The Song Planner

Latin Jazz Rock

tagStarted 1969Peak 1971-1977Last big hit still active

Located in 2 routes

Rock → Jazz Rock / Fusion RockJazz → Latin Jazz / Afro-Cuban Jazz

Jazz rock charged with Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythm: congas, timbales and bongos under fuzzed organ and singing lead guitar, montuno vamps and clave driving the groove. Modal solos ride percolating percussion. Hot, polyrhythmic and dance-rooted, the Latin pulse rather than the swing ride is the rhythmic engine of the whole sound.

History

Sprang from Santana's Woodstock-era fusion of rock, blues and Afro-Cuban percussion (Abraxas, 1970), then deepened as ex-Santana players formed Azteca and the West Coast band Caldera. Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira and singer Flora Purim, fresh from Return to Forever, brought sambas and tropicália into the fusion bloodstream through the 70s.

Defining artists

Essential listening

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Sources

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airto_Moreira
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santana_(band)
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_Purim