Through our Music Travel Blog, discover unique musical traditions, iconic festivals, and vibrant music scenes.
Welcome to our Music Travel Blog, where we explore the world through the universal language of music. This blog is dedicated to music lovers and travelers alike who seek to experience the rich tapestry of global musical traditions, iconic music festivals, and vibrant music scenes that define destinations around the globe.
Our posts uncover the stories and sounds that make each culture unique, from the energetic rhythms of Brazilian samba to the soulful melodies of American blues. Join us as we visit legendary venues, from the jazz clubs of New Orleans to the classical concert halls of Vienna, sharing insights into the music that shapes these cities’ identities.
Our adventures also take us to some of the world’s most renowned music festivals, where we experience the magic of live performances and the communal spirit of music fans from all walks of life. Whether it’s the electrifying atmosphere of Glastonbury or the traditional vibes of Morocco’s Gnawa Music Festival, our blog brings you front-row experiences from festivals that celebrate music’s diversity.
But it’s not just about the destinations but the journey. Our Music Travel Blog offers tips for traveling musicians, from packing the right gear to finding gigs abroad, and advice for music enthusiasts on creating a soundtrack for their travels. We also spotlight the musicians, artisans, and communities we meet along the way, whose stories and talents enrich our understanding of the world.
So, whether you’re planning your next musical getaway or simply dreaming of distant melodies, our Music Travel Blog is your guide to experiencing the world through music. Let’s set out together on a voyage of discovery, where every note opens the door to a new adventure.
(Covid-19, Cuba tourism reopening, vaccinations, & more)
Hi Traveler friends,
It has been quite the journey for Cuba, the world, and all of us enduring the pandemic. While the pandemic officially continues, many countries around the world are reopening tourism in a responsible way. Cuba is one of those countries. Let’s check the newest Travel Updates.
The ministry of tourism on the Island has announced that it will open its borders to more tourism starting November 15th, 2021. See the newest entry requirements on our Ultimate Cuba Travel Checklist.ย
Over 90% of the Cuban population has been vaccinated with at least one dose, and health officials believe over 90% will be fully vaccinated before 2022. All workers in the tourism industry in Cuba are required to have booster vaccine shots as well.
We are seeing most of Havana’s famous music venues and restaurants reopen while maintaining super-low case numbers. on November 13th, 2021 the Island had less than 300 new cases of COVID-19 and they continue to decline each day.
Cuba could become one of the safest post-pandemic destinations in all of Latin America!
We really believe that all of that is the best option for travelers to Cuba going forward. We have small groups of no more than 10 people and we are also requiring proof of vaccination. You can rest assured that all of our tour leaders and guides are also fully vaccinated.
The Cuban Salsa festival in Havana, Cuba is one of those events where you won’t stop dancing for a second. The event brings together the most relevant famous music orchestras from all over the Island. It is an explosion of music and energy never experienced before.
The highlight of this Festival is the salsa music genre, better known in Cuba as “son” or “timba” -one of the most modern and popular variants of Cuban son. Hence, the possibility of enjoying the rhythmic-melodic combinations of contemporary Cuban popular music.
Since the first versions of the Havana Salsa Festival, the presence of Afro-Cuban rhythms, rumba, Salsa, and casino dance in different modalities has been shocking, such as concerts, showcases, conferences, visits to places with relevant musical history, etc.
The Cuban pianist and composer Maykel Blanco plays the primary host of the event, together with his Salsa Mayor orchestra and Cuban cultural institutions such as the Centro Provincial de Espectรกculos y de Carnaval de La Habana (Provincial Center of Shows and Carnival of Havana), and other music businesses like Artex, Paradiso, Musicalia, Clave Cubana, Instituto Cubano of the music.
The festival headquarters is the Club 500 of the Josรฉ Antonio Echeverrรญa de Palmares Recreational Complex, besieged in the heart of one of the most central and popular neighborhoods in Havana, Vedado. The space includes a large stage with an extensive area conducive to enjoying good music and dancing with your friends.
Every year, the famous Cuban Salsa festival welcomes important Cuban groups such as Pupy y los que Son Son, Adalberto Alvarez y Su Son, Alexander Abreu y Havana DยดPrimera, and the legendary Los Van Van orchestra. In addition to national artists, the Salsa Festival has had the presence of international musicians such as the Puerto Rican salsero Victor Manuelle.
