Latin Jazz Music – Wici Band in Jersey
Latin jazz, also called Afro-Cuban jazz, a style of music that blends rhythms and percussion. It takes the instruments of Cuba and the Spanish Caribbean with jazz and its fusion of European and African musical elements.
A genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms, there is a strong Cuban influence in early jazz. African American music began incorporating Afro-Cuban musical motifs in the 19th century, when the habanera gained international popularity. The habanera was the first written music to be rhythmically based on an African motif.
At Wici Band, we play a wonderful range of Latin Jazz music. You will hear a heavy influences to our musical offering at both our Jersey and UK gigs.
Latin Jazz Musical Differences
In comparison with straight-ahead jazz, Latin jazz employs straight rhythm (or “even-eighths”), rather than swung rhythm. Early examples rarely employed a backbeat, but contemporary forms fuse the backbeat with the clave. The conga, timbale, güiro, bongos, and claves are percussion instruments often used in addition to, or in place of the standard drum kit.
Like most types of jazz, this genre can be played in small or large groups. Small groups, or combos, often use the bebop format made popular in the 1950s in America, where the musicians play a standard melody, many of the musicians play an improvised solo, and then everyone plays the melody again. Prominent big bands include Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Bobby Sanabria’s Multiverse Big Band, Raices Jazz Orchestra, Mambo Legends Orchestra, Pacific Mambo Orchestra, as well as others. In Latin jazz bands, percussion is often featured in solos. Contemporary pieces by musicians such as Hermeto Pascoal are mostly composed for these small groups, with percussion solos as well as many wind-instrumentals.
If you have a special request for your Jersey gig, event, or party, why not contact Wici Band and we will gladly accommodate your musical request.
Here are some great examples:
Happy Latin Jazz and Bossa Nova
Traditional classics include:
The Girl from Ipanema | Meditation | Desafinado | Mas Que Nada | Oye Como Va
Notable musicians are Dizzy Gillespie, Mario Bauzá, Chano Pozo, Jerry González, Andy González, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Bobby Sanabria, and Arturo O’Farrill, to name a few. But there are also many modern songs, where you can hear the influence and use of this genre in songs by Caro Emerald, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee.
When you are holding an event, you want it to be fun and entertaining. That’s where Wici come in. Contact us today about great music for your event. Wici Band: Music for every occasion, right here in Jersey.
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