry, dance, and rhythm encode Afro‑Cuban history and identity. It is distinct from ballroom "rhumba" and from Congolese rumba, both of which were influenced by Cuban music rather than being the same style.

Mambo is a Cuban dance music style that crystallized in the late 1930s from danzón and son montuno, then exploded internationally in the 1940s and 1950s. It is characterized by layered syncopations under the Afro‑Cuban clave, driving bass tumbaos, piano montunos, and powerful antiphonal horn riffs known as moñas or "mambo" sections. In its classic big‑band form, mambo blends Cuban rhythmic vocabulary with jazz and swing arranging, featuring trumpets, trombones, and saxophones over a rhythm section of congas, bongos, timbales, cowbell, bass, and piano. The result is high‑energy, riff‑driven music built for social dancing and floor‑filling excitement.

Danzón is a refined Cuban dance-music genre that emerged in the late 19th century and became the island’s national dance. It is characterized by an elegant, measured tempo, a promenading introduction called the paseo, and a succession of graceful, melodically rich themes. Rhythmically, danzón is anchored by Afro-Cuban syncopations such as the tresillo and the cinquillo, articulated by güiro and timbales (paila) over a steady bass. Traditionally performed by charanga ensembles—featuring wooden flute, violins, piano, string bass, güiro, and timbales—the style epitomizes salon sophistication while retaining a distinctly Afro-Caribbean rhythmic identity.

Bolero is a romantic Cuban song genre that emerged in the late 19th century in Santiago de Cuba within the trovador tradition. It is characterized by a slow to moderate tempo, lyrical melodies, and intimate, sentimental lyrics centered on love, longing, and heartbreak. Unlike the Spanish dance of the same name, the Cuban bolero is a vocal, guitar-led form that later expanded to trios and orchestras. Its rhythmic backbone often draws on the habanera/tresillo feel, while harmony ranges from simple tonic–dominant motion to lush progressions with secondary dominants and jazz-inflected extensions in later styles. Bolero became a pan–Latin American idiom during the 20th century, shaping the repertoire of trios románticos and crossover stylings in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and beyond, and laying crucial foundations for later romantic currents in Latin pop and ballad traditions.

Bossa nova is a Brazilian popular music style that emerged in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s, blending samba’s syncopated pulse with the harmonic sophistication and understated cool of jazz. It is characterized by intimate, almost whispered vocals; a nylon‑string guitar playing the distinctive batida (a gently syncopated, two-beat accompaniment); subtle, brushed percussion; and lush, extended jazz harmonies. The mood is relaxed, refined, and full of saudade—a bittersweet sense of longing—often evoking images of Rio’s beaches, nightclubs, and urban modernity.

Samba is an Afro‑Brazilian musical and dance tradition that crystallized in Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century, rooted in the rhythms, rituals, and communal celebrations of the Afro‑diasporic population. It is typically in 2/4 meter with characteristic syncopations, off‑beat accents, and call‑and‑response refrains. The groove is carried by a bateria (percussion ensemble) featuring surdo, pandeiro, tamborim, cuíca, agogô, reco‑reco, and repinique, while chordal instruments such as violão (6‑ and 7‑string guitars) and cavaquinho provide rich, swinging harmonies. Melodies often draw on Portuguese lyric traditions, African rhythmic phrasing, and the expressive poetics of everyday urban life—love, neighborhood pride, carnival, devotion, and saudade. Across the 20th century, samba diversified into many substyles (samba‑canção, samba‑enredo, partido‑alto, samba de roda, samba de gafieira), and later catalyzed entire currents like bossa nova, MPB, and samba‑rock, remaining Brazil’s most globally recognizable sound.

Afro-Cuban Jazz

Afro-Cuban jazz (often historically called Cubop) is a fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythmic traditions and North American jazz harmony, melody, and improvisation. It sets jazz writing and soloing inside the matrix of the clave, combining straight-eighth Afro-Cuban grooves (mambo, rumba, son montuno, danzón) with big-band and bebop vocabulary. Hallmarks include piano montunos (guajeos), tumbao bass lines, horn mambos and moñas (syncopated riffs), and a percussion section of congas, bongos, timbales, cowbell, and claves. The result is music that is harmonically sophisticated yet dance-driven, balancing arranged horn passages with open sections for improvisation, and emphasizing call-and-response and layered polyrhythms.

