I went to a jazz club about a week ago and heard this Afro Cuban jazz band directed by Arturo O'Farrill, who was also on piano. I thought it sounded amazing, it's a totally new sound that I'm not used to, but sounds greaat. Does anyone know anything about this genre? The only other Afro Cuban Jazz band I know is the Buena Vista Social Club, which has some pretty good stuff.

I don't know much about it either, but I know I like it too. One of the main guys in the genre was Mongo Santamaria, who was a drummer. I've only heard a few tracks by him, and it was like 10 years ago, but I remember that they were really cool.

Yeah, I've got the videotape of the Buena Vista Social Club and its great! I tried to see them when they came to town but it sold out instantly. Then the main guy died. Rats, missed my only chance to see'em.

I've been curious about the African music scene for a while...I've heard some stuff on the radio over the years that I really liked, with a really interesting guitar sound - a very different approach to the instrument than what we are used to. I've been eyeing a King Sunny Ade cd at the store, I'll probably buy it soon (hope its like what I expect it to sound like!)

Can you please give me links so i can hear Afro Cuban Jazz.

Well, First of all, Buena Vista Social Club is not really a Jazz Group. BVSC was a gathering of forgotten, pre Cuban revolution, Latin "Salsa" singers and players already very old and retired that were convinced by Ry Cooder(A slide Folk Guitar Player who as many, visited Cuba and fell in love with their rhytm richness and all around sympathy of the Cuban people) to assemble this gathering and record some very, very, very old Guarachas, Guajiras, Son Montunos and Boleros(all cuban rhythms which in conjuction with Puerto Rico's Bomba y Plena makes what today is called Salsa) . They were lead by Compay Segundo, who died a couple of years ago at the age of 98 or 99, I think.

The band you saw was the band of the late Chico O'Farrill. A great cuban arranger who can be seen in one of his final performances alog with that great Big Band in "Calle 54", a documentary - movie about Latin Jazz. There you can see also other exponents of the Latin Jazz genre a.k.a Afro Cuban Jazz. Tito Puente with the late Hilton Ruiz, killed in New Orleans a few months ago, Giovanni Hidalgo, the greatest Conga Drummer in the world, Mario Rivera in Sax among others. There are also performances from Paquito D'Rivera, Jerry Gonzalez & Fort Apache Band, Gato Barbieri, Elaine Elias...

Among the Musicians doing consistently this genre (beggining with the earlier) there were and are :

Dizzie Gillepsie
Machito
Cal Tjader
Ray Barretto
Tito Rodriguez
Tito Puente
Eddie Palmieri
Mongo Santamaria
Willie Bobo
Irakere
Chucho Valdez
Israel Lopez "Cachao"
Francisco Aguabella
Daniel Ponce
Giovanni Hidalgo
Pete Escovedo
Machete Emsemble
Rebecca Mauleon
Huberto Ramirez
Maraca
Arturo Sandoval
Paquito D'Rivera
Gato Barbieri
Jerry and Andy Gonzalez

Others had make some contributions playing in and out of the genre like :

Chick Corea
herbie Hancock
Roy Hargrove
The Crusaders

just to name a few.

Remember that Afro Cuban Jazz is no more than Latin Jazz. It is Jazz with it's syncopaded form with a latin rhythms foundation, nothing more. I play with a Latin Jazz band, right now and 40% or our reppertoire are standards with a latin spice, if you know what I mean.

Fallo