Today, as we honor Cuban Culture Day, we’re thrilled to introduce our Santiago de Cuba Music and Cultural Tour, March 27th-31st, 2024. Santiago de Cuba, often referred to as the cradle of Cuban music, holds a special place in the heart of our nation’s cultural tapestry. Nestled in a remote corner of Cuba, Santiago boasts an authenticity that is both rare and captivating.
Withย Havana Music Tours, you’ll have the opportunity to explore Santiago de Cuba’s rich musical heritage, guided by our expert musician team. Over five unforgettable days, you’ll connect with the soul of Santiago, experiencing its vibrant rhythms, historic landmarks, and the warmth of its traditions. From the iconic Casa de la Trova and Salรณn del Son to the Grammy Award-Winning performances of Septeto Santiaguero and the UNESCO-recognized Tumba Francesa La Caridad de Oriente, every moment promises to be a feast for the senses.
Conga de los Hoyos, Santiago de Cuba 2023 – Havana Music Tours
But it’s not just about the music. Santiago’s culinary scene is a delightful journey in itself. Relish meals at renowned spots like Restaurante La Cabaรฑa and Restaurante El Madrileรฑo. As the sun sets, let Santiago’s nightlife enchant you with performances that resonate with the city’s deep-rooted musical legacy.
Beyond the music and food, Santiago’s history is a testament to its significance in Cuban culture. With visits to places like the Conservatorio de Mรบsica Esteban Salas and a day trip to Guantรกnamo guided by historian Jesรบs Cuenca, you’ll gain insights into the city’s storied past.
Sala Dolores, Santiago de Cuba 2023 – Havana Music Tours
So, as we celebrate Cuban Culture Day, we invite you to join us on this special journey to Santiago de Cuba. Let’s come together to honor the rhythms, flavors, and stories that make Cuban culture so beautifully unique.
https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1-Santiago-Music-Tours-Photos-Havana-Music-Tours.png?fit=6912%2C3456&ssl=134566912Yami Cabrerahttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngYami Cabrera2023-10-20 10:25:152024-03-09 12:34:35Celebrating Cuban Culture Day with a New Santiago de Cuba Music Tour 2024
The great New Year celebration in Cuba is a very special party occasion for Cubans worldwide. It brings together entire families and friends ready to steep in folk traditions passed down for years from generation to generation. On these festive days, we can see the pure essence of the Cuban people in a very authentic way; their traditional food, customs, and preferred music, plus all the cultural and religious diversity that make up their rich culture.
Preparing the great New Year’s Eve feast is a ritual in which the whole family participates and represents the most authentic of our culinary culture: celebration, family, and tradition. The main traditional dishes are roast pork, yucca with Creole “Mojo,” “Congri,” salad, fried plantain, and of course, you cannot miss good rum, cold beer, wine, and perhaps some homemade Cuban Cocktails. Cubans roast a big piece of pork or an entire pig from the beginning of the day until the meat is well cooked, and the pork skin is crunchy. This tradition is probably the most popular thing to do on New Year’s Eve for Cubans, and most of the time is the center of the whole party.
Cubans need to have music so they can enjoy the other things at the party. Some family members even showcase their musical skills by playing guitar, piano, drums, or other instruments in a very cultural way. But, of course, music is always present, while silence and tv are not usually part of Cuban new year celebrations.
Upon the arrival of the new year, the most beautiful thing happens. Family, friends, and neighbors gather at their front doors or on the street to welcome the New Year. They hug each other and wish the best for their people. The sea of hugs won’t end until you share your love and gratitude with everybody, whether you are mad, sad, or even if you don’t know someone around you.
A year says goodbye, and with it, Cubans get rid of everything bad to start from scratch and achieve the greatest goals in the new year without the past affecting us. How? They usually practice traditional rituals like throwing water into the street or burning a homemade cloth doll when midnight strikes, representing the old year and its bad vibes that will be left behind to move into the new year with a new focus and good energy.
