14 Facts About Mario Bauza

Prudencio Mario Bauza Cardenas was an Afro-Cuban jazz, Latin, and jazz musician.

Mario Bauza was among the first to introduce Cuban music to the United States by bringing Cuban musical styles to the New York City jazz scene.

Mario Bauza then performed on clarinet and bass clarinet with pianist Antonio Maria Romeu's charanga orchestra.

Mario Bauza's stayed with his cousin, trumpeter Rene Endreira, who was a Harlem resident and played with The Santo Domingo Serenaders, a band was made up of Panamanians, Cubans, and Puerto Ricans playing jazz.

The teenage Mario Bauza was impressed with Harlem's African American community and the freedom they had.

Mario Bauza witnessed a performance of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and was inspired with saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer's feature in the piece.

Mario Bauza now devoted his time to playing the instrument being inspired by Louis Armstrong.

In 1938, Mario Bauza joined Cab Calloway's band, later convincing Calloway to hire trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.

In 1939, Mario Bauza became co-founder and musical director of Machito and his Afro-Cubans with his vocalist brother-in-law, Francisco Raul Gutierrez Grillo.

The band produced its first recordings for Decca in 1941, and in 1942 Mario Bauza brought in a timbalero named Tito Puente.

Importantly in 1947, Mario Bauza introduced the young Havana conga virtuoso Chano Pozo to Gillespie, when the latter wanted to add a Cuban percussionist to his band; though Pozo was killed in a Harlem bar fight just a year later, he left an indelible and long-lasting mark on Gillespie's playing and compositions; co-writing several other compositions such as "Manteca" and "Tin Tin Deo".

Mario Bauza kept his post as director of the Afro-Cubans until 1976.

On this Monday evening, Mario Bauza leaned over the piano and instructed Varona to play the same piano vamp he did the night before.

Mario Bauza was a master at moving the song from one side of clave to the other.