Chano Pozo

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Chano Pozo (January 7, 1915 - December 2, 1948) was a percussionist with a musical background from Cuban religious cults.

Born in Havana, he played a major role in the founding of Latin jazz, and was a renowned session player. Once Pozo became famous he also became renowned by his sense of fashion: his all-white top hat and tuxedo look predated that of Flavor Flav by at least 45 years. Pozo and an impromptu group of fellow musicians and singers wrote a conga music composition that earned them first prize in the Santiago de Cuba carnival of 1940: "La Comparsa de los Dandys", a composition that is considered by some to be the unofficial theme song of the city of Santiago, and a song standard at many Latin American carnivals.

In 1947 Pozo moved to New York City where he met Dizzy Gillespie. They played bebop together in a big band, most notably songs like "Cubana Be", "Cubana Bop", "Tin Tin Deo", and "Manteca". Pozo co-wrote the latter two.

Chano Pozo was killed in a fight in a Harlem, New York bar at the age of 33, allegedly in an argument over the quality or authenticity of a bag of marijuana he had bought from his eventual assassin. He is buried in the Colon Cemetery, Havana

His grandson Joaquín Pozo who lives in Cuba as of 2006, is also a famous conguero.

Chano Pozo is the subject of a poem by Jayne Cortez.