Latin jazz

Latin jazz represents the first significant fusion movement in jazz history. Latin American musical elements began to play an increasingly important role in the North American music industry in the early decades of the 20th century and were taken up by jazz musicians in particular in the 1940s. Due to large immigration flows from some Latin American countries to the USA New York City in particular developed into a hotspot for the Latin scene where mainly Cuban and African-American musicians with different musical idioms and styles came together leading to the emergence of new creative musical genres. Latin jazz flourished in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s and has had a significant influence on the music industry to this day. In addition to a historical and socio-cultural review many related music genres are described key figures and their work are highlighted and exemplary works are analysed musically.