Alberto Iznaga

Cuban bandleader Alberto Iznaga was among the artists who recorded for American labels in the '30s and '40s, greatly influencing and eventually enhancing the stylistic recipe known as Latin jazz. Fans of classic jazz will most likely meet Iznaga as the composer of "Goin' Conga," a lively number recorded by bandleader Cab Calloway when his band was at a musical height -- one member of his brass section was trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, soon to become a major figure in bringing together jazz and jazzmen with Cuban music influences and performers. As a bandleader, Iznaga's recordings include a series of sides cut for producer Joe Davis in the '40s that feature a sampling of bolero, guaracha, porro, and pregon rhythms. Iznaga's collaborators included vocalist José Luis Moneró as well as songwriter Jaime Yamin, the latter among the earliest Latin writers to begin drawing paychecks on Tin Pan Alley. "Cuando Estas a Mi Lado" -- which can be roughly translated as "when these things are by my side" -- was a big hit for the Iznaga and Yamin team. ~ Eugene Chadbourne