In the 1990s, a group of influential Latin Jazz leaders such as Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Mongo Santamaria, and more helped us grasp onto a firm understanding of Latin Jazz as a style.  That concept included the use of Afro-Cuban rhythms as a basis for jazz harmonies and improvisation that often stemmed directly from classic jazz standards.  These musicians worked hard to establish a memorable reputation for the music, and the resulting associations drilled certain ideas into the public’s consciousness.  For many people, Latin Jazz equated salsa in the 1990s, and any good Latin Jazz concert included dancing to the mambo and cha cha cha.  It didn’t have words, which was fine, it still added up to a party.  In fact the loss of lyrics was a benefit for the Caucasian audience which often missed the meaning of Spanish vocals.  They simply loved the rhythm - it made them move, making jazz a physical experience once again.  While many people probably couldn’t point out the rhythms by name, they knew them by ear, and those rhythms were definitely Cuban.

What Is Latin Jazz?
Once the 2000s were fully under way, artists once again asked us to answer the question “What Is Latin Jazz?” by diversifying the music’s Latin roots.  Artists hoping to build a career around Latin Jazz in the 1990s needed to spend the majority of time in the Afro-Cuban realm; it was a necessity to find an audience.  Latin Jazz artists threw away the expectation of falling into line with Afro-Cuban traditions during the 2000s and explored a variety of other genres from South America and the Caribbean.  At the root of this change, artists integrated new rhythms into a jazz context. Latin Jazz found a place for Puerto Rican bomba and plena, Peruvian festejo and landó, Argentinean tango, Dominican merengue, Colombian bullerengue and more.  It wasn’t simply the nature of the rhythms that drove these changes though, musicians were genuinely interested in finding an authentic integration of Caribbean and South American traditions into jazz. They drew upon folk songs, arranging techniques, and native jazz musicians from their own countries. These elements accounted for some major changes in the scope of the genre - the overall Latin Jazz world sounded very different by 2009 and it became increasingly difficult to categorize the genre.

Changes In Instrumentation
The evolution of the style dug down to the very core of the style, starting with very noticeable changes in instrumentation. Percussion has always symbolized the heart and soul of Latin Jazz - something that didn’t change as the music opened to different Latin influences - it just looked very different. Barilles de bomba, panderos, cajones, tamboras, and the bomba legüero appeared alongside or in the place of congas, timbales, and bongó.  Many of these musicians emphasized jazz aesthetics in the place of raw dance energy, so the drum kit became an essential interactive element. The guitar became much more prominent, often replacing the piano in South American contexts.  Instruments such as the bandoneon and melodic appeared more frequently, often playing an integral role in the music.  The ensemble sometimes shrank to a combo and at other times it grew into the rich sonorities of a big band.  The instrumentation varied based on the musician’s preference and the Latin tradition, but without a doubt, the Latin Jazz ensemble looked different than it had in the nineties.

Integrating Folkloric Forms
This generation of Latin Jazz artists drew from the lessons of their elders, but they didn’t always stick to them; these artists moved away from an exclusive connection to dance traditions and dove into folkloric forms.  They built a new approach around folk music from their countries which allowed for plenty of personal expression. In some ways this meant a much more subtle approach to the music that was often based less upon rhythmic drive and more upon melodic content.  Traditional folk songs became common fare in the Latin Jazz world, giving musicians the liberty to avoid underlying dance rhythms.  Creative arrangements often re-harmonized  the songs and them placed them in sparse settings or even re-contextualized them into traditional swing tunes.   These songs were unfamiliar to an older generation of jazz musicians, so young Latin Jazz musicians found inventive ways to introduce this repertoire.  This created an ideal setting for creative vocalists who could authentically call upon Caribbean and South American traditions while keeping one foot in the jazz world.  Several vocalists such as Sofia Rei Koutsovitis, Kat Parra, Lucia Pulido, Sofia Tosello, and Claudia Acuña thrived in this new world. As Latin Jazz musicians found new repertoire and approaches, their artistic world blossomed