If Cubans want to travel next year, they take their suitcases and walk around the entire block, hug family, friends, and neighbors, sing, celebrate and make a toast for the moment’s happiness. They ask their gods for good, protection, and prosperity for their families, which is interesting to see in a country with a wide religious and cultural mosaic. Respect for the beliefs of others can be seen reflected quite strongly in collective Cuban celebrations.
Have you experienced a New Year’s Eve celebration in Cuba? Please share it in the comments; we would love to know your story.
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https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/roast-pork-in-the-streets-of-cuba-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=119202560Editorial Teamhttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngEditorial Team2023-01-01 12:21:202023-01-01 13:00:59Chronicles of New Year’s celebration in Cuba
Modernity in Cuban music continues to showcase excellent female artists, who make the culture grow on the island more and more. In the last 20 years, women musicians have stepped forward to create songs in various genres. Therefore, we could not end Women’s History Month without honoring the new generations of Cuban Women in Music. That’s why we are launching this second part of our blog CUBAN WOMEN IN MUSIC: SPOTIFY PLAYLIST TRIBUTE TO WOMEN ARTISTS โ PART 1.
In this new edition of our tribute blog post, we will be presenting the songs we recently added to our Spotify Playlist, Cuban Women in Music; Playlist Tribute to Women Artist. These additions mainly display songs popularized or composed by Cuban singers.
This new list of artists included in our Playlist will find an extraordinary variety of impressive Cuban and Cuban-American female musicians who defend their musical roots worldwide. Most of them are considered among the best contemporary female singers and composers in Cuba and Latin America due to the diversity of their voices and musical spectrum.
Cuban Women in Music, 21st Century songs written or popularized by female musicians in the last 20 years
รngel y Habanera – by Liuba Marรญa Hevia
Mala – by Haila Marรญa Mompiรฉ
La Bella Cubana – by La Camerata Romeo / Zenaida Romeo
Bailando con otro – by Anacaona / Omara Portuondoย
Donde stabas anoche – by Aymee Nuviola / Septeto Santiaguero
Lรกgrimas de soledad – by Danay Suarez
Guajiro – by Sexto Sentido
Tu nombre – by Diana Fuentes
Equivocao 8.6 – by Telmary y Habana Sana
Tenerme – by Gretell Barreiro
Palabras – by Haydรฉe Milanรฉs
La rumba me llamo yo – by Daymรฉ Arocena
Mulata Linda – by Brenda Navarrete
Tengo que partir – by Luna Manzanares
Voy – by Eme Alfonso
River – by Ibeyi
Universo – by Yissy Garcรญa y Bandancha
Bonus track: Havana – by Camila Cabello / Young Thug
You can find our Spotify Playlist Tribute to Women Artists here. Enjoy, and let us know your opinion about our selection on the bottom part of this blog post.ย
https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/telmarys.jpg?fit=800%2C530&ssl=1530800Yami Cabrerahttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngYami Cabrera2022-03-28 11:50:242022-11-28 10:07:45Cuban Women in Music: Spotify Playlist Tribute to Women Artists – Part 2
Cuban women are the inspiring soul of the great culture that Cuba preserves. Each sector of Cuban society and each bit of history contains the names of sovereign and courageous women who became examples for the nation and the world. That’s why we want to share this Spotify Playlist Tribute to honor the role of Cuban women in music during this Women’s History Month.ย
There is an extended list of female figures who have triumphed in the Cuban and international music scene when it comes to musicians. They have made history through songs.
Many of these courageous women have become an example for younger generations in Cuban society. Among these musical legends it is possible to mention: Maria Teresa Vera, Omara Portuondo, Celia Cruz, Isolina Carrillo, Mercedita Valdรฉs, Elena Burke, Rita Montaner, Celeste Mendoza, Rosita Fornรฉs, and others.
Vanesa Formell
Nowadays, Cuban culture enjoys an immense arsenal of talented young women who defend their musical roots anywhere. Cuban women musicians have positioned themselves among the best in the industry. Some of them are Daymรฉ Arocena, Eme Alfonso, Yissy Garcรญa, Brenda Navarrete, Luna Manzanares, Gretell Barreiro, Diana Fuentes, Telmary, Vanesa Formell, Aymรฉe Nuviola, La Reina y la Real, etc.
