Latin jazz is a type of jazz music that uses rhythms from Latin America. It has two main types: Afro-Cuban jazz, which uses rhythms from Cuban dance music and includes repeating patterns or a specific rhythmic structure called a clave, and Afro-Brazilian jazz, which includes styles like samba and bossa nova.
Afro-Cuban jazz
In the 1800s, African American music started using musical ideas from Afro-Cuban music. The habanera (also called Cuban contradanza) became popular worldwide during this time. The habanera was the first written music to use a rhythm based on African traditions. This rhythm, also called congo, tango-congo, or tango, combines two patterns: tresillo and the backbeat. Wynton Marsalis says tresillo is like the "clave" in New Orleans music, but it is only part of a full clave pattern.
The song "St. Louis Blues" (1914) by W. C. Handy includes a bass line based on the habanera-tresillo rhythm. Handy noticed that people reacted strongly to this rhythm in other songs, such as Will H. Tyler's "Maori" and "La Paloma." He later used this rhythm in his own compositions, including "St. Louis Blues," "Memphis Blues," and "Beale Street Blues." Jelly Roll Morton believed the tresillo-habanera rhythm (which he called the "Spanish tinge") was important to jazz. This rhythm can be heard in his left hand on songs like "The Crave" (1910, recorded 1938).
Although the exact start of jazz syncopation is unclear, evidence shows the habanera-tresillo rhythm was present when jazz began. Buddy Bolden, the first known jazz musician, created the "big four," a rhythm pattern based on the habanera. The big four was the first syncopated bass drum pattern that did not follow the regular beat of a march. The second part of the big four pattern matches the habanera rhythm.
Cuban music influenced many jazz songs before the 1940s. These songs used simple rhythmic patterns like tresillo, but did not include the more complex two-part clave structure. "Caravan" (1936), written by Juan Tizol, is an early example of a song that blends jazz and Latin styles. In 1962, Mongo Santamaría recorded "Watermelon Man." Later, musicians like Hank Mobley, Kenny Dorham, and Willie Bobo made Latin jazz albums. Willie Bobo combined jazz, Latin, and R&B music in his work.
The first jazz song clearly based on clave was "Tanga" (1943), composed by Mario Bauza and recorded by Machito and his Afro-Cubans. This song began as a spontaneous musical jam with jazz solos. The right hand of the piano in "Tanga" uses a style called "ponchando," which focuses on the timing of notes rather than their pitch. This style can be played repeatedly or varied like jazz accompaniment.
Mario Bauza created the terms "3-2 clave" and "2-3 clave" to describe how music starts on different parts of the clave rhythm. In North America, salsa and Latin jazz charts often write clave in two measures of cut-time (2/2), influenced by jazz traditions. Changing between clave patterns involves reversing the order of the measures.
Bobby Sanabria, who played drums for Machito, noted several innovations by Machito's band:
– The first band to consistently use authentic Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz arranging techniques, creating a unique sound.
– The first band to use modal harmony (a concept later used by Miles Davis and Gil Evans) in their recording of "Tanga."
– The first big band to create large, complex compositions using Afro-Cuban rhythms, such as "The Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite."
– The first band to successfully combine jazz big band arrangements with Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz solos, as in "Tanga."
– The first Afro-Cuban dance band to use clave counterpoint, weaving between the two sides of the clave rhythm without breaking its structure.
Mario Bauza introduced bebop musician Dizzy Gillespie to Cuban conga drummer Chano Pozo. Together, they wrote "Manteca" (1947), the first jazz song clearly based on clave. Pozo created the rhythmic patterns in the A section, and Gillespie wrote the bridge. The melody of "Manteca" uses a rhythm similar to a common mambo bell pattern.
On March 31, 1946, Stan Kenton recorded "Machito," written by Pete Rugolo, which some consider the first Latin jazz recording by American musicians. The Kenton band included Cuban percussionists Ivan Lopez and Eugenio Reyes. Later that year, Kenton recorded an arrangement of "The Peanut Vendor" with members of Machito's rhythm section.
From the 1950s to 1960s, musicians like Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley, and Sabu Martinez helped develop Afro-Cuban jazz. In 1959, Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria recorded "Afro Blue," the first jazz standard based on a 3:2 cross-rhythm (also called hemiola). This rhythm uses six beats per measure of 12/8, or six beats per four main beats.
Bossa nova is a music style that blends samba rhythms with European and American influences, including jazz. It began in the 1950s, created by Brazilian musicians Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto. One of its most famous songs is "The Girl from Ipanema," performed by João Gilberto and his wife, Astrud Gilberto. Bossa nova is more complex in harmony and less percussive than samba. It developed in upscale areas of Rio de Janeiro, unlike samba, which originated in the favelas. Some elements of bossa nova influenced Western classical music, like Gershwin's "Cuban Overture." The influence of jazz styles, such as cool jazz, on bossa nova is debated, but a similar "cool" style is noticeable.
Bossa nova was developed in Brazil in the mid-1950s by artists like Johnny Alf, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and João Gilberto. One of the first bossa nova songs was "Bim-Bom" by João Gilberto. The style became popular worldwide.
Comparing Latin jazz with straight-ahead jazz
Compared to straight-ahead jazz, Latin jazz uses a steady rhythm (called "even-eighths") instead of a swung rhythm. Early Latin jazz rarely used a backbeat, but modern versions combine the backbeat with the clave. Instruments such as conga, timbale, güiro, bongos, and claves are often used in addition to, or instead of, a drum kit.
Formats
Latin jazz music, like other types of jazz, can be performed by small groups or large ensembles. Small groups, called combos, often use the bebop style that became popular in the 1950s in the United States. In this style, musicians first play a standard melody, then some musicians take turns playing improvised solos, and finally, the group plays the melody again. Well-known Latin jazz big bands include Arturo O'Farrill's Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Bobby Sanabria's Multiverse Big Band, Raices Jazz Orchestra, Mambo Legends Orchestra, Pacific Mambo Orchestra, and others. In Latin jazz ensembles, percussion instruments are often highlighted during solos. Modern Latin jazz compositions by musicians such as Hermeto Pascoal are typically written for small groups and include both percussion solos and performances by wind instruments.
Latin jazz as global music
Jazz history often describes jazz as a music style created by African Americans in the early 1900s. It combines African rhythms and improvisation with European instruments, harmonies, and organized musical patterns. However, most standard jazz textbooks in American universities rarely mention the influence of Caribbean and Latin American music. Exceptions include Jelly Roll Morton’s comments about the "Spanish tinge" in early New Orleans jazz and Dizzy Gillespie’s work with Cuban drummer Chano Pozo after World War II. The 1973 Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz and Ken Burns’ documentary film Jazz also give little attention to Latin jazz. Recent research has challenged this view, stating that Caribbean and Latin American music played a key role in the development of early New Orleans jazz, its growth in New York City after the war, and its ongoing evolution in modern cities. Supporters of this idea suggest including influential Caribbean musicians like Frank Machito Grillo, Mario Bauzá, Chico O’Farrill, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, and Jerry and Andy Gonzalez in the broader history of jazz. From this perspective, jazz—including Latin jazz—is not seen as a uniquely American music, but as a global music that includes influences from many cultures.