Machito: A Latin Jazz Legacy: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A documentary film with the title Machito: A Latin Jazz Legacy. It consists of two reels of color 16mm polyester film with optical sound.

The film profiles Cuban bandleader Frank "Machito" Grillo and explores the history of Latin jazz in the United States, with a focus on New York City, and the history of Cuban music in general, with footage from New York City and Cuba. It features footage of Machito himself, as well as interviews with Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon and Ray Barretto. The film includes performances, film clips, still photographs and newsreel material.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1987
• Directed by: Carlos Ortiz, Puerto Rican, 1947 - 2008
• Subject of: Machito, Cuban American, 1908 - 1984
• Produced by: Carlos Ortiz, Puerto Rican, 1947 - 2008
• Written by: Bruce Spiegel
• Subject of: Tito Puente, American, 1923 - 2000
• Subject of: Ray Barretto, American, 1929 - 2006
• Subject of: Dizzy Gillespie, American, 1917 - 1993
• Subject of: Dexter Gordon, American, 1923 - 1990
• Type: sound films
• Type: color films (visual works)
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: polyester film
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 1): 24 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 850 Feet
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 2): 28 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 1000 Feet
• Cultural Place: Cuba, Caribbean, Latin America, North and Central America
• Place depicted: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Latin jazz (Music)
• Topic: Musical films
• Object number: 2017.55.67.1ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Icarus Films, ©1987 Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.