A long list of women’s names has become part of Cuban cultural and daily life due to their crucial role in music. We know that we can count thousands of songs dedicated to Cuban women, but we can also acknowledge a lot written, performed, and popularized by various women. In this Part 1 of our Spotify Playlist Tribute to Women Artists, we would like to mention essential classic songs written or popularized by women musicians in Cuba.
The following list mentions a few of our favorite classic songs written or popularized by Cuban women.
Veinte Aรฑos (written by Maria Teresa Vera, in 1935)
Damisela Encantadora (popularized by Esther Borja in 1935)
Dos Gardenias (written by Isolina Carrillo, in 1945)
Quimbara (popularized by Celia Cruz in 1974)
El Manisero (popularized by Rita Montaner, in 1927)
Yo soy el Punto Cubano (written by Celina Gonzรกlez, in 1956)
Omara Portuondo
Cuban women’s beauty and unique identity have also been a source of inspiration for multiple musicians. You can find lots of great songs dedicated to Cuban women. Many of them become representative compositions of Cuban music internationally. We decided to include a few of these songs on our Spotify Playlist Tribute to Women Artists Part 1.ย
The following list mentions a few of our favorite classic songs dedicated to Cuban women.
Guantanamera (written by Joseรญto Fernรกndez, in 1929)
Longina (written by Manuel Corona, in 1918)
Marilรบ (title theme of the orchestra Los Van Van, between 1969 and 1970)
Marรญa Caracoles (written by Pello El Afrocรกn, in 1964)
Yolanda (written by Pablo Milanรฉs, in 1970)
El cuatro de Tula (written by Sergio Gonzalez Siaba of the Buena Vista Social Club, in 1996)
You can find our Spotify Playlist Tribute to Women Artists Part 1 here. Enjoy, and let us know your opinion about our selection on the bottom part of this blog post.ย
https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/dayme-arocena.jpg?fit=684%2C684&ssl=1684684Yami Cabrerahttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngYami Cabrera2022-03-10 21:28:472022-11-28 10:08:01Cuban Women in Music: Spotify Playlist Tribute to Women Artists – Part 1
The rumba is one of the most important and universal Cuban styles of music. Many travelers and music lovers go to the island of Cuba to learn and enjoy a good Cuban rumba. Without a doubt, it is a relevant cultural attraction of this Caribbean island. Therefore, in this article, we will be addressing some essential elements of this peculiar genre.
What does the term rumba mean?
The term rumba is included within a series of Afro-Cuban words that designate a collective and profane festival in Cuba during colonial times. It is originally conceived as a couple of dancers that occur within a related group of people. Rumba is a party, touch, and dance. It manifests itself within a cohesive collective by ties of kinship or friendship, of the neighborhood.
At the rumba party, some play the drums, others raise the song, others respond as a chorus, and the others cheer with claps, waddle, go into the ring to dance, etc. Initially, the instruments used in these festivities were boxes of different sizes, frequently boxes of cod and candles; to achieve the highest sounds it was percussed in a bottle, in pans, or in some metallic implement.
These instruments were replaced with the development of the genre by three โtumbadorasโ or โcongasโ of different heights. Each drum has a particular and specific rhythmic function.
The highest voice, the โQuintoโ, a talking drum, is the one in charge of the improvisations that urge the dancer to make different figurations. The third drum or โsalidorโ, with a deep voice, marks a low ostinato, and the middle voice, โtres dosโ, produces another stable rhythm that balances the whole percussion section of the rumba music. The singer carries the โclavesโ, which start and remain stable during the song.
Generally, rumba songs are preceded by a melodic vocal inspiration called โDianaโ. Then, with the entry of the text, improvisation begins to expose the issue that gives rise to the rumba; this is called decimating. After improvisation, it โbreaksโ the rumba with the entrance of the instruments and the alternating solo-chorus form.
