Roger King Mozian (born 29 June 1927, New York City; died 16 May 1963, Yonkers, New York) was one of the great gringos of Latin music. He played with many of the biggest names, including
Perez Prado,
Machito and
Tito Puente, and shortly before his death in 1963, recorded his own contribution to that crucial sub-genre, Latin twist. A lifelong New Yorker, Mozian attended NYU and began playing trumpet with jazz and Latin groups in the late 1940s. He first came to widespread attention when his tune, "Asia Minor," was a hit for Machito. It later became something of a jazz stand…
read more