The impact of Afro-Cuban Jazz Moods
Afro-Cuban Jazz Moods brought together three significant musicians - Gillespie, Machito and O’Farrill from the A genre of music that has swing and syncopated rhythms, and extended chords. and Afro-Cuban genres. Together they collaborated in a historic recording session to produce an album which is regarded as one of the most important in jazz history.
The success of the album led to a 1976 Grammy Award nomination for Best Jazz Performance by a big band. In addition to other recordings by both Gillespie and Machito, the accolade helped take Afro-Cuban jazz into the mainstream.
Dizzy Gillespie is regarded as one of the greatest ever jazz trumpeters and his contribution to jazz is still celebrated today. He was the winner of many awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1989.
Machito won a Grammy Award in 1983 for the Best Latin Recording. The city of New York celebrated his pioneering work in bringing Afro-Cuban and Latin music to the mainstream by naming a square after him in 1985.
Both musicians have had their music introduced to younger generations. Machito and the Afro-Cuban Orchestra’s song Mambo Mucho Mambo features on the soundtrack for the computer game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Dizzy Gillespie made numerous appearances on the popular American children’s television programme The Muppets.