For 2022, Festival de la Salsa organizers presented another tight Line-Up, including the famous Cuban orchestras mentioned before. Let’s check it out!
https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/havana-salsa-festival-2022-flyer.jpeg?fit=1875%2C1875&ssl=118751875Editorial Teamhttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngEditorial Team2021-11-08 09:37:502022-11-28 09:39:36Cuba’s International Salsa Festival in Havana – February 2023
When we talk about The History of Buena Vista Social Club Part 1 and The History of Buena Vista Social Club Part 2, we find that Buena Vista Social Club was the name of a Social Club where the best โsonerosโ of the 50s used to sing in Cuba. Then, it was a song that paid tribute to those sublime encounters and musical sessions of the homonymous Club. Later, the song would give the name to an album, a project, and finally to a musical artistic concept, with a particular style and format, founded on bringing together the glorious musicians and songs of previous decades. All that is Buena Vista Social Club.
The project traveled the world always changing the members of the orchestra. Although, it is true that some figures achieved greater popularity, becoming a kind of Buena Vista icon. Many of these original interpreters passed away a few years ago, others are now of advanced age. Let us remember that, by the creation date of the project in the 90s, the vast majority of artists were over 65 years of age.
What happened in Cuba?ย
Currently, in Cuba, the legacy and principles of the Buena Vista Social Club continue to be exalted, in a project called Tradicionales de Los 50. Because the original name is the intellectual property of the record company that recorded the homonymous album, the longest-lived figures of the Cuban son, they meet every night at the Rosalรญa de Castro Club. Located in the heart of Old Havana, there those songs that for years have brightened the lives of all those who enjoy them are honored.
Former members of the Sonora Matancera -the orchestra with which Celia Cruz recorded her first two musical albums in Cuba and a legend of Latin American dance music of the last century-, along with other great stars of the Buena Vista Social Club and Afro-Cuban All-Stars have been part of this project since 2002.
Among the most prominent figures who have collaborated, we find Julio Alberto Fernรกndez, Barbarito Torres, Amadito Valdรฉs, โEl Guajiroโ Mirabal, Julienne Oviedo Sรกnchez, Carlos Gonzรกlez Cรกrdenas, Lรกzaro Villa, Rosa Fornรฉs, Rolo Martรญnez and Manolo del Valle. These names are joined by other great personalities of the Cuban music scene: Rolito, Armandito y Navarro, Feliz Baloy, Hector Tรฉllez, Alfonsรญ Quintana, Caridad Hierrezuelo, Hilda de la Hoz, Marรญa Elena Pena, Xiomara Valdรฉs, Teresa Garcรญa Caturla, Ela Calvo, Marรญa Victoria Gil, Amparito Valencia and Luis Tรฉllez.
The current stars, all stand out for an important musical trajectory, of excellence within Cuban music. There we will find Rolando Montero, Mundito Gonzรกlez, Josรฉ Valladares, Jorge Mulet, Migdalia Hechavarrรญa, Jose Luis Arango, Sergio Farรญas, Raquel Hernรกndez, Flora Max, Pablo Santamarรญa, Millรกn Zuaznabar, Leonor Zayas, Feliz Bernal, Yanko Pizako, Emilio Ramos, Adalberto รvila โCandelaโ, Martha de Santelices, Andrรฉs Sรกnchez, Maria Elena Lazo, Alfredo Rodrรญguez, Laura Rodrรญguez and Marรญa de Jesรบs Lรณpez.
The wide versatility of the project and its classic soundย make this show a jewel of Cuban cultural heritage. A repertoire that ranges from the great classics of Miguel Matamoros, Miguel Cunรญ, Benny Morรฉ, Compay Segundo, Celia Cruz, and Sonora Matancera -among others-, continues to transport us to the golden age of Cuban music, with the particular timbres and styles of each interpreter.
All of them preserve that old and delightful essence that allows us to enjoy, even in the XXI century, those glorious moments that made the Havana nights of past decades shine. An enjoyment turned into a privilege to get a live glimpse of the flavor and talent of the musicians who have made the whole world dance and distinguished the name of this beautiful island through passion and art.
