Dizzy Gillepsie, photo by Herb Snitzer
The Latin tinge in jazz dates back at least to Jelly Roll Morton, who claimed it was the right seasoning for the music. But Gillespies collaboration with Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo on the stage of Carnegie Hall in September 1947 would have jolted Morton off his piano stool. Pozo would be dead before the end of 1948 killed in a fight over a bag of marijuana but he left behind a handful of classic recordings before his passing. None is more spectacular than Manteca, built on a relentless vamp married to a stately swing bridge. Gillespie plays with unbridled passion; indeed the whole band seems pushed into overdrive by Pozos presence. Not just the right seasoning here rather a total immersion in the fiery currents of Afro-Cuban music. Sixty years later, you can still feel the heat.