Todays modern musical world finds the Latin Jazz realm continually expanding with a variety of South American and Caribbean influences as well as modern jazz ideals. Although Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms formed the core of the genre through much of its history, were seeing the growth of Latin Jazz that utilizes music from Peru, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and more. In reality, these other directions have always been alive, theyve just been practiced among smaller communities, and we havent had easy access to them. Between online communication and greater world awareness, were now able to discover and hear artists with a variety of Latin Jazz approaches.
The ability to connect with these artists certainly serves as a positive, expanding our Latin Jazz horizons; still, these artists often practice their art form far from our computers, and we rarely, if ever, get the chance to see them perform live. Listening can bring you to a greater understanding of a musical style, but you cant fully comprehend the power of Latin Jazz until youve experienced it live. When my initial interest in Latin Jazz began, my music collection grew fairly rapidly, but I didnt really feel the musics total impact until I saw concert by Paquito DRivera, Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band, Cachao, and more. The spontaneity, musical mastery, and sheer intensity of these experiences built a strong connection with the music, and as a result I developed a stronger understanding of the music.
Recently, Ive been quite interested in the mix of jazz with Afro-Peruvian rhythmic styles, but Im afraid to say that Ive never really seen a complete concert of Afro-Peruvian Jazz. Ive been analyzing the rhythms and looking at the ways that artists blend jazz into traditional songs; its a challenging process, especially considering that Im doing this work on my own. While some concerts of traditional Peruvian music are occurring around me, Im still missing the experience of hearing live jazz played with Peruvian rhythms. This musical movement is gaining momentum, but that work is happening far from my home base. Experiencing concerts by artists that are actively blending these styles would undoubtedly help me reach a fuller understanding of the music.
The ability to connect with these artists certainly serves as a positive, expanding our Latin Jazz horizons; still, these artists often practice their art form far from our computers, and we rarely, if ever, get the chance to see them perform live. Listening can bring you to a greater understanding of a musical style, but you cant fully comprehend the power of Latin Jazz until youve experienced it live. When my initial interest in Latin Jazz began, my music collection grew fairly rapidly, but I didnt really feel the musics total impact until I saw concert by Paquito DRivera, Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band, Cachao, and more. The spontaneity, musical mastery, and sheer intensity of these experiences built a strong connection with the music, and as a result I developed a stronger understanding of the music.
Recently, Ive been quite interested in the mix of jazz with Afro-Peruvian rhythmic styles, but Im afraid to say that Ive never really seen a complete concert of Afro-Peruvian Jazz. Ive been analyzing the rhythms and looking at the ways that artists blend jazz into traditional songs; its a challenging process, especially considering that Im doing this work on my own. While some concerts of traditional Peruvian music are occurring around me, Im still missing the experience of hearing live jazz played with Peruvian rhythms. This musical movement is gaining momentum, but that work is happening far from my home base. Experiencing concerts by artists that are actively blending these styles would undoubtedly help me reach a fuller understanding of the music.
