Latin Jazz Music

Latin jazz is jazz with Latin American rhythms. Although musicians continually expand its parameters, the term Latin jazz is generally understood to have a more specific meaning than simply jazz from Latin America. Some Latin Jazz typically employs rhythms that either have a direct analog in Africa, or exhibit an African influence. The two main categories of Latin jazz are:

Afro-Cuban jazz—jazz rhythmically based on clave, often with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns from Cuban popular dance music.

Afro-Brazilian jazz—includes bossa nova and jazz samba.

The Van Buren concert band used an example of Afro- Cuban jazz in their selection Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in their winter concert.