Joropo is a fast, virtuosic music and dance tradition from the Llanos (plains) of Venezuela and eastern Colombia. It blends Iberian song forms and harmony with Afro-Indigenous rhythmic practices, centered on the llanera harp (arpa llanera), cuatro (small four‑string guitar), and maracas. Rhythmically, joropo is famous for sesquiáltera (the overlay of 3/4 and 6/8), creating propulsive hemiolas that drive dance. The style includes instrumental pieces called golpes and more lyrical songs called pasajes, and it features sung décima-style coplas and improvised contrapunteo (poetic duels). Dancers execute intricate zapateo footwork that mirrors the music’s cross‑rhythms.

Guaracha is a fast‑paced Cuban song–dance genre known for witty, satirical, and often picaresque lyrics delivered over a driving Afro‑Cuban groove. It typically uses the son clave (in 2–3 or 3–2 orientation), call‑and‑response coros, and a lively montuno section that invites dance and audience participation. Originally tied to popular and comic theater, guaracha later became a staple of Cuban conjuntos and charangas, and it survives in the salsa repertoire as a label for brisk, upbeat numbers. Instrumentation commonly includes voice(s), guitar or tres, bass, bongó, maracas, claves, and often trumpets or charanga flute/violins. Harmonies are straightforward and bright (major keys, I–IV–V with frequent secondary dominants), while the rhythmic feel is relentlessly syncopated and festive. The term should not be confused with modern "guaracha edm" (a separate, contemporary club style); historical Cuban guaracha is a distinct traditional genre with roots in 19th‑century Havana and theatrical culture.

Jazz guachaca is a Chilean, working‑class take on jazz and swing that blends the rhythmic feel and harmony of small‑combo jazz with local popular forms such as cueca, bolero, and tango. Born in the bohemian bars and neighborhood clubs of Santiago and Valparaíso, the style is closely associated with guitarist–composer Roberto Parra, who adapted gypsy‑jazz guitar language to Chilean idioms. Typical ensembles center on acoustic guitar, double bass, light percussion, and sometimes clarinet or saxophone, delivering a swinging, danceable pulse and colloquial, often humorous lyrics about love, nightlife, and everyday life. Musically, it favors straightforward swing grooves, Django‑inspired rhythm guitar ("la pompe"), walking bass lines, and familiar jazz cadences (II–V–I), while incorporating cueca hemiola accents and bolero/tango phrasing. The result is a warm, street‑wise, and highly social form of jazz rooted in Chile’s popular culture.

Landó is an Afro‑Peruvian music and dance form from Peru’s coastal region, marked by a supple 12/8 (or slow 6/8) pulse, interlocking hand percussion, and a vocal delivery that often leans toward call‑and‑response. Its groove is typically carried by the cajón (box drum), accented by the quijada (donkey jawbone) and cajita (small slit box), while guitars outline minor‑mode or Dorian vamps. Compared with the festive, uptempo festejo, landó is slower, more sinuous, and frequently bittersweet in tone. Classic repertoire like “Toro Mata” exemplifies its swaying hemiola feel (the subtle play between 6/8 and 3/4) and its evocation of memory, identity, and longing. In contemporary settings, landó is performed both in folkloric ensembles and in refined, concert‑stage arrangements that preserve its Afro‑Peruvian rhythmic core.

Rumba cubana is an Afro‑Cuban secular music and dance tradition born in the working‑class solares and dockyards of Havana and Matanzas in the late 19th century. It is percussion‑driven, sung in call‑and‑response, and danced in a highly interactive way. The genre revolves around the rumba clave (in 3‑2 or 2‑3 orientation), interlocking conga (tumbadora) parts, wooden sticks (palitos) on the drum shell, and often cajones (wooden boxes) and chekeré. Its main substyles are yambú (slow and graceful), guaguancó (medium tempo, playful “vacunao” courtship gesture), and columbia (fast, often in 12/8, originally a solo male competitive dance). Rumba cubana is distinct from the ballroom “rhumba.” It is a community practice that blends Central/West African rhythmic logics with Spanish song poetry, improvisation, and dance theater.

Nuevo tango is a modernized, concert-oriented evolution of Argentine tango that integrates classical compositional techniques and jazz harmony with the traditional tango vocabulary. It keeps tango’s characteristic rhythmic drive and dramatic phrasing while introducing counterpoint, extended harmonies (9ths, 11ths, 13ths), intricate arrangements, and chamber-like textures. Typical ensembles center the bandoneón alongside violin, piano, double bass, and often electric guitar or cello, treating tango as serious listening music rather than solely a social dance. The style is closely associated with Astor Piazzolla, whose work transformed tango through sophisticated writing, virtuosic performance practice, and a distinctive blend of melancholy, tension, and urban lyricism.

