Mario Bauzá
Mario Bauzá | |
|---|---|
Mario Bauzá, taken in Brooklyn, New York, 1992 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Prudencio Mario Bauzá Cárdenas |
| Born | April 28, 1911 Havana, Cuba |
| Died | July 11, 1993 (aged 82) New York, United States |
| Genres | Big band, creator of the Afro-Cuban jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, arranger, composer |
| Instrument(s) | Clarinet, saxophone, trumpet |
| Years active | 1925–1993 |
| Labels | Mercury, Messidor |
Prudencio Mario Bauzá Cárdenas (April 28, 1911 – July 11, 1993) was an Afro-Cuban jazz, and jazz musician. He was among the first to introduce Cuban music to the United States by bringing Cuban musical styles to the New York City jazz scene. While Cuban bands had had popular jazz tunes in their repertoire for years, Bauzá's composition "Tangá" was the first piece to blend jazz harmony and arranging technique, with jazz soloists and Afro-Cuban rhythms. It is considered the first true Afro-Cuban jazz tune.