Machito was two years into a residency at La Conga Club in midtown Manhattan in May 1943, when he was called up for military service. The band's lead trumpeter and musical director Mario Bauza fronted the group in Machito's absence and it gave him the opportunity of trying something he had dreamed of earlier as musical director and lead trumpeter of the Chick Webb Orchestra and the Cab Calloway Orchestra – combing the power of big band jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms. At the band's weekly rehearsal at the Park Palace Ballroom on 110th Street he called for a montuno from pianist Luis Verona, and they worked out a head arrangement over the Cuban rhythm, which they called ‘Tanga’. It was such a success at La Conga the band adopted it as their theme tune, which featured regularly on their radio broadcasts on Radio WOR. For many it marked the beginning of Afro-Cuban Jazz, later known as Latin Jazz. When Machito returned from Army service, the process of developing jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms continued, but by now NYC was the centre of bebop, which flavoured the jazz element ofAfro-Cuban jazz, inspiring DJ Fred Robbins to promote the first ever Latin-jazz concert at Town Hall on January 24, 1947. Headlined by Machito and supported by the Stan Kenton Orchestra, Kenton became a fan, helping popularise the music with his hit ‘Peanut Vendor’, but also in the audience was a certain Norman Granz. In 1948 and 1949 he produced a series of sessions with Machito for his Clef label. These sides are now considered the real deal – the Holy Grail of Latin jazz – as bebop tinged pieces such as ‘Barbarabatiri’, ‘Asia Minor’, Vive Como Yo', ‘Babalu’ and ‘Vaya Niña’ attest. Today Latin jazz is also called Salsa, but it was Machito – thanks to Mario Bauza – that brought Latin jazz into the world, long before any of today's salseros were born.