The origins of Afro-Cuban jazz and bossa nova

¶ … Jazz History Through Cases

The popularity of jazz started growing when a higher number of the swing-era bands started including Cuban congas and rumbas into their collection. As Dizzy Gillespie started creating Bepop in the 40s, he teamed up with the legendary Cuban composer/percussionist Chanopozo and the revered arranger/composer Chico O' Farrill, to write the Manteca suite (1947), and several other songs. Both Dizzy and Channpozo are famed to be the founders of Latin Jazz. Gillespie and Pozo's musical fusion came to be known as the Afro-Cuban jazz. It was at one time known as Cubop for a while. One of their combined efforts led to the production of Manteca, which became a hit in 1947. Manteca quickly became the standard for the jazz music genre (Adams para 2 & 3).

During the 1940s, Luciano "Chano" Pozo by Gonzalez, popularly known as Chanopozo, played a related role in founding the African-American Jazz improvisation, which came from complex harmonies derived by bop. In May 1946, Mario Bauza -- the Cuban Jazz trumpeter -- a pioneer Afro-Latino jazz musician-introduced Pozoto NEW YORK and recommended him to Dizzy Gillespie who was in need of a conga drummer for his large band in the following year. Pozo's involvement in the Abakua secret society helped him learn how to play the conga drum in Cuba. On September 17, 1947, he performed at the New York City's famous Carnegie Hall. It was one of his initial performances shortly after he became a member of Gillespie's band. The extended composition, Cubana Be, Cubana Bop featured Pozo, which was also known as the Afro-Cuban Suite. The percussion work Pozo produced was quite electrifying and over the next few months, more Latin-inspired tracks were added by Gillespie, including AlgoBueno, which was also known as Woody 'n You (1947), to enable him feature his talented conga drummer. Though Pozo could not possibly read music, he produced or co-composed a number of major examples of Afro-Latin jazz, such as Manteca (1947), which was recorded by the Gillespie big-band (Appiah 433).

Brazilian slang for something new and different is Bossa Nova. During the late fifties, the music surfaced in Rio de Janeiro as a more sophisticated, melodic, and a popular song style inspired by samba with a less complex rhythm. A small group of musicians, particularly songwriters Antonio Carlos Jobim (1925-1994), Luis Bonfa (1922-2001), guitarist/singer Joao Gilbert (b. 1931), and guitarist/songwriter Baden Powell (1927-2000), somehow developed a deep love for American jazz, mostly Jazz-influenced pop singing and cool jazz from the West Coast. They were able to blend the cool tempo of the West Coast Jazz and the harmonic's sophistication with Brazilian rhythms in order to create the new style. The peak of the bossa nova craze came in the mid-sixties with real music from people like Jobim and Gilberto, the inevitable twenties, and Sergio Mendes's Brazilian crossover music. The recording of the landmark bossa nova debuted in 1964; it was a partnership between guitarist/singer Joao Gilberto and jazz saxophonist Stan Getz. The Girl from Ipanema was the signature track, which made it to the chart as a top single towards the end of that year (Campbell 281-2). "The Girl from Ipanema" is among the most performed jazz songs in history and for many people, it is a guitarist's introduction to Bossa Nova. Bossa Nova style in Brazil-fused jazz-like tunes harmonizes into samba rhythms executed on nylon string guitars. "The Girl from Ipanema" opens with Portuguese lyrics, before Gilberto's wife sings the English version of the song ("Joao Gilberto's Rhythm Guitar on "The Girl from Ipanema" (A Jazz Notebook) para 1&4). Arguably, the most famous song by Gilberto and his wife is "The Girl from Ipanema." Also, the song is considered among the most significant Bossa Nova songs. Although the style transformed itself from samba, it is harmonically complex and less percussive. Certain elements are evident and influence classical music that embodies Latin clave rhythm. Although there is a debate on the influence Bossa Nova has on jazz styles, it is apparent that there is a feeling of "cool sensibility" (Latin Jazz, para 3)

Latin Jazz highlights a form of modern jazz that is mostly characterized by utilization of rhythms and partially renditions of Latin American music that entails either direct African terms or similar negative effects. In strict terms, Latin Jazz is mainly a blend of jazz elements and Caribbean styles with Cuban music taking the center stage and in some circumstances it entails influences of Brazilian popular music. In 1940s, Cubop, which is a combination of Afro-Cuban rhythms with bebop, is considered to be the early type of Latin jazz (Jazz para 1-4).