The Third Case of the Uptown Latin Jam Session

Back to Latin America this week, amigos, where I am discovering so much more to share with you!

As usual, the main focus of today's show will be Cuba. We will start the set by indulging in some velvety old-timey Cuban radio sounds (or perhaps indulge me?). The early part of the set puts a spotlight on flute and violin, two instruments that were once a part of most Cuban musical groups. We will hear some danzon and pachanga tracks, alongside a few silky boleros. 

We end the first hour today with a handful of fun all-instrumental tracks, including Bebo Valdes and the piano master Peruchin.

Second set today moves, for the most part, to New York, where Cuban sounds had a huge influence. Back in the 40s and 50s it was more common for Cuban musicians to record in New York than in Havana. Musicians moved in and out of the US music scene long before the revolution, including stars who took up residence in New York (Machito, Mario Bauza, Xavier Cugat, Chico O'Farrell). In New York, Cuban musicians played alongside other members of the Caribbean diaspora, particularly Puerto Ricans. The hybrid sound that emerged owed much to ideas originated in Havana, but this music also absorbed more of the arrangements and the swing of US big band jazz.

We'll start the second set with some "jungle beat" exotica, featuring a few tracks with the iconic voice of Cuba's Elvis (but 15 years earlier); Miguelito Valdes. We move into descarga, a loosely defined genre of jazz club Latin that emerged in the 50s. Descargas are perhaps most easily identified for minimizing vocal elements and giving instrumentalists more time for solos. We end up with some boogaloo and latin soul that characterized the popular sound in New York's latin community during the 60s.