Guaguancó is a vibrant couple-dance style within the Cuban rumba family that emerged in working‑class Afro‑Cuban neighborhoods, especially in Havana and Matanzas. It features an interlocking percussion ensemble, call‑and‑response vocals, and a flirtatious dance whose central dramatic gesture is the vacunao, a playful, sudden pelvic or hand "tag" that the partner attempts to block. Musically, guaguancó is organized around the rumba clave (in 3‑2 or 2‑3 orientation), with layered patterns on congas (tumbadoras), the lead quinto drum improvising over the groove, and timekeeping on claves and a wooden guagua/cata. The singing typically begins with an improvised diana (vocal fanfare), moves into solo verses (pregón) and a catchy coro (estribillo). The overall effect is communal, earthy, and intensely rhythmic—designed as much for dance and social play as for musical display.

Chachachá is a Cuban dance‑music genre that emerged in early‑1950s Havana as a dancer‑friendly offshoot of danzón‑mambo. It is typically performed by charanga ensembles—flute and violins over piano, bass, güiro, and timbales—producing a light, elegant sonority distinct from the brass‑heavy mambo big bands. The groove is mid‑tempo with a clear, even pulse that supports the signature “cha‑cha‑chá” triple step heard in the dancers’ feet. Melodies are tuneful and diatonic, harmonies favor simple I–IV–V movements with occasional II–V turnarounds, and arrangements move from a lyrical cuerpo to a montuno section featuring coro‑pregón call‑and‑response, piano tumbao, and tasteful flute improvisations. The name “chachachá” is often traced to the shuffling sound of the dancers’ steps; composer‑violinist Enrique Jorrín simplified mambo syncopations to make the beat more square and intelligible, which helped the style spread worldwide through social and ballroom dance.

Plena is an Afro–Puerto Rican music and dance genre that arose in working-class neighborhoods—most famously in Ponce and later Santurce—during the early 20th century. Often called the “periodical sung” (periódico cantado), plena songs chronicle everyday life, news, humor, and social commentary through concise verses and refrains. The core sound centers on panderos de plena (a family of frame drums in three sizes), the güiro scraper, handclaps, and call‑and‑response vocals. Rhythms are typically in 2/4 or 4/4 with syncopations related to Afro-Caribbean cells such as the habanera. While harmony is generally simple (I–IV–V with occasional modal color), plena’s power lies in its infectious groove, topical lyrics, and communal participation—qualities that later ensembles expanded with bass, brass (notably trombones), and dance-band arrangements.

Latin (as a genre label) is a broad umbrella used by the recording industry to categorize popular music rooted in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Iberian world, often characterized by syncopated Afro-diasporic rhythms, dance-forward grooves, and lyrics primarily in Spanish or Portuguese. As a marketplace category that took shape in the mid-20th century United States, it gathers diverse traditions—Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Mexican, and Caribbean styles—into a shared space. In practice, "Latin" spans everything from big-band mambo and bolero ballads to contemporary pop, rock, hip hop, and dance fusions produced by artists of Latin American heritage.

Porro is a festive dance music from Colombia’s Caribbean coast, especially the Sinú River and Savanna regions of Córdoba, Sucre, Bolívar, and Atlántico. Closely related to cumbia yet distinct, it blends Indigenous gaita traditions, Afro-Colombian drumming, and European brass-band practices. Traditionally performed by bandas pelayeras (rural brass bands) and by gaita ensembles, porro later blossomed in urban dance orchestras with clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a driving percussion section. It is typically in duple meter (2/4, sometimes felt in 4/4), with buoyant, syncopated patterns, a strong backbeat feel, and catchy call-and-response melodies. Two folkloric variants are often cited: porro palitiao (with a rimshot-style stick technique on the tambora) and porro tapao (a "covered" stroke approach), each shaping the groove in a distinctive way. In the mid-20th century, arrangers such as Lucho Bermúdez and Pacho Galán transformed porro into a cosmopolitan big-band sound that became a symbol of Colombian tropical dance culture.

