As I’ve been developing the bajo y clave project, I’ve been talking a lot about Latin Jazz. In doing this, I made some assumptions that everyone understood what I was talking about, which in all honesty, wasn’t completely fair. It’s a complicated word that has lots of implications associated with music, culture, and people in general. It could be interpreted in lots of different ways; none of those ways are necessarily wrong, but I’ve got a very specific way of looking at the music
So I thought I’d take a minute to explain my understanding of the genre.
On first glance, there are lots of easy ways to explain Latin Jazz, and these are the ones that most people associate with the music. When taking about Latin Jazz, most people might define it as:
◦ Jazz harmony, melody, and improvisation over Latin rhythms
◦ Jazz made by Latin musicians
◦ Jazz with Latin percussion instruments
◦ Salsa with improvisation
There are pieces of all these responses that are true, but there’s also a bit of overlap and conflict in these responses. Finding a comprehensive understanding of Latin Jazz requires us to dig a little deeper.
We should start with the name that we’ve been throwing around – Latin Jazz. There are two distinct words there that each loaded with deep cultural connections. We should start by breaking them apart and understanding what we mean when we say “Latin” and when we say “Jazz”.
What Is Jazz?
Let’s start with the jazz piece of things, because I do feel like this is a place where things get muddy. Modern music often refers to things that are “jazz influenced”, which is a real thing – as a genre, jazz has influenced so many artists making music today. There is a distinction though; just because an artist is “jazz influenced”, it doesn’t mean that they’re playing jazz. Likewise, many modern jazz musicians play songs firmly based in popular music; it’s all good stuff, but I would call this more “jazz influenced”.
So what exactly is jazz then? Here’s my definition:
“An authentic expression of culture and identity through composition and arranging within a defined harmonic and melodic language”
It’s that defined harmonic and melodic language that I think is the cornerstone of my musical concept.
Any language is always evolving, but I believe that jazz harmony and melody needs to at least start with bebop conventions. I wouldn’t call myself a traditionalist, but I do believe that culture, history, and tradition matter, so this is a non-negotiable for me.
What Is Latin Music?
Taking a deeper look at the “Latin” side of the name, there’s a lot of cultural issues to discuss. In fact, I would start by throwing away the “Latin” termonology all together. It implies a monolithic people based on one culture; this is far from the truth. When we talk about the “Latin” side of “Latin Jazz”, we are really talking about cultural traditions based on music from the Caribbean and South America.
For many years, we could have narrowed that distinction down to cultural traditions based on music from Cuba and Brazil. These days, the music has expanded to integrate traditions from Puerto Rico, Argentina, Peru, Haiti, Colombia, Mexico, and more. As jazz education has spread – and education about the beautiful traditions from each of these countries has spread – the number of fusions has grown, resulting in some amazing music.
As such, I prefer to be more specific in my naming of music. Instead of generalizing with the title “Latin Jazz”, I prefer names that point directly to cultural traditions. Words like “Afro-Cuban Jazz”, “Brazilian Jazz”, or “Afro-Peruvian Jazz” seem more respectful to the people that built the traditions. They also seem to describe the music more realistically.
Notice that when I’m talking about these different countries, I’m not just talking about music; I’m talking about cultural traditions. At one point, the idea of “Latin Jazz” was built on the shoulders of Afro-Cuban dance music and Bossa Nova, both pop musics. When you look at modern jazz that integrates traditions from the Caribbean and South America, you’re certainly dealing with a lot of popular music, but you’re also hearing influences from secular and folkloric music. We’re really talking about a jazz connection with the culture and society. That’s pretty deep.
What Is Latin Jazz?
Now that we’ve broken down the individual elements of the name, let’s come back around and answer our initial question – What Is Latin Jazz? My definition is below
“An expression of Caribbean or South American culture and identity through composition and arranging built upon the harmonic and melodic language of bebop”
You can see that I’m drawing upon my thoughts from both the “Latin” and “Jazz” side of the equation, to reach a description that I feel does justice to the traditions, cultures, and people associated with the music.
Why Do We Need A Definition?
At the end of the day, maybe none of this matters. Music is sound made by human beings and that could be the end of the story – we don’t necessarily need to define it, we could just sit back and enjoy it. As a listener, I think that’s fine, and believe me, I often just let the music wash over me. I believe that I’m not alone in that act.
As you can see throughout my music, I still use the title “Latin Jazz”, and honestly, I probably always will. It’s a commercially well-known term that gives people a general idea of what to expect from my music. They may have to dig deeper if they want to understand the cultural connections and intention behind my music, but if they hear the term “Latin Jazz”, they might give it an initial listen. Otherwise, they may never listen.
Personally, I think that music is more meaningful than that though, and it speaks volumes about humanity. As a composer and a performer, I think we’ve got a responsibility to to put a little more thought into the music. Our participation in the music means that we are part of something that has lasted for centuries. That’s big, and I think that we need to take it seriously. So understanding what we are trying to say with music is important.
This is something that I’ve thought about a lot throughout my life, and it’s an idea that keeps evolving. So let me know what you think. If you’ve got other ideas about what Latin Jazz actually is, let me know in the comments.