Introduction

Abstract

Latin Jazz: The Other Jazz explores various theoretical framings that serve as the primary avenue through which to approach a number of case studies. These frames, broadly speaking, include the central tropes and social forces at play at the core of Latin jazz music making. They include the dynamics of intercultural exchange, the discursive practices associated with genre contestations, and the social forces involved in canonization. The beginning of the book maps out the various social terrains associated with Latin jazz and transparently demonstrates the author’s particular biases, assumptions, and hypotheses. It connects how broader issues of economics, nation, race, and ethnicity are uniquely tied to various sonic manifestations and performance practices of Latin jazz throughout the twentieth century. The book then narrows its focus for each of the following chapters, highlighting historical moments, individual musicians, places, and events that have played key roles in the trajectory of this music.