Although only 5'4" in height, the diminutive Cuban singer Machito - born
Francisco Raúl Guitérrez Grillo on December 3, 1909 in Tampa, Florida - was a
towering influence within the Latin-jazz genre and is credited with introducing
Afro-Cuban jazz and salsa to a wide international audience. He was the foster
brother of renowned Cuban singer Graciela Gutiérrez; Macho (as he was known)
began his own musical career in the late 1920s playing in a variety of bands
until 1937, when he moved to New York. In 1940, Machito founded The Afro-Cubans
- aka Machito & His Afro-Cubans - a highly ...