Voices from Latin America: Chano Pozo | Carnegie Hall

Chano Pozo

"It’s amazing. Latin jazz was born in New York with Mario Bauzá, Chano Pozo, Dizzy Gillespie, and others. It was called Afro-Cuban because they added Afro-Cuban drums into Dizzy’s band. It was a fusion of many elements."—Chucho Valdés

September 29, 1947 was a milestone event in the development of Latin jazz. On that day, a young Cuban conga virtuoso and composer Chano Pozo joined Dizzy Gillespie’s band onstage at Carnegie Hall in the first attempt to fuse elements of jazz and Cuban music at a serious artistic level. The marriage of syncopated Cuban rhythms with the be-bop melodic virtuosity was to be a happy one.

While Pozo was tragically to die young in the following year, his rhythmic innovations and influence on Latin jazz lives on to this day.

Explore the life and work of this fascinating figure with videos of his life. In addition, Dizzy Gillespie reminiscences about Pozo and explains how “Manteca,” Dizzy’s biggest hit, came into being.

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Archives and Rose Museum Director Gino Francesconi includes the famous 1947 Dizzy Gillespie/Chano Pozo concert in this account of Latin American music at Carnegie Hall.

When Dizzy Met Chano

Legendary jazz bandleader Dizzy Gillespie recalls how he was introduced to Chano Pozo by Cab Calloway, the background to that meeting, and the impact that collaboration had on jazz in the US and beyond.

Manteca: Pioneering Sound

Dizzy Gillespie relates how Chano Pozo—using sounds and signs—helped write and arrange "Manteca," the now iconic piece that was one of the earliest sounds of Afro-Cuban jazz.

Global Influence

Voices from Latin America Artistic Advisor Osvaldo Golijov discusses the global influence of Cuban and other Latin American styles of music.

Chano's Story: Part 1

This evocative Spanish-language film features Cuban musicians discussing Chano Pozo's life, music, and influence on jazz and other musical styles globally.
Essential Chano Pozo

The sound of the artist who—with Dizzy Gillespie—launched Afro-Cuban music.

Chano's Story: Part 2

This evocative Spanish-language film features Cuban musicians discussing Chano Pozo's life, music, and influence on jazz and other musical styles globally.
Chano Pozo's Legacy

Many artists—including Tito Puente, the Palmieri brothers, Tito Rodriguez, and Ray Barretto—followed where Chano Pozo led.

Chano's Story: Part 3

This evocative Spanish-language film features Cuban musicians discussing Chano Pozo's life, music, and influence on jazz.
The Liberation of the Drum

Author Ned Sublette joins Georges Collinet for Public Radio International Afropop Worldwide's "The Liberation of the Drum," which includes a discussion of Chano Pozo (14:40).