Conga is a Cuban carnival processional music and dance associated with comparsas (street troupes), most famously from Santiago de Cuba and Havana. It is characterized by a driving 2/4 or 4/4 march-feel, layered Afro-Cuban percussion, call-and-response vocals, and simple, repetitive melodic vamps that can be played for long parades. Distinctive local colors include the corneta china (a piercing double-reed horn) in Santiago’s conga santiaguera and large drum sections that propel massive groups of dancers in a line or serpentine formation.

Candombe beat is a Uruguayan fusion style that blends the Afro‑Uruguayan candombe drum tradition with 1960s beat/rock, soul, funk, and jazz harmonies. It features the three traditional tambores (chico, repique, and piano) or their patterns emulated on drum set and percussion, layered under electric bass, guitar, vintage organs, and pop/rock vocals. Emerging in Montevideo at the height of the Beatlemania era, it reframed local Afro‑diasporic rhythm within contemporary song forms, producing a distinctly Rioplatense take on rock and soul that is both groove‑centric and melodically rich.

Bomba is an Afro‑Puerto Rican drum‑dance tradition that emerged among enslaved Africans and their descendants on the island’s coastal plantations and port towns. It centers on a vibrant dialogue between a solo dancer’s improvised moves and a lead drum that answers each gesture in real time, supported by a steady ensemble groove, call‑and‑response singing, and communal chorus. The core ensemble uses barrel drums (barriles) made from rum barrels: a buleador (or segundo) that maintains the ostinato and a subidor/primo that improvises to the dancer. Musicians also play cuás (wooden sticks on the drum’s shell) and a single maraca, typically held by the lead singer. Bomba includes several regional rhythms—such as sicá, yubá, cuembé, and holandés—each with its own tempo, swing, and dance vocabulary. Beyond entertainment, bomba has functioned as a vehicle for resistance, social commentary, and community identity, and today it thrives in both Puerto Rico and its diasporas, often fusing with jazz, salsa, and contemporary popular styles.

Son montuno is a seminal variant of Cuban son distinguished by its extended montuno section: a vamp-based, call-and-response passage that spotlights coro–pregón vocals, cyclical piano or tres guajeos, and a propulsive rhythm section centered on the son clave. Compared with earlier septeto son, son montuno adopts a fuller conjunto format (trumpets, piano, conga added to bongó, maracas, claves, bass, and tres), thicker horn riffs, and more syncopated tumbaos. It balances a lyrical, narrative verse (canto or verso) with a highly danceable, improvisatory montuno, making it the bridge between rural son traditions and later big-band and urban Afro‑Caribbean dance styles.

Festejo is a lively Afro-Peruvian music and dance style from Peru’s central coastal region. It is characterized by an upbeat 12/8 (or fast 6/8) feel, driving handclaps (palmas), and polyrhythmic percussion led by the cajón, often joined by the quijada de burro (donkey jawbone) and the cajita. Call-and-response vocals and celebratory lyrics emphasize joy, community, humor, and Afro-Peruvian identity. Melodically and harmonically, festejo songs tend to use straightforward diatonic progressions and memorable choruses designed for audience participation. Dance is inseparable from the music: intricate footwork and body movement mirror the syncopated groove, making festejo a hallmark of Afro-Peruvian festive culture.

Rhumba (spelled with an “h”) is the Americanized, ballroom- and big-band-friendly adaptation of Cuban rumba and related Afro‑Cuban dance music. Emerging in the United States during the Latin dance craze of the 1930s, it translated the clave-based grooves and romantic lyricism of Cuban music into a smoother, slower, and more arranged popular dance style suited to hotel ballrooms, Hollywood, and radio. Compared with traditional Cuban rumba and son, American rhumba emphasizes clear phrase structure, a moderate tempo, and lush arrangements featuring strings, horns, and rhythm sections enhanced by Latin percussion. The result is a sensuous, elegant dance music that foregrounds romance and a steady, dancer-friendly pulse.

Habanera is a Cuban song-and-dance genre that emerged in Havana in the 19th century, written in duple meter and defined by a distinctive syncopated rhythmic cell often described as a tresillo with an added backbeat (frequently felt as a 3–3–2 grouping across the bar). Typically moderate in tempo and frequently set in a minor key, habaneras combine European salon-song harmony with Afro-Cuban rhythmic sensibility. The style flourished both as a vocal strophic canción with romantic or nostalgic lyrics and as an instrumental dance form for piano and small ensembles. Its characteristic lilt and sensual sway made it an international craze by the late 19th century, permeating opera, art song, and popular music across Europe and the Americas.

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