Latin jazz
Clave-driven improvisation genre
Latin jazz is a fusion of jazz improvisation and harmony with Latin American and Caribbean rhythms—particularly Afro-Cuban patterns like the clave, montuno, and tumbao.
The genre emerged in 1940s New York when Cuban musicians collaborated with bebop players: Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" helped establish Latin jazz as a distinct style.
The term covers a range of subgenres including Afro-Cuban jazz, Brazilian jazz, and bossa nova-influenced work.
- mamboFast Cuban ballroom dance
- timbalesShallow single-headed drum pair
- congasTall Afro-Cuban drums
- salsaSpicy tomato condiment
- dance floorSpace designated for movement
Dizzy Gillespie · Cuba · syncopation · rhythm section · claves · polyrhythms · bossa nova · Celia Cruz · bongos · big band · ostinato · call-and-response · Brazil · Puerto Rico · Tito Puente · New York City · nightclub · Havana
- Latin Americanatango, samba, cumbia, mariachi, bossa nova
- Latin Culturemariachi, salsa dancing, tango, flamenco, cumbia
- Cultural Fusionfusion cuisine, fusion dance, syncretism, hybridity, creole
- jazzbebop, swing era, hard bop, post-bop, improvisation
- Afro-Latin musicsalsa, cumbia, reggae, merengue, bachata
- Latin American Musictango, samba, bossa nova, cumbia, bolero
Latin jazzbebop
Fast, complex jazz style
hard bop · cool jazz · traditional jazz · New Orleans jazz · free jazz