Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite

jazz recording

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July 20, 2026

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The Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite is a significant jazz recording from December 1950 that features the Machito orchestra. This album is a prime example of the development of Latin jazz, a genre that blends Cuban and Caribbean rhythms with jazz improvisation.12

Latin jazz emerged from the interaction between American jazz and Cuban music, with early influences noted in New Orleans around the turn of the 20th century. By the 1940s, the fusion solidified in New York City with ensembles like Machito and his Afro-Cubans. The Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite specifically showcased this blend, featuring soloists like Charlie Parker and arrangements by Arturo O'Farrill. This style of music is characterized by its complex rhythms and the integration of Afro-Cuban percussion instruments.12

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Latin jazz
Norman Granz recorded the successful Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite, which featured the Machito orchestra along with soloists Charlie Parker on alto saxophone, Buddy Rich on drums, Flip Phillips on tenor saxophone, and Harry (“Sweets”) Edison on trumpet, with arrangements by Arturo (“Chico”) O’Farrill. Musicians in Cuba, led by pianists Frank Emilio…
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Norman Granz recorded the successful Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite, which featured the Machito orchestra along with soloists Charlie Parker on alto saxophone, Buddy Rich on drums, Flip Phillips on tenor saxophone, and Harry (“Sweets”) Edison on trumpet, with arrangements by Arturo (“Chico”) O’Farrill. Musicians in Cuba, led by pianists Frank Emilio…
Read More