The Latin boom continues unabated in Tokyo. There are Latin dance lessons aplenty, spicy eateries and specialty cigar and rum bars; the latest bands from Cuba tour to full houses; and a Japanese-language free magazine, Salsa 120%, lists all things Latin. No longer just a fad, Latin culture has become an integral part of the city's life.
Ever since Jelly Roll Morton's 1920s comment that jazz always needed a "Spanish tinge," Latin music has been an important influence in the world of jazz. Since the early '50s, when Cuban music was at its height, Latin music was always a way of breaking up an evening of jazz. Dizzy Gillespie's blending of bop and Cuban clave established the genre. In each generation since, jazz musicians, tired of orthodox four-beat rhythms, have switched over to the dance-oriented, complex rhythms of Latin jazz.
In Tokyo, many formerly straight jazz groups have taken up Latin jazz exclusively, their intricate rhythms and fiery solos packing clubs on a regular basis. Recently, too, they have blended jazz improvisation and Afro-Cuban drumming with increased confidence. Dedicated largely to an acoustic sound, Tokyo musicians have started to write their own compositions, arrange the music in innovative ways and crank up the musical heat.