Mario Bauza
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Mario Bauzá (April 28, 1911 in Havana, Cuba – July 11, 1993 in New York City) was one of the most influential figures in the development of Latin jazz, or as he referred to it, Afro-Cuban.
Trained as a classical musician, he played oboe and clarinet in Havana. After emigrating to New York at age 19, he reputedly learned to play the trumpet in two weeks and earned a spot as a player in Chick Webb's orchestra. He also played on some recordings of Antonio Machín. But it was in Cab Calloway's band that Bauzá met fellow trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie. Gillespie and Bauzá worked together for several years. The fusion of Bauzá's Cuban musical heritage and Gillespie's advancements in bebop eventually culminated in the development of cubop, one of the first forms of latin jazz. Bauzá's outstanding work has led many jazz historians to call him the "founding father of Latin jazz."
Bauzá later worked with other notable artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Don Redman, and Cab Calloway, and eventually worked as musical director of the Afro-Cubans in 1941, led by his brother-in-law Machito—a position he maintained until 1976. He led his own band in the '80s and early '90s.
[edit] References
- Boggs, Vernon. Salsiology: Afro-Cuban Music and the Evolution of Salsa in New York City. ISBN 0-313-28468-7.
- Gerard, Charley and Marty Sheller. Salsa! The Rhythm of Latin Music. ISBN 0-941677-11-7 : 0941677095.
- Morales, Ed. The Latin Beat: The Rhythms and Roots of Latin Music from Bossa Nova to Salsa and Beyond. ISBN 0-306-81018-2
- Roberts, John S. The Latin Tinge. ISBN 0-19-502564-4.
- Roberts, John S. Latin Jazz: The First of Fusions, 1880s to Today. ISBN 0-02-864681-9.
