Latin Jazz : The First of Fusion, 1880's to Today [Hardcover]

John Storm Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1999

The full story of the great Latin jazz musicians including: Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Astrid Gilberto, Chick Corea, and their lasting impact on American jazz.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this comprehensive examination of Latin jazz, John Storm Roberts, British-born, U.S.-based music journalist and author of Black Music of Two Worlds and The Latin Tinge, details the diversity and history of this often overlooked genre. Writing for the novice, Roberts outlines the presence of Afro-Hispanic rhythms and musical forms in African-American jazz: exploring turn-of-the-century New Orleans, where the Cuban Habanera and Argentinean tango rhythms were synthesized into the ragtime of Scott Joplin and the jazz of Jelly Roll Morton in the early 1920s; the creation of the mambo by bassist Israel "Cachao" Lopez and the incorporation of the conga drum by Chano Pozo into Dizzy Gillespie's big band and bebop combos in the '30s and '40s; and the popularization of the samba by American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim with the 1960s hit, "The Girl from Ipanema."

In detailing the history of this Pan-American musical mélange, Roberts's definitions of key Latin jazz terms are to the point and free of music-critic jargon. For example, he describes the 3/2 or 2/3 rhythmic pattern known as the Cuban clave as "a simplification, under a Euro-Latin influence, of a common West African organizing concept that consists of a regular total number of sounds and silences, usually carried on a bell." Roberts also introduces the reader to the many Caribbean, Central, and South American musicians who have moved and grooved the U.S. for decades, including Puerto Rican pianists and percussionists Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, and Jerry Gonzalez; the Argentinean nuevo tango creator Astor Piazzolla; the Cubano conguero Mongo Santamaria, and the Swedish-American vibraphonist Cal Tjader. Throughout this well-researched volume, Roberts reveals how the artistic contributions of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking neighbors have enriched American music, and impresses upon us the fact that "the Latin tinge was one of the most crucial elements in the universality of jazz." --Eugene Holley Jr. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Accounting for every Latin American rhythm, instrument, song form, and harmony as it arrived in sheet music and recordings of proto-jazz and jazz might be one way to write a dull book. But Roberts, author of Black Music of Two Worlds (2d ed., 1998) and scads of album liner notes, is an enthusiast for his subject, capable of exclamations such as "Until you've heard the Lennon-McCartney `Michelle' done as a rumba abierta, you haven't lived!" Lovers of jazz, the vast range of musics called Latin, and dance music may be assured--this book is never dull. The Latin jazz story is a colorful chapter of the immigrant saga, with Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Haitians, Dominicans, and Brazilians all figuring distinctively and powerfully in it, usually surprisingly early--notice "1880s to Today" in the subtitle. Should Latin jazz nonspecialists think they won't know the music Roberts dissects, well, if they know some of Jelly Roll Morton's, Stan Kenton's, Dizzy Gillespie's, or Stan Getz's best stuff, they will be nose down in this book for days. Ray Olson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 306 pages
• Publisher: Schirmer Trade Books (December 31, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825671922
• ISBN-13: 978-0825671920
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,246,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A history of surprising, delightful musical connections, November 10, 2002

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Latin Jazz : The First of Fusion, 1880's to Today (Hardcover)