When the rumba breaks, a couple of dancers go into the ring. The dance is evocative and, in general, convulsive and disjointed; every step and gesture represents the events that precede the possession of a chicken. The Cuban rumba also presents variants of its style of music and dance: the guaguancรณ, the yambรบ, the Columbia, and a Spanish type of rumba.
Cuban rumba style became known at the beginning of the 20th century through famous groups such as `Los Roncosยด, and `El Paso francoยด. Later, they met rumberos who acquired great prestige such as Agustรญn Pina, Roncona, Malanga, Tรญo Tom, Chano Pozo, Virulilla, etc.
New technologies and most current rumba sounds
Undoubtedly, technology has allowed the Cuban rumba to approach contemporary sounds. With it, the electric bass is incorporated into a percussive plane. On some occasions, you can see the electric piano’s presence and the jazz band’s current sound, which has accompanied us since the 1920s when Cuban musicians, mentioned above, brought the rumba and the son to the Latin Quarter of New York. In addition, we can regularly find the violin combined with a contemporary touch during the spiritual songs to the ancestors.
Nowadays, there are famous rumberos such as the Clave and Guaguancรณ, Yoruba Andabo, Los Muรฑequitos de Matanzas and Los Papines groups, among others. The artistic representation of this folkloric manifestation can also be appreciated in the presentations of professional groups such as the Conjunto Folclรณrico Nacional, and local groups such as Rumbatรก de Camagรผey and Rumbรกvila de Ciego de รvila.
Conclusions
As you can see, these are just some relevant data regarding the Cuban rumba. The Cuban rumba is a complex and very peculiar artistic phenomenon. On our part, it only remains to invite you to meet and enjoy this wonderful Cuban party with us.
The rumba is one of the most attractive Cuban styles for our team. That is why we always have a special space for her on our Tours. Havana Music Tours offers the opportunity to enjoy this style through direct contact with specific artists and musical groups such as Los Muรฑequitos de Matanzas or Clave y Guaguancรณ.
However, we recommend our Cuban Jazz and Rumba Tour, Fiestaย Del Tambor (VIP), and even the Josone Music Festival in Varadero (Rumba, Jazz Son). These tours specialize their experiences in Cuban musical matters such as the rumba, and especially its percussion instruments. It is valid to highlight that our agency will also take into account personalized suggestions.
Are you ready to dance and enjoy Cuban rumba with our Havana Music Tours team?
https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/afro-cuban-rumba-party-in-havana-cuba-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=119202560Editorial Teamhttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngEditorial Team2021-03-13 21:42:172022-11-28 10:15:57Rumba, an essential style of Cuban Music
Trinidad is a beautiful city in the center of Cuba. There we can find a very distinctive genre of this city, known as Tonadas Trinitarias. In the beginning, this musical expression was developed as part of a festive musician-dance event of a movement and purely profane nature. This style is currently performed by some of its main folkloric-traditional musical groups from Trinidad city.
Although its name refers to a generic species linked to country Cuban music, the Tonadas Trinitarias musical form is very distant from this type of music. On the contrary, it denotes a type of music that is accompanied by three small drums with the parietal wedge, a guataca, a guiro, and a mixed choir. This type of group is also very similar โin terms of sound and instrumental formatโ to that of the harpsichord choirs from the rumba and typical of the cities of Matanzas and Sancti Spรญritus.
This tradition dates back to the second half of the 19th century, and some sources highlight its similarity with the beginning of the independence struggles and the revolutionary fervor of the time. They were organized by choral groups of men and women, in charge of representing the different neighborhoods established in the town.
During the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, it was known of the existence of two main groupings of Tonadas Trinitarias, each one representing specific neighborhoods, such as La Popa or Jibabuco and Simpรก or ElTamarindo. However, the socio-cultural changes that occurred in the neocolonial stage caused a strong depression in the practice of these tunes, leaving both groups practically disabled.
The group meets again with the Triumph of the Revolution. This was possible at the request of government entities such as Cultura Municipal, and with the help of young art instructors. They bring together the main bearers of the tradition, it makes possible the creation of the Tonadas Trinitarias Group in 1963.
