Seventy Latin Jazz Masterpieces (since 1970)

In the last fifty-five years Latin jazz has considerably evolved. In the late 1940s and 1950s it was essentially Cuban-tinged and performed by big bands (the two major ones being Machito and Mario Bauzá’s Afro Cubans and the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra featuring Chano Pozo), and in the 1960s it was mostly performed by combos (such as the ones led by Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaría, Joe Cuba, Charlie and Eddie Palmieri) and often influenced by soul music. Since then it has diversified and branched off in many different directions, with contributions by artists from various Latin American countries, including Brazil. This book charts works by some of the most significant musicians, from Antonio Carlos Jobim and Milton Nascimento to Rolando Luna and Maria Cervantes, by way of Hermeto Pascoal and Chucho Valdes. The selection presented here reflects the personal tastes and interests of the author, but covers performances by artists as varied as Wayne Shorter, Stefano Bollani and Esperanza Spalding, alongside Paquito D’Rivera, Brenda Navarrete and Hamilton De Holanda. As this suggests, the geographical scope of the music discussed is wide, encompassing recordings from Brazil, the United States, Cuba, Argentina, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Italy, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic.