Movers and Shakers

W.C. Handy: The familiarity of New Orleans musicans with Latin music favored the syncopated rhythms of early jazz. W.C. Handy, already familiar with these rhythms, traveled to Cuba with his band in 1900, sowing the seeds for the reciprocal influence of jazz and Latin music. The "Saint Louis Blues," the first copyrighted blues composition, uses the habanera beat (Fernandez, 20).

Jelly Roll Morton: Born Ferdinand LaMothe, the well-known pianist and composer of rags traced his roots to Haiti on both sides, was raised by Cuban godparents, and learned habaneras from his Mexican guitar teacher (Fernández, 20). He stated, famously, that if the music did not have a "Spanish tinge" it was not truly jazz.

Dizzy Gillespie: The father of bebop, John Birks Gillespie is considered one of the most important pioneers of Afro-Cuban jazz. He met Mario Bauzá while playing with the Cab Calloway orchestra. In 1947 he asked Mario for a Cuban percussionist ("one of those tom-tom players")to add to his band. Bauzá introduced him to Chano Pozo, a conguero and vocalist. Musical history was made on September 29, 1947, when the band played the "Afro-Cuban Drums Suite" (later renamed "Cubana Be" and "Cubana Bop" at Carnegie Hall. Dizzy and Chano also co-wrote "Manteca" and "Tin Tin Deo."

Chico O’Farrill: Arturo O'Farrill (nicknamed Chico by Benny Goodman)was one of the most important arrangers and composers of Cubop from the late 40's until his death in 2002. he moved to New York City in 1948 and soon began to work with the top figures in New York jazz: Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton, Dizzy Gillespie, Miguelito Valdés, and Machito. After spending a few years back in Cuba and in Mexico, he returned to New york in 1965 with renewed impetus and wrote arrangements for a number of top bands like Count Basie, Cal Tjader, Tito Puente, Cándido, Willie Bobo, Stan Kenton, Machito Dizzy Gillespie, Gato Barbieri, Paquito D'Rivera and Machito. He played Sundays at Birdland until his death (Yanow, 78).

Tito Puente:"El Rey" of Latin music, Tito was one of its best known percussionists, composers and bandleaders for fifty years. Born in Spanish Harlem of Puerto Rican descent, he studied piano at the New York School of Music and Juilliard. He also sang, played alto sax and learned to play drums after hearing Gene Krupa play with Benny Goodman. At the age of 16 he dropped out of school and became a full-time musician, playing with Johnny Rodriguez's Stork Club Orchestra, Anselmo Sacasas and Noro Morales. In 1942 he joined Machito's band on timbales, and in 1947 he moved to Pupi Campo's band, one of the best Afro-Cuban groups of his time. Tito flourished during the 50's mambo craze, often billed as "The King of Mambo," a title also claimed by Pérez Prado. When Mongo Santamaría and Willie Bobo joined his band, his band had a peerless percussion section. When the two left him to join Cal Tjader, he recruited other noted percussionists like Ray Barretto, Cándido and Patato Valdés. Tito's popularity lasted and even increased through the changes of the 60's that brought about the salsa movement, including the rise of the pachanga and the boogaloo. His fame continued to rise into the 90's when he played with three bands: the Latin Jazz Ensemble, the Golden Latin Jazz All-Stars, and the Tropijazz All-Stars (Yanow, 91-94).

Ray Barretto: A major musical force for almost fifty years both in salsa and Latin Jazz (as well as bebop), Barretto gained fame in the fifties when he popularized the use of congas in more traditional jazz ensembles. After playing with jazz greats like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderley and Stanley Turrentine, he came out with his first salsa album in 1961, ""Pachanga With Barretto." He later formed his own band, Charanga Moderna, a flute and strings group with a jazz edge. Barretto also recorded for Fania and Tico.