Unfortunately, starting in the 80s, this process led to the degradation of the tradition.ย The Tonadas Trinitarias became a generic type to be included as part of a repertoire of the Conjunto Folclรณrico de Trinidad, and other local groups.
However, due to the ideological and commercial value attributed to the tradition, this tradition has a new resurgence as a cultural product after opening the city to tourism in the 2000s. The Tonadas reaches into the present despite the great challenges in improving its practice.
Currently, the group remains in force thanks to its own members’ efforts and some of the cultural authorities of the town. The Tonadas Trinitarias can be found in different places in the very center of Trinidad, Cuba, such as the Palenque de Los Congos Reales, or in the Patio Bรฉcquer.
Here are a couple of different videos,
including a collaboration with Havana Music Tours founder, Chaz Chambers
https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/las-tonadas-trinitarias-trinidad-cuba-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=119202560Editorial Teamhttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngEditorial Team2020-11-19 10:22:302022-11-28 03:21:20The Tonadas Trinitarias: The Folkloric Music of Trinidad, Cuba
For more than a century, the transverse flute has been one of Cuban music’s leading and most exciting instruments. Its prominence ranges from the so-called Charanga orchestras to the most contemporary Jazz, having virtuous exponents renowned worldwide.
In Cuba, the boom of the flute made this instrument increasingly present in orchestras due to the singularity of its sound and the “flavor” it added to dance music.
The transverse flute can be classified as an aerophone instrument whose register encompasses the mid-bass and high-pitched sounds. It’s got a versatile sonority since it can achieve different sounds for different purposes.
History and significant performers of the transverse flute in Cuba
The flute reached its peak in Cuban popular music during the first decades of the 20th century with the emergence of the “Charanga orchestras.” These traditional music groups were made up of percussion instruments (tumbadoras, timpani, minor percussion), piano, violins, bass, flute. Later on, other instruments such as the trumpet, the trombone, and a more extensive percussion set were added. Because of its sonority, the flute became emblematic in the orchestras of the time; it is essential in musical genres such as Danzรณn, Cha-cha-chรก, and Son, all of which are characteristic of Cuban music.
Orquesta Aragรณn (Aragรณn Orchestra) is undoubtedly Cuba’s most crucial charanga band, while Richard Egรผes, nicknamed “the magic flute,” has been its most recognized flutist. His skills and peculiar sound became a reference for many professional and amateur musicians. His improvisations became so famous that they were imitated inside and outside the country. This virtuous musician became the hallmark of this orchestra. One of his most outstanding soloist performances appears in the recording of the famous song “Tres Bellas Cubanas” during the boom of the Buena Vista Social Club musical project.
Over the years, the flute has become essential in Cuban music. This fact justifies its presence in different musical genres and instrumental formats, as was the case of the well-known Los Van Van Orchestra โdirected since its foundation by the late Juan Formell, an artist who claims to have changed the development of his group with the incorporation of this instrument.
The versatile and renowned Cuban musician Josรฉ Luis Cortรฉs was the first flutist to use this instrument in Los Van Van. Cortรฉs, known as “el Tosco,” is considered one of the essential flute players within Cuban musical culture.
After being a member of orchestras such as Los Van Van and Irakere, Jose Luis Cortรฉs founded his own, NG la Banda. His performance in this new musical group brought about new sonorities, more moderate and different. His technique to play the flute is nourished daringly by elements of concert music and Jazz, which generates a change in his way of improvising. Due to his transgressive and diverse career, Cortรฉs is considered the most influential flutist of the new generation of Cuban Jazz.
Orlando “Maraca” Valle, another representative flutist of Cuban music, came onto the same artistic background. Unlike Jose Luis Cortรฉs, he covered a much broader spectrum in the world of flute performance. During his studies, he absorbed specific and unique techniques beyond the trend, focusing on sonority according to the instrument’s evolution.
Maraca has the merit of having managed to reproduce the sound of the wooden flute in the transverse flute. He has become one of the world’s strongest exponents of Latin Jazz, especially for his technique to play the instrument and his improvisation skills. He has expanded his music, reaching out to a very diverse audience. He was named “the liberator of the flute” for moving away from the standard established for flutists in charanga music.
