Latin jazz

created by a mastermind of jazz named Louis Armstrong. There are many famous jazz composers, including Jelly Roll Morton, Buddy Bolden, and Miles Davis. Most people consider jazz being created in New Orleans, but its roots began from African rhythms. Freed African-American slaves helped create jazz at the end of the 19th century. African music influenced jazz by use of rhythm, improvisation, call and response, and narrative techniques. Rhythm is an important part in jazz. If there is no groove,…

held in the California Jazz Conservatory. Azesu is comprised by Grammy winners David Pinto on bass, Omar Ledezma on percussion, Sheldon Brown on reeds, Alan Hall on drums and Jonathan Alford on piano. They plays songs from the Latin American Songbook and originals which represent the diverse musical heritage of its members. Featuring the vocals of Maria Marquez and Omar Ledezma, Azesu is a true hybrid group combining the rhythms of the Caribbean and South America with a jazz sensibility. Most…

romanticized Latin Americans, they also, using varying levels of subtlety, disparaged the very cultures they looked to for inspiration in songs, films, dances, and other entertainments. The American public was not alone in looking to another country for cultural inspiration. Argentinian people also drew upon musical styles from outside their borders, even as far away as the United States. During this period, the form of music that was the most greatly imported from the U.S. was jazz. As with…

both plena music and jazz are very similar. Being that both genres stem from African music, it should be no surprise that they share qualities. While plena music is a national treasure to Puerto Rico, we can certainly say the same about Jazz in America. Both genres also have declined from the previous prominence as salsa has come forward to take the place of plena music, while genres like r&b and hip-hop have taken the place of jazz. Originally, neither plena music nor jazz were accepted by the…

Introduction The concert that I attended, “Hot Jazz for a Cold Evening”, took place on Thursday, December 10. As I walked up to the front doors of the Freed Center a kind gentleman greeted me with a warm smile and welcomed me to the event by opening the door for me. Right away I could tell that this was a professional event and very well run. The event was formal and everyone was dressed in nice clothing. When walking into the theatre I was greeted by another kind gentleman who handed me…

On April 7, 2016, the GSU Jazz Combos came to play a riveting concert at the Georgia State Recital Hall. Two combos performed that night; the first was a quintet directed by David Frackenpohl, and the second combo of the night was an octet directed by Robert Dickson. The members constituting the first combo were bassist David Schroeder, drummer Zach Benator, guitarist Bob Tarkington, tenor saxophonist Chris Suarez, and vocalist Oriana Wisdom. The members of the second combo were bassist David…

Illinois Central Jazz Train No Time Like the Past The Jazz train had their debut October 18th in the ICC Performing Arts Center at 7:30pm. The ensemble consisted of 17 members and each instrument part was covered. The band played 12 stellar tunes with a few flashbacks to the Count Basie band. The tunes were No Time Like the Present and Full Time. This ensemble had three pieces which, showcased each wind section. My two favorite pieces were In a Brazilian Bone Tone and Marvin gets meaner. To…

The Mambo dance was originated by a Cuban bandleader, Perez Prado, in Havana, Cuba in the 1930s. It is a very sexy Latin style dance along with passionate and flirtatious hip movement that flows forward and backward. Additionally, Mambo dancers dance in sharp and quick steps, side steps, rock steps, kicks, points and flicks of the feet. There are a variety of Mambo rhythms, and they are all based on the clave rhythm that used in Afro-Cuban music. The rhythms are set by a variety of percussion…

During the final week of classes at Truman, I had the pleasure of hearing the school’s jazz bands in concert. During the concert, the Jazz Lab band and the Jazz Ensemble, both directed by Tim AuBuchon, played several jazz standards and modern favorites. The Jazz Lab band started out the night with five big band pieces. The instrumentation of the Jazz Lab band was standard for a big band; it included about four of each horn (saxophone, trumpet, and trombone), an upright bass, a piano, and a…

Cuban jazz pianist and composer, David Virelles, has been widely solicited by the attentive musicians on the current scene, who immediately recognized his outstanding creative capabilities. In the recent past, he has played key roles in projects led by trumpeter Tomasz Stanko and saxophonists Henry Threadgill and Chris Potter. As a leader, Virelles always brings heritage into the game, and both Continuum (Pi Recordings, 2012) and Mboko (ECM, 2015) received accolades from the specialized media…