Machito and his Afro-Cubans

First to wed big-band jazz arranging with an authentic Afro-Cuban rhythm section; foundational to Cubop and salsa.

Founded in New York in 1940 with Mario Bauzá as musical director, Machito and his Afro-Cubans were among the first bands to wed Afro-Cuban rhythm, big-band jazz, and improvisation. Their 1943 'Tanga' established that jazz soloing could unfold over a clave-governed Afro-Cuban foundation, and the band became a working laboratory for arrangers and horn-section discipline, its repertory preserved in manuscript charts for tunes like 'Tanga' and 'Mambo Inn.'

Role

Ensemble / First to wed big-band jazz arranging wit

Era

Mambo & Cha-Cha-Cha

Genre

Afro-Cuban jazz / Cubop (Latin jazz)

Origin

New York