The transverse flute is and will be one of the most fantastic attractions of Cuban dance music. It came from Europe to stay forever.
https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/rosi-del-valle-cuban-flute.jpeg?fit=712%2C475&ssl=1475712Editorial Teamhttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngEditorial Team2020-09-28 11:32:562022-03-15 17:35:07An approach to the transverse flute in Cuban music
Rooted deep in history and composed of sounds that seem to move the body and the soul, music in Cuba is larger than life. It is culture, identity, lifestyle, tradition, and a force that moves the whole country in one never-ending concert. And we visitors are always looking to capture the best out of our limited time. So, if youโre looking to have that iconic music experience in Cuba and have unforgettable fun then make sure not to miss these top five music venues in Havana, the capital of Cuban music!
1. Fabrica de Arte Cubano
Established inside a former cooking oil factory, La Fabrica de Arte Cubano, also known as La FAC, has quickly become one of Havana’s most trendy and popular nightlife hotspots. And itโs success lies in many distinctive details.
FAC delivers incredible diversity both in amenities and activities. Youโll find a snack restaurant, nightclub, and bar mixed in with spacious outdoor and indoor spaces within these refurbished historic walls. But thatโs only the tip of an entertainment iceberg that Fabrica de Arte Cubano is.
What truly draws in those crowds are intriguing art exhibitions, funky live music, movies, and creativity that the venue explodes with every week. And there should be no surprise why the main reason for visiting the Vedado neighborhood is usually the vibrant La Fรกbrica de Arte Cubano.
2. La Zorra y El Cuervo
Next up we have another exciting place where music makes the air vibrate every night โ La Zorra y El Cuervo. A New York Manhattan Village-style jazz club and one of the best at it in Havana.
Low ceilings, cramped space, dark and dim basement with a red English telephone box at the entrance. La Zorra y El Cuvero translates for “the Fox & The Crowโ and offers a vintage and soulful jazz club experience.
Leaning towards freestyle Jazz mostly, the club has the brightest performers of the Cuban jazz scene to perform here while also casting a spotlight on young and upcoming artists. Spectacular, special, and memorable performances are a guarantee for any kind of jazz or music fan.
Cuba is breathing jazz, and if you want to experience being top-notch, the La Zorra y El Cuervo is where it is at in Havana!
3. Cafe Teatro Bertolt Brecht
Looking for more of that wild nightlife escape in Havana? Then leave a Cafe Teatro Bertolt Brecht name in your notes and prepare to move those hips!
It is without a doubt one of the coolest nightspots in Havana, Cuba. Live music is played every night here, with Wednesdays leading the way. This is when the iconic Jazz fusion group “Interactivo” headlines the show almost every week.
Cafe Teatro Bertolt Brech is the past, present, and future, and a beautiful mix of artists perform here simply for good vibes.
While you will also find the theatre here as well, the club is known as “No Se Lo Digas a Nadieโ (Donโt Tell Anyoneโ and is the basement of the building. Tables here are few, and ques can belong. It is best to get here early at around 11:00 PM to get a good feel for the place before the crowds surge in.
4. Casa de la Musica Miramar
It seems that music venues in Havana so far have to offer something intriguing and different. And Casa de la Musica Miramar is no exception!
This is a venue known for hosting at least one famous Cuban artist every week. Bands and musicians such as Los Van Van, Alain Perez, Habana DโPrimera, and others donโt shy away from an opportunity to perform here.
The beautiful and elegant old Havana mansion delivers a sophisticated ambiance. However, it is not the most spacious venue. Therefore be prepared to be crowded, even without large numbers of people coming in. But once you surrender yourself to the rhythms and dance, everything will simply fade away!
5. Habana 309
Formerly known as Kpricho Bar-Restaurant, the new venue has been born just recently under the new name of Habana 309.
A new place is yet to be discovered by many people, but good reviews are already making their way. One thing assured โ live music here is stellar and is accompanied by the finest cocktails, good service, and a cozy setting.
