Key Notes in the Genesis of Afro-Cuban Jazz Sound

The connection between Latin jazz and American music may be hot media news these days, but it’s a relationship that has been around for a long time. There’s a scene, in fact, in “The Legend of 1900” in which a character portraying Jelly Roll Morton plays a piano number blending ‘20s jazz with a habanera rhythm--an effective demonstration of his assertion that jazz needed a “Spanish tinge.”

A new set of reissues from Blue Note, collectively called “The Roots of Afro-Cuban Jazz,” underscores Morton’s belief and emphasizes the many important, often very different, links between jazz and Latin music in the ‘50s and ‘60s. And what is especially fascinating is the contemporary-sounding quality of many tracks on the six albums (available individually). Occasional numbers sound a bit dated, but much of this music is as alive today as when it was recorded.

“Latino Blue” (****). A far-reaching collection that includes pieces by Willie Bobo, Machito and Candido (featuring Cannonball Adderley and Joe Newman), as well as Sonny Stitt, Kenny Dorham (in a beautiful all-star rendering of his “Afrodisia”) and the Jazz Crusaders (with the Latin soul tune “Agua Dulce”). The album closes with a high-energy encounter between Art Blakey and conga player Sabu Martinez on “Sakeena.”

“Cannonball’s Bossa Nova” (*** 1/2). Recorded in 1962 with the Bossa Rio Sextet (which included, among others, Sergio Mendes, piano; Octavio Bailly Jr., bass; and Dom Um Romao, drums), Adderley took a somewhat different approach from that chosen by Stan Getz in his bossa nova outings of the same period. Adderley was such an unrelenting swinger that no matter the setting--bossa nova, soul jazz or as a member of Miles Davis’ groups--he played essentially the same, his soloing driven by an inherently forceful rhythmic propulsion. But he was also a romantic, and on tunes such as “Corcovado” his musical energy emerges cloaked in a lovely, floating lyricism.

“Art Blakey: The African Beat” (***). Blakey’s fascination with African rhythms blossoms fully in this 1962 recording, which finds him surrounded by seven percussionists, as well as multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef and bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik. Despite the potentially massive array of sound, the music often has a surprisingly tender quality--Lateef’s flute work on “Obirin African” is a good example. Primarily African in style, the music nonetheless sizzles with Blakey’s presence, with his familiar ability to place his personal stamp on everything he touches.

“Candido: Thousand Finger Man” (** 1/2). Candido was the primo Latin percussionist in the ‘50s and ‘60s, recording with artists ranging from Stan Kenton and Sonny Rollins to Wes Montgomery and Lionel Hampton. This outing, however, recorded in 1969, was clearly intended to produce a crossover Latin soul jazz album. The result is an occasionally quirky, dated-sounding collection of tunes that rarely provide a full picture of Candido’s remarkable skills.

“Machito: Kenya” (***). Machito’s big bands of the ‘40s and ‘50s had a powerful effect upon jazz in general and specifically upon artists such as Kenton, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and others. With his brother-in-law Mario Bauza as the innovator, pushing for combinations that included first-rate jazz players and Cuban percussionists, Machito’s bands were top-notch ensembles. This group, recorded in 1957, featured strong solo efforts from Adderley and Newman. But the music reflects the period’s demand that big bands be both entertaining and creative, that their audiences be offered music for dancing as well as listening. Somehow, within those parameters, Machito and Bauza managed to deliver consistently intriguing sounds.

“Sabu: Palo Congo” (****). Percussionist-singer “Sabu” (L. Martinez) brought together a group of players for this 1957 recording for a set of performances defining the root elements of Afro-Cuban music. The rhythms--often enhanced by the guitar work of gifted multi-instrumentalist Arsenio Rodriguez--are extraordinarily complex, sometimes moving through several meters, almost always supplemented by call-and-response singing and chanting. This is a recording that would be a fascinating document if it were released today. As a more than 40-year-old effort, it is astounding--an extremely valuable testament to the enduring sophistication of Afro-Cuban music.