Although only 5'4" in height, the diminutive Cuban singer Machito was a towering influence within the Latin-jazz genre and is credited with introducing Afro-Cuban jazz and salsa to a wide international audience. He was the foster brother of renowned Cuban singer Graciela Gutiérrez; Macho (as he was known) began his own musical career in the late 1920s playing in a variety of bands until in 1937 when he moved to New York. He subsequently founded The Afro-Cubans, a highly respected ensemble of accomplished musicians who fused Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz to create a new kind of big band music.
The Afro-Cubans launched the careers of many musicians and have been cited by artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Stan Kenton as having been influential in their work. Dizzy Gillespie enjoyed a long association with The Afro-Cubans and regularly appeared and collaborated with the band. In the mid '70s Machito launched a new slimmed-down version of The Afro-Cubans and toured as an eight piece. The new format worked well and in 1983 he won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording, recognising his outstanding contribution to Latin music. A year later Machito was was waiting to go on stage at Ronnie Scott's Club and suffered a stroke, passing away four days later on April 19th, 1984.