Earlier Examples Of Diversity
These changes sent listeners scrambling to keep up with the music, but in reality, this wasn’t a new phenomenon. Latin Jazz artists had been exploring music outside the Afro-Cuban realm long before the 2000s.  Brazilian music held a luxury seat in the Latin Jazz world near its Afro-Cuban counterpart, largely due to the integration of the bossa nova into the jazz language. The sparse usage of Puerto Rican bomba and plena went back to the Big 3 mambo orchestras, and the styles found a champion among the dance music of Rafael Cortijo. This culminated in the definitively Puerto Rican fusion jazz album Cortijo And His Time Machine, which set the standard for nineties statements from Papo Vazquez and William Cepeda. Guitarist Richie Zellon combined Afro-Peruvian rhythms with jazz and a healthy rock edge in several nineties albums including Cafe Con Leche and Nazca Lines while vocalist Corina Bartra explored the possibilities of Afro-Peruvian Jazz with her album Corina Bartra Quartet. Astor Piazzolla’s music didn’t include large doses of improvisation, but he did include jazz harmony and recorded with jazz soloists such as Gerry Mulligan and Gary Burton. His long time pianist Pablo Ziegler took the music in more jazz directions with with Quintet For New Tango. In every way, the stage was set for the diversification of Latin Jazz that exploded in the 2000s.

What Made The 2000s Different?
Great music arrived earlier that utilized a more diverse Latin foundation, but it remained in the background of the Latin Jazz world - so what made the 2000s different that allowed the expansion of the genre? The listening audience had been introduced to folk musics from different Caribbean and South American countries during the world music expansion of the nineties. Compilations such as Luaka Bop’s Afro-Peruvian Classics: The Soul of Black Peru introduced the general public to new artists, bringing tradition bearers such as Susana Baca to the forefront. A string of tributes to Astor Piazzolla from artists as diverse as Gary Burton and the Kronos Quartet brought Nuevo Tango into the public consciousness. The world ingested these musics in the nineties and they were ready for the jazz variations which became prominent in the 2000s. The music wasn’t the only thing that changed during the 2000s though - the music industry lost control of public consumption through the internet and the mp3. Independent artists gained the ability to find interested audiences online and promote directly to them. As Latin Jazz artists got support from new fans, they were free to explore creative directions that were previously closed. Artistry, passion, and creativity was suddenly rewarded, and Latin Jazz with influences from Peru, Argentina, Puerto Rico, and beyond became a major reality. As the Latin Jazz world moves into the second decade of the 21st Century, a diverse vision of the genre’s “Latin” component sits as an integral piece of the picture.

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Some Albums That Brought A Diverse Latin Jazz Sound To The Forefront During The 2000s:

Gabriel Alegria: Nuevo Mundo

Eric Kurimski: Réplica

Papo Vazquez And The Mighty Pirates: Marooned/Aislado

Miguel Zenon: Esta Plena

Pablo Aslan: Buenos Aires Tango Standards

Sofia Koutsovitis: Ojalá

Lucia Pulido: Waning Moon

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The 2000s were a major time of change in the Latin Jazz world, so we’re taking a look at some of the major trends through several different articles. Make sure you check out Part 1 of this series where we take a big picture look at the main theme riding over the 2000s and Part 2 where we discuss the changing of the guard. Come back tomorrow for Part 4 where we’ll dive into one more major change in the Latin Jazz world during the past decade - see you then!

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Check Out These Related Posts:
Exploring Latin Jazz: Afro-Peruvian Dance And Folk Artists
Exploring Latin Jazz: Analysis & Questions About Nuevo Tango
Exploring Latin Jazz: What Makes Afro-Peruvian Jazz Unique?
Exploring Latin Jazz: From Pop Star To Artistic Innovator - Two Sides Of Tango

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