May 18, 2007: The Latin Connection(s)
Even before Jelly Roll Morton claimed that all true jazz must have a “Latin tinge,” the complex relationship between jazz and Spanish, Haitian, Cuban, Brazilian, and other musics from South of the U.S. border was alive and well. On this week’s show will we interview UCSB Professor Gaye Theresa Johnson (Black Studies), who has done significant work in illuminating the history of these connections. Dr. Johnson’s areas of expertise are twentieth century U.S. history; race and racism; social movements and identities, and cultural history with an emphasis on music. She is completing a manuscript entitled The Future Has a Past: Politics, Music and Memory in Afro-Chicano Los Angeles.