Eddie & Charlie Palmieri: The Palmieri brothers are both trained pianists and major figures in Latin jazz. Charlie Palmieri worked with Machito, Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez, Pupi Campo, and Xavier Cugat before forming his own Charanga Duboney. After the popularity of charanga faded on the face of new trends, he began a second career as teacher and historian of Latin music. His younger brother Eddie helped bring the sound of jazz piano into Latin jazz. In 1961 he formed the unusual Conjunto la Perfecta featuring a flute and two-trombone frontline that his brother called a "trombanga." They played at the Palladium until the late sixties, when Eddie became a major figure in the Salsa movement.

Johnny Pacheco: A legendary flutist with Charlie Palmieri's orchestra and with his own early sixties group, Pacheco's importance in the world of salsa in also connected with his cofounding of the influential Fania label with Gerald Masucci in 1964. In 1968 he founded the Fania All-Stars Orchestra, a major element in the development of salsa during the seventies.

Jerry & Andy González: Another dynamic duo of Latin jazz, the González brothers Andy (bassist) and Jerry (trumpeter/percussionist) played a crucial role in the development of New York salsa. With Manny Oquendo, Andy was the co-leader of the Conjunto Libre. He was also a member of his brother's Fort Apache Band since its inception. Jerry attended the High School for music and Art in New York City and cofounded the Latin Jazz Quintet in 1964 with brother Andy. In 1982 he founded the Fort Apache Band, which has been a major presence in both Latin and jazz contexts (Yanow, 50).

Manny Oquendo: A major percussionist who has played with Pupi Campo, Tito Puente and Vicentico Valdés, has been the leader of Libre since the mid-seventies when he and Andy González broke away from Eddie Palmieri, wishing to have more freedom of expression. Libre cocentrates on salsa (defined as primarily dance bands with a singer in Spanish) rather than on instrumental Afro-Cuban jazz (Yanow, 80).

Michel Camilo: A classically trained pianist who has become one of the most exciting performers of contemporary jazz, Camilo studied at the National Conservatory in his native Santo Domingo, later becoming the youngest member of the Dominican National Symphony Orchestra. In 1979 he moved to the United States and studied at Juilliard and at the Mannes College of Music. He has worked with Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera, Dizzy Gillespie and The Manhattan Transfer (Yanow, 26-27).

Paquito D’Rivera: A talented clarinetist and alto saxophonist who also plays soprano sax, tenor and flute, paquito was a classically trained musician who played in the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna before founding Irakere in 1973 with other members of the orchestra. After defecting to the United States in 1980 he formed his own Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble, which helped introduce Hilton Ruiz, Danilo Pérez and Michel Camilo. Paquito has also played with McCoy Tyner, Lionel Hampton, Tito Puente, Freddie Hubbard and Dizzy Gillespie (Yanow, 37-38).

Bebo & Chucho Valdés: Bebo Valdés was a major pianist, composer an arranger inthe Cuba of the fifties.From 1947 to 1957 he worked as arranger for Rita Montaner and was the musical director for the shows at the famous Tropicana in Havana. In 1960 he defected from Cuba and lived in Mexico before settling in Stockholm with his new wife. His son Chucho (Jesús), a major jazz pianist, was one of the founders of Irakere who also founded the Havana International Jazz Festival in 1980. Chucho also recorded and toured with Roy Hargrove in 1996.

Irakere: In 1973 Paquito D'Rivera, Chucho Valdés, Arturo Sandoval and other top Cuban jazz musicians broke away from the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna to form Irakere (Yoruba for "forest", Cuba's #1 Latin jazz band. Based on traditional Cuban melodies and a strong dose of sacred African music (as in the albums "Misa Negra," "Yemaya" and "Babalu-Aye", Irakere also incorporates Classical music as a basis for improvisation. Valdés and Rivera both are trained in the Classical tradition. Irakere has visited the United States several times since 1996 and they often tour in Europe. Sandoval and Rivera have both defected to the United States where they have flourished (Yanow, 56).