Boricua

"Boricua" is one of the interesting early attempts by Astor Piazzolla to fuse tango and jazz in a Jazz-Tango quintet. As the title of the piece suggests, this early crossover attempt involved instrumentation typically associated with the Cuban and Puerto Rican influences in Latin jazz. Jason Borge mentions it as an interesting piece, and it certainly is. Perhaps one of the few from this group that is worth hearing. 

Dream Rag

Eubie Blake's rendition of Jesse Pickett's "Dream Rag" is an interesting example of Latin or Latin-like influences on "pre-jazz" music. If Eubie Blake was telling the truth when he claimed that he played the piece just as its author taught him, then the "Latin" tinge in jazz was also present in 1890s and 1900s ragtime. One listens to "Dream Rag" and it sounds so much like Jelly Roll Morton. 

Caravan Rara

Jazz standard "Caravan" receives the rara treatment in this delectable number from Mozayik. The use of rara rhythms is seamless and commendable. Unfortunately, the rara section only persists for a little over a minute, it shows the potential for Haitian rara/jazz fusion music, particularly as an uncommon form of "Latin" jazz. Perhaps the two share similar stylistic origins in the street music of New Orleans and Haiti?

Noche Cubana

Came across this beautiful song through Leonardo Acosta's history of jazz in Cuba. It appears to be one of the standards of the 'feeling' movement in Cuban music. While not strictly jazz, Acosta explains in detail how many proponents of it were influenced by jazz, African-American musicians, etc.

Diane

One of the more interesting and random recordings of Sidney Bechet from the late 1930s, this rendition of a Haitian meringue classic, "Diane." It indicates that Bechet and his fellow African-American musicians (Willie the Lion Smith, etc.) were cognizant of Haitian music and must have either heard performances of Haitian music or perhaps had access to sheet music. "Diane" was composed by a leader of the Musique du Palais, Luc Jean-Baptiste, and this may be the earliest recording of the song. It could very well be the case that Haitian musicians in Europe introduced pieces like "Diane" to African American musicians. For instance, Bertin Salnave did claim to have met Bechet. Unfortunately for jazz lovers, Bechet did not improvise on his Haitian recordings, but they're useful testaments to how Haitian popular music of the 1930s may have sounded. Besides this, there's a few recordings of Francois Alexis Guignard's group and the Lomax recordings of urban bands. Indeed, some of the Haitian songs recorded by Bechet and company sound a bit like Surprise Jazz.

Irene

Eddy Prophète performing an old Haitian mereng with a very jazzy touch. The lilting feel of the original is retained while Prophète brings his more sophisticated jazz palette to the tune. Original recording can be heard here, which has the benefit of a rhythm section. The ease to which this can be translated into jazz may illustrate the common origin of Haitian and African American music. Of course, Prophète was shaped by jazz-influenced popular music of the 1950s, which may explain his ease at interpreting Haitian material in a jazz vein.