LJC Community Conversations are designed to explore major ideas in the Latin Jazz world together as a community and inspire conversation through comments. My main motivator here is my belief that LJC readers hold a great deal of knowledge and passion around Latin Jazz, and I think that we can learn something from everyone. Whether you’re a seasoned Latin Jazz performer or a newcomer to the music, leave a comment and let your voice be heard!

Today’s conversation places Latin Jazz in a context other than musical . . .

While traditional jazz exists as an aural art, its history and development remains intertwined with film. From the beginning of television with sound, footage of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and others sits as part of film history. Public television constantly returns to jazz, resulting in classic shows like Jazz Casual and Legends of Jazz. Movies have integrated jazz to varying extents, including full-fledged Hollywood events like Round Midnight and Bird. For many years now, DVDs and videocassettes containing jazz performances have been widely available. Film has documented, promoted, and integrated traditional jazz throughout most of its history.

The film industry also loves Latin music, although its use of Latin Jazz in particular has been sporadic. The stereotypes of Latin music have been portrayed most dominantly; the passion of tango, the hot sexuality of salsa, and the tribal roots of Afro-Cuban drumming have all been translated into images with questionable results. Latin dance music has appeared as a major focus for several films including Dirty Dancing - Havana Nights and the Hector Lavoe film El Cantante. In these examples, the music simply serves as a setting for the drama though, not a focus. Most of these versions of Latin music have always seemed a bit skewed from actual realities.

Latin Jazz documentaries have come to the forefront occasionally. Calle 54 remains the most potent, popular, and directly relevant example of a Latin Jazz documentary. The narrative focused directly upon Latin Jazz musicians, and the performances captured the spontaneity and excitement of the style. Buena Vista Social Club certainly gained worldwide attention, but its musical center was dance music. A PBS documentary was aired, over a decade ago, entitled Roots of Rhythm. Here, the filmmakers showed a bigger picture that looked at Latin Jazz briefly. Examples exist, although they are few and far between.

Pop culture has utilized Latin Jazz occasionally, shifting between musical reality and Hollywood glamour. Years ago, an animated Tito Puente guest starred on the infamous two part Simpsons episode “Who Shot Mr. Burns?.” His Simpsonized band performed an original piece written for the show. The Mambo Kings offered an extremely Hollywood version of the Mambo era, but they featured performances by Puente, Arturo Sandoval, and more. Bill Cosby brought Puente and Carlos “Patato” Valdes onto The Cosby Show, as he did with a variety of jazz musicians. The greater Latin Jazz fans have found ways to integrate the music into their popular culture settings.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

I’m sure that between the wealth of knowledge and experience in the LJC readership we could create a list of Latin Jazz appearances on film. Let’s try to keep the focus on jazz here; there are also a lot of great salsa film examples, but that’s a whole other topic. In the spirit of exploring, consider Afro-Cuban and Brazilian Jazz, but also a variety of other Latin influences. LEAVE A COMMENT and help us create a list. Here are some places to look for Latin Jazz:

* Concert Films

* Documentaries

* Pop Culture References

JOIN THE CONVERSATION!
LEAVE A COMMENT below with some examples of Latin Jazz on film! I know that between the LJC readers, we should be able to make a great list. Even better, this could be the start of an even bigger conversation. So if you know of a film, share it! Your comment will be appreciated!

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