Mario Bauzá & Machito

The Cuban musicians Mario Bauzá and Machito played a huge role in the history of Latin jazz. Machito’s bands of the 1940s, especially the Afro-Cubans, were among the first to fuse Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz improvisation. Machito was the singer, conductor, and maraca player of the Afro-Cubans. Machito’s brother-in-law Mario Bauza was the musical director of the band.

Mario Bauzá

(Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo) “Machito” and His Afro-Cubans