Traditional jazz musicians take songs from all areas of the musical world and shape them into personal reflections of their artistry. Early swing and bop musicians took material from Broadway musicals and popular music of the early 20th century. Contemporary jazz musicians incorporate rock and dance material into their repertoire, touching on everything from James Brown to Nirvana. Television and movie themes have found their way onto jazz albums as well. Artists shared among themselves; as composers’ work became standard literature, other musicians performed and recorded them. The inherent aesthetic of interpreting, reharmonizing, and improvising upon music has made the requirements for jazz repertoire quite flexible.

Due to the mixed heritage of Latin Jazz, musicians have also pulled from a variety of sources for song choices. Every imaginable traditional jazz standard has been “Latinized” at some point. For straight ahead soloists, the new rhythmic foundation inspired a creative re-imagining of tired tunes, while Latin musicians investigated the inner workings of jazz harmony through performing classic songs. Composers from the jazz and Latin music worlds came together to write new songs that intertwined aesthetics from both genres. Resultantly, a group of songs with strong harmonic content that were intimately tied to Latin rhythms became measuring sticks for future repertoire. In addition, musicians brought songs from the Latin music world into the jazz realm, opening the door on a whole new set of vehicles for improvisation. Throughout this mix of sources, a solid set of songs emerged as regular pieces of Latin Jazz gigs.

The list below highlights five songs from the Latin music world that have become standards for Latin Jazz musicians. These are “must know” tunes; memorize them and be ready to perform them on request. Find the recommended recordings, but keep your ears open - as with any great standard, these songs have been recorded an uncountable number of times. These songs primarily rise from a Cuban music background. There are a number of standards that come from other Caribbean and South American musical traditions, a good number of them from Brazilian music. We’ll touch upon that in a future post; for now, make sure that you’ve got these songs covered!

1. El Manicero
Written by: Moisés Simons
Rhythm: Son
Recording to Check Out: Descarga En California, Rebeca Mauleón

2. Besame Mucho
Written by: Consuelo Velazquez
Rhythm: Bolero
Recording to Check Out: Big Band Urban Folktales, Bobby Sanabria

3. Drume Negrita
Written by: Ernesto Grenet
Rhythm: Varies
Recording to Check Out: Time Was - Time Is, Ray Barretto

4. Obsesión
Written by: Pedro Flores
Rhythm: Bolero; sometimes played as a Rumba
Recording to Check Out: Moliendo Café, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band

5. La Comparsa
Written by: Ernesto Lecuona
Rhythm: Son
Recording to Check Out: New Conceptions, Chucho Valdés

Looking for more on Latin Jazz Standards? Check out these posts:
Latin Jazz Standards
Reality Check for Latin Jazz Musicians

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