Latin jazz is jazz with Latin American rhythms. Although musicians continually expand its parameters, the term Latin jazz is generally understood to have a more specific meaning than simply jazz from Latin America. A more precise term might be Afro-Latin jazz, as the jazz sub-genre typically employs rhythms that either have a direct analog in Africa, or exhibit an African influence. The two main categories of Latin jazz are:
- Afro-Cuban jazz—jazz rhythmically based on clave, often with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns from Cuban popular dance music.
- Afro-Brazilian jazz—includes bossa nova and jazz samba.
In 1993 trombonist, composer, and arranger William Cepeda created a sub-genre he calls Afro-Rican jazz, which blends jazz with the African elements of Puerto Rican music.
Read more about Latin Jazz: Comparing Latin Jazz With Straight-ahead Jazz, Formats, Quotation
Famous quotes containing the words latin and/or jazz:
“Whither goest thou?”
—Bible: New Testament Peter, in John, 13:36.
The words, which are repeated in John 16:5, are best known in the Latin form in which they appear in the Vulgate: Quo vadis? Jesus replies, “Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.”
“There’s more bad music in jazz than any other form. Maybe that’s because the audience doesn’t really know what’s happening.”
—Pat Metheny (b. 1954)