Dizzy Gillespie
After reading through Geoffrey Jaques' "CuBop!," I was able to really see how much of an influence African culture has an impact on the Cuban culture. Afro-Cuban rhythms are combined with bebop melody and improvisation to create CuBop. Cubop is the term used by Gillespie to describe the musical style of his orchestra, which combines Afro-Cuban jazz and bop. When Dizzy Gillespie brought Chano Pozo into his big band in 1947, it became apparent throughout the bop era. Machito & his Afro-Cubans popularized jazz-oriented Afro-Cuban music to New York in the early 1940s. I find it really amazing and intriguing how much of an influence African culture has on the world. Without African influence there would be nothing at all. The two songs "Manteca" and "Tin Tin Deo," which Gillespie co-wrote with Chano Pozo, are his most well-known contributions to Afro-Cuban music. Gillespie also commissioned George Russell's "Cubano Be, Cubano Bop," which featured Pozo. Gillespie first got to know Arturo Sandoval on a jazz cruise to Havana in 1977. The numerous ethnic groups from various regions of West and Central Africa that were shipped to Cuba as slaves between the 16th and 19th centuries are the source of Cuban music with African ancestry. Some of these groups' members established their own ethnic societies, or cabildos, wherein musical traditions as well as other cultural practices were preserved. The core of Cuban music consists of music with African roots and significant Iberian Spanish musical components.
Greetings
Dizzy made all of us go crazy in a good way! Afro Cuban beats, music and good Ole jazz tell our ancestors story. The vibration and very existence of this genre of music reminds me of our peoples struggle. Such beauty has come from such a hard place and time known as slavery! Music is critical to our future and we much give homage to our past.