Remember Dizzy Gillespie who put Latin back into jazz!

Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993) was one of the greatest jazz artists of all time. He is one of the fathers of bebop, modern jazz and latin jazz.

Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker played central roles in the development of Bebop or modern jazz in the 1940s. Minton's Playhouse in Harlem was a legendary bebop haunt. It's still a jazz club.

John Birks Gillespie was born in Cheraw, South Carolina on October 21, 1917.

Gillespie also played an important role in the development of Latin jazz.

Mario Bauzá (1911-1993) was a classically trained Cuban musician and arranger working in New York. In the 1930s, Bauzá was principal trumpeter and musical director of Chick Webb's orchestra at the Savoy Ballroom. Chick Webb led one of the greatest Swing bands that ever existed. It was there that Bauzá first met the young Dizzy Gillespie. Later, Bauzá brought Gillespie into Cab Calloway's band.

In 1941, Bauzá formed the group Machito and his Afro-Cubains. They were the first group to promote the fact that they were black. In 1942 they added a young timpanist named Tito Puente. In 1943, Bauzá and the group spontaneously composed Tanga, which is now considered the first Latin Jazz song. He put clave (Afro-Cuban rhythm) in jazz and introduced jazz solos in Latin music.

52nd Street was once a street of jazz clubs. The Palladium Ballroom at 53rd and Broadway was the birthplace of Latin music. Jazz players sat at the Palladium and Latin players sat with the Jazz Cats on 52nd Street.

Dizzy liked what he was hearing so he asked Bauzá for a conga player. In 1947, Bauzá introduced Chano Pozo to Dizzy. In less than a year, these two co-wrote the Gillespie classics "Manteca" and "Tin Tin Deo".

Latin and jazz have blended so well that now it seems like they have always been together. In fact, they did, but that's another story. Either way, it was Dizzy's ear that introduced Latin percussion to mainstream jazz.

When Dizzy passed away, his longtime bassist, John Lee, was granted naming rights and led Dizzy Gillespie's various orchestras.

Latin Jazz