It seems that Habana 309 is becoming a hub for new underground music and performing it at this cool new venue is not stopping any time soon!
https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/miyares-fac.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=110801920Editorial Teamhttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngEditorial Team2020-03-13 09:58:302022-04-07 11:57:30Top 5 Music Venues in Havana, Cuba
รrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso, more widely known asย Celia Cruz, was a famousย Cubanย singer and left a footprint in history as one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Often referred to as Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruzโs biography and history are very rich, intriguing, and full of accomplishments. Therefore, letโs explore and discover the history of the legendary Cuban singer in 4 steps that are made simple, to take you back through one of the most illustrious music careers in Latin Americaโs history.
Step 1: Early Life Footprints
According to Catalina Alfonso Ramos, her mother, Celia Cruz began singing as early as 10 months of age!
Celia Cruz was born at 47 Serrano Street in the Santos Suรกrez neighborhood ofย Havana,ย Cuba while her father, Simon Cruz, worked as a railway stoker and her mother was a housewife who took care of a big family of 14.
What started early continued every year for Celia Cruz. She sang practically everywhere: in school during the Fridays’ย actos cรญvicos, in her neighborhood ensemble, Botรณn de Oro, and in cabarets as a teenager when her aunt took her there to perform.
Yet, still, Celia Cruz originally intended to become a literature teacher, but it was that critical victory in a
talent show where she interpreted the tango piece โNostalgiaโ in a bolero tempo that became life-changing, making her pause her studies to pursue what became an elusive music career.
Step 2: The Rise Of Musical Career
Her musical breakthrough started here in Cuba with her first recordings made in 1948 and 1950 when she began singing with the celebrated Cuban orchestra Sonora Matancera.
Celia Cruz sang regularly in Cuba with the ensemble on radio and television, made extensive tours, compiled full-length albums, headlined Havana’s Tropicana nightclub, and even appeared in five films that were produced in Mexico.
Unfortunately, after the Cuban revolution of 1960, Havanaโs nightlife came to a standstill which made her leave Cuba.
A journey that changed her life and career forever.
Step 3: Commerical Success In the USA
When the revolution started sweeping over Cuba, Sonora Matancera with Celia Cruz was touring Mexico and decided to cross into the United States instead of coming back home to Cuba. This led Cruz to become a U.S. citizen by 1961, settling in New York City while enraged Fidel Castro forbade her to return to Cubaโs soil.
In the beginning, as expected, she was relatively unknown in a new country, with a presence only in the Cuban exile community. In the mid-1960s she started gaining exposure and momentum after joining Tito Puente Orchestra which had a strong following across Latin America.
Not only did she become the face of the group, but Cruz captivated audiences with her enthusiasm, sparkling attires, and crowd entertainment, skyrocketing her musical career into new heights that not many could have predicted, forming one of the greatest music legacies in Cuban history.
Step 4: Strong Legacy & Death
Celia Cruz passed away in New Jersey on July 16, 2003, at the age of 77.
Her legacy left behind still goes strong to this day, and it encompasses so many areas that she was able to touch with her fascinating 40-year musical career.
As Celia Cruz continued to perform throughout the years, she made over 75 records of which 23 went gold, winning multiple Grammy & Latin Grammy awards. But thatโs only the tip of a legacy iceberg that still floats around today, approaching 2020.
The singer made an appearance in several movies, stamped a star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame, and received an award of the American National Medal from President Bill Clinton. The highest recognition an artist can receive from the United States government. Cruz is remembered as one of the 20th centuryโs most beloved and popular Latin musicians with many tributes made for her over the years, including music schools being named after her, television series, and many many more.
However, Celia Cruz did manage to return to Cuba in 1990 after she was invited to make a presentation at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. After that, she took a few grams of earth from Cuba with her.
An epilogue in her autobiography notes that, in accordance with her wishes, Cuban soil which she had saved from a visit toย Guantรกnamo Bayย was used in her entombment. Returning her home, forever.
