Concert Celebrates the Afro-Cuban Flavored Bebop of Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo!

When Afro-Cuban musician Mario Bauzá introduced Dizzy Gillespie to Havana-born percussionist Chano Pozo in 1947, it paved the way for the emergence of Latin Jazz. Gillespie didn't know what a conga drum was called, but the trumpeter sure knew he liked its sounds. The BeBop jazz legend invited Pozo to join his band. That moment broke down barriers between Latino and swing-era bands, a shift in the soundscape that will be celebrated this weekend at Long Beach's Museum of Latin America Art. "At that time, the jazz public was unaware of music from the Caribbean," says musical director Paul De Castro. "This is the first time the American jazz public started listening to authentic Cuban percussion."

Read more on my latest OC Weekly Heard Mentality Blog post:

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2015/08/concert_molaa.php