A masterful work by John Storm Roberts, whose early-'70s books on Latin American music were "world music" landmarks, and whose Original Music record label has reissued some of the most precious African and Latin American popular and traditional music one is ever likely to hear. The introductory chapters are a little slow-going, as Roberts twists and gyrates to avoid anticipated critical jabs. His qualifications and defensiveness may make sense to enthnomusicological insiders, but to the average reader, they seem fairly unnecessary, or at least a bit hard to follow. After that, though, the book picks up steam and is quite captivating. The main point of contention is the fascinating (and convincing) idea that *_Latin American_* influences were every bit as present at the inception of American jazz music as were African ones. In Roberts' world, the term "latin jazz" isn't exactly redundant, but it is misleading: Latin Jazz didn't spring forth in the 'Forties and 'Fifties out of whole cloth. Rather, Latin American influences on North American musicians can be found as far back as the Antebellum period, and are present at all the major junctures of jazz history. In addition to combing through historical records (such as newspapers, journals, and the records sheet music publishers), Roberts offers a clear critical narrative of the cross-pollination of Latin American dance music and Afro-European jazz. He touches on the major trends and significant collaborations of the last 120 years: ragtime, the tango, the rumba, the thunderous New York "CuBop" scene of the 1940s, and of course the bossa nova craze of the 1960s, and the gradual formalization of "Latin Jazz" as a genre. Along the way he sheds some light on famous artists such as Machito, Dizzy Gillespie and Tito Puente, as well as dimly-remembered pioneers like Antonio Machin, Don Azpiazu and gives favorable nods towards big banders who "got" the drift of the oncoming tide of Latin American crossover. Along with Sue Steward's "Musica!," this book can go a long way to fill in the gaps for folks who are new to the sound, as well as those who want to dig deep down. Recommended!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Crabby, dense, but richly informative, too!, August 10, 2001

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Latin Jazz : The First of Fusion, 1880's to Today (Hardcover)

A masterful work by John Storm Roberts, whose early-'70s books on Latin American music were "world music" landmarks, and whose Original Music record label has reissued some of the most precious African and Latin American popular and traditional music one is ever likely to hear. The introductory chapters are slow-going, as Roberts twists and gyrates to avoid anticipated critical jabs. His qualifications and defensiveness may make sense to enthnomusicological insiders, but to the average reader, they seem fairly unnecessary, or at least a bit hard to follow. After that, though, the book picks up steam and is quite captivating. The main point of contention is the fascinating (and convincing) idea that Latin American influences were every bit as present at the inception of American jazz music as were African ones. In Roberts' world, the term "latin jazz" isn't exactly redundant, but it is misleading: Latin Jazz didn't spring forth in the 'Forties and 'Fifties out of whole cloth. Rather, Latin American influences on North American musicians can be found as far back as the Antebellum period, and are present at all the major junctures of jazz history. In addition to combing through historical records (such as newspapers, journals, and the records sheet music publishers), Roberts offers a clear critical narrative of the cross-pollination of Latin American dance music and Afro-European jazz. He touches on the major trends and significant collaborations of the last 120 years: ragtime, the tango, the rumba, the thunderous New York "CuBop" scene of the 1940s, and of course the Brazilian bossa nova craze of the 1960s, and the gradual formalization of "Latin Jazz" as a genre. Along the way he sheds some light on famous artists such as Machito, Dizzy Gillespie and Tito Puente, as well as dimly-remembered pioneers like Antonio Machin, Don Azpiazu and gives favorable nods towards big banders who "got" the drift of the oncoming tide of Latin American crossover. Along with Sue Steward's "Musica!," this book can go a long way to fill in the gaps for folks who are new to the sound, as well as those who want to dig deep down. Recommended!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Seminal Work on Latin Jazz, October 27, 2000

By 

Paul Austerlitz (Providence, RI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Latin Jazz : The First of Fusion, 1880's to Today (Hardcover)

North America has long pertained to Latin-America as well as Anglo-America: large areas of the country were colonized by Spaniards before English-speakers arrived. Today, the United States is the fifth largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, with a Latino population estimated from 22 to 30 million. John Storm Roberts's brilliant earlier work demonstrates a pervasive "Latin tinge" in North American music. This new book meticulously documents the history of Latin jazz. The famed New Orleans composer and pianist Jelly Roll Morton argued that "Spanish tinges" were essential to jazz already in the early twentieth century. Latin influences on jazz grew when Dizzy Gillespie and Machito put Afro-Cuban rhythms on center-stage at mid-century, and again when the bossa nova boomed in the 1960s. Today, Latin tinges provide what is arguably the most vital strand in new American music. Both an invaluable research tool and a good read, Roberts has given us the seminal, single most important work on this subject.