Letโs admit it, we all love music.ย And with so many different genres, sub-genres, techniques, sounds,ย and historicalย aspects, sometimes it can seem like a vast ocean, almost endless. But when it comes to Cuba, and discovering its culture, one particular style stands out as a staple of Cuban rhythm of life, heritage,ย and historyย –ย the soul-movingย Afro-Cuban Jazz.ย Acknowledging the intriguing and complicated development of such music genres like Afro-Cubanย jazz might not be easy, but if youโre a music fan and want to explore Afro-Cubanย jazz without hassle, then let this article create you a composition ofย easyย history notes that you will certainly love exploring!
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It All Starts With Deep Roots of History
ย
Untilย theย mid-20th century, clave-base Afro Cuban Jazz didnโt appear, but that doesnโt neglect the fact that Cuban presence and influence was there, from the very moments of the birth of jazz music.ย
African-American musicย started to includeย Afro-Cubanย musical motifsย extensivelyย in the 19th century when theย habaneraย gained international popularity.ย
The habaneraย itselfย was the first–ever music to be writtenย thatย was rhythm-based on the African motifs whichย areย often described as the tresillo and the backbeat combination.
ย
An Important Interaction With American Music
ย
Duringย theย first decadesย ofย the Afro-Cuban jazz movementย was muchย stronger in the United Statesย compared toย Cuba.
The interaction and connection betweenย theย US and Cubaย isfascinating when it came to jazz music.ย The early jazz bands ofย New Orleans jazzย incorporated habaneras as well, and eventually the habanera became a staple of jazz music in the 20th century.
Musicians from Havana and New Orleansย traveledย between both cities to perform,ย whileย Latin American melodies and dance rhythmsย spread throughย the United States,ย andย theย sound wavesย of American jazzย made theirsย towardsย the Caribbean and Central andย South America.
Both trading, interacting, blending, and cherishing music, making jazz evolve strongly.
Formation of Cuban Jazz Bands
ย
Jazz bands in Cuba started forming as early as 1920.ย
These bands oftenย showcasedย versatility in their repertoires, by jamming both North American jazz and Cuban pop music.ย But even with this diversity in their lively music, the sounds that molded Afro-Cuban rhythms, pop musicย and jazz together,ย wasnโt enough to make their presence strong in Cubaย for decades to come.
Leonardo Acosta once said,ย “Afro-Cuban jazz developed simultaneously in New York and Havana, with the difference that in Cuba it was a silent and almost natural process, practically imperceptible.โ
But that only was until Grammy Award-winning Cuban bandย Irakereย was born and sparked aย new era in Cuban jazzย thatย is still present to this day.
Irakere made historicย innovations not only in Afro-Cuban jazz but Cuban popular dance music as well, as the band made a very wide array of percussion instruments create magic. Those instruments included maracas, claves, cencerros, tumbadoras, abuaka, arara drums and many more!
Afro-Cuban Jazz Blends It All Up
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Afro-Cuban jazz is sometimes known as Latin jazz, but thatโs mostly because Afro-Cuban jazz is the earliest form of the Latin jazz genre.ย
It is aย style ofย musicย that blendsย and encompasses many components to craft that soulful jazz sound. From Cuban and Spanish Caribbeanย rhythms and percussion instruments to jazz harmonies, improvisations alongsideย European and African musical elementsย as well.ย
Afterย everything that was made and played,ย Afro-Cuban jazzย truly emerged in the early 1940s when Cubanย musiciansย Mario Bauzรกย andย Frank Grilloย more known by his iconic name“Machito”ย formed a band calledย Afro-Cubansย in New York City.ย
Machito’s musicย not only refined Afro-Cuban jazzย but alsoย had a tremendousย effect on the lives of many musicians who played in the Afro-Cubans over the years, and on those whoย fell in love with the rhythms ofย Latin jazz because ofย his music.
An intersection inย East Harlemย is named “Machito Square” in his honor.
https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG_8638-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=119202560Editorial Teamhttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngEditorial Team2019-11-01 17:51:292022-11-28 10:10:27Afro-Cuban Jazz: A Powerfull Blend of Rhythms & History
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