Cuban jam sessions have a rich, evolving history that connects the foundational jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms of early 20th-century Cuba with the global salsa movement epitomized by groups like the Fania All-Stars. The thread running from Cachao López to the Fania era highlights how improvisation, rhythm, and cultural fusion shaped modern Latin music.
Highlights:
✔ Cachao López — helped define Cuban jam culture through descargas
✔ Descarga sessions — foundational influence on Latin jazz and improvisational performance
✔ Fania All-Stars — salsa collective that brought jam-like performances to wider audiences
✔ Musical lineage — improvisation and rhythm unite Cuban jam traditions with salsa and Latin jazz