Chano Pozo

Chano Pozo played a major role in the founding of Latin jazz, which was essentially a mixture of bebop and Cuban folk music. He gained his musical background from Cuban religious cults. After moving to New York in 1947, he met Dizzy Gillespie who enthusiastically added him to his bebop big band. Among his features with Dizzy were "Cubana Be," "Cubana Bop," "Tin Tin Deo," and "Manteca"; Pozo co-wrote the latter two. Unfortunately, Chano Pozo had a hot temper and he was killed in a Harlem bar a month shy of his 34th birthday. ~ Scott Yanow