You can find Parts 1 and 2 of this blog trilogy in the following links:
https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/DSC00761-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=117072560Editorial Teamhttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngEditorial Team2021-07-01 08:42:032022-04-03 10:44:52The Modern Buena Vista Social Club (Part 3)
Last year was one of the most difficult for artists, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, music events were not possible. However, the artistic movement in Cuba did not stop. Social media was flooded with concerts from every genre. Female artists made a difference during this time of total isolation. That’s why we prepared this list of the 10 most influential Female Musicians in 2020 as a tribute to them in this Women’s History Month. All of them are great singers and talented musicians.
Luna Manzanares is part of the young generation of Cuban Female singers. Last year she released a new album, “Luna Nueva,” made up of her songs, and ventured into musical theater. She also made her debut as host of the “Adolfo Guzman” Song Festival.
Aymรฉe Nuviola is a Cuban/American Female Musician and singerย based in the United States. Winner of the 2020 Grammy Award in the Best Tropical Latin Album category for “A Journey Through Cuban Music.”
Gretell Barreiro is a peculiar Cuban Female singer and pianist. In her most recent musical production, “Marina,” she highlighted femininity through various genres of Cuban music.
La Reina y la Real is a Cuban Female Musicians andย Rap duo based in Havana, Cuba. These rappers released their most recent phonogram, “Mirame,” on April 3, 2020, under Bis Music record label. During the confinement, they participated in various international online programs and festivals.
Haila Marรญa Mompiรฉ is a Cuban Female Musician and singer and a trendy icon in the Cuban music scene. Last year Haila premiered her new children’s music album “A song to the smile,” licensed by the EGREM record label. She also frequently offered online concerts.
Daymรฉ Arocena is one of the youngest Cuban Female Musician and singers dedicated to mixing Afro-Cuban music with Jazz, having already achieved a prominent career. She’s also one of the singers who emphasizes women’s right to art, regardless of race.
Brenda Navarrete is a surprising Cuban Female percussionist and singer with a very active career in Havana, Cuba. She is also a composer and jazz musician invited to Miami’s Global Cuba Fest 21. She stands out for reflecting Afro-Cuban rhythms in her songs.
Diana Fuentes is a very versatile Cuban Female Musician and singerย currently based in Miami. She and Divan (Cuban reggaeton artist) starred in the song “Otra Boca,” one of the most popular last year. Diana captured the attention of the Spanish singer Pablo Alboran, with whom she co-authored two songs.
Telmary is one of the most potent Cuban Female voices of Cuban Rap Music and a former member of Free Hole Negro and Interactivo bands. Together with her group, Habana Sana, she has substantially impacted social networks. Being considered an icon for style, she launched her accessory brand “Tumbao de Telma” last October.
Several magazines selected the Cuban Female singer Omara Portuondo as the most important Cuban woman of 2020. She is also a national glory. Omara received another Grammy nomination for her latest album, “Mariposas,” with the collaboration of several artists. She was one of the first to join the online concert strategy.
https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/brenda-navarrete.jpg?fit=1440%2C1440&ssl=114401440Editorial Teamhttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngEditorial Team2021-03-29 11:43:202024-03-15 18:40:04The 10 Most Influential Female Musicians in Cuban Music for 2020
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
Throughout its history, the Son -as the Cuban Rumba- took longer to achieve institutional recognition, even though they were always venerated by the people and respected by the musicians of the continental circuit. The Cuban musical product -in all its manifestations- was a great reference for Latin American and Caribbean culture. However, after a glorious time for Cuban artists during the first half of the 20th century, in the young years of socialist Cuba, Cuban music lost its prominence in the region.
At the end of the 70s, a project called Estrellas de Areito was carried out, whose purpose was to summon the great figures of the golden age of Cuban Son (the 40s and 50s) in an attempt to exalt these colossi of the Cuban music that were falling into oblivion. The American musician and producer Ry Cooder and the record producer Nick Gold were involved. Although that musical work did not have the expected resonance, it laid the groundwork for subsequent projects that would give rise to the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon.
Years later, the Sierra Maestra group, a format that paid tribute to the Sonera tradition and Cuban Trova, developed a series of international tours and presentations. Juan de Marcos Gonzรกlez (Cuban musician and producer) was a member of that band. Participation in these events around the world allowed him to interact with essential personalities and music entrepreneurs. From these exchanges emerged the connection and friendship with Nick Gold and World Music. This record labelย would launch the Buena Vista Social Club album to the world and with it distinguish Cuban music within the heritage of universal culture.
The World Music label had been promoting a line of recordings that explored the richness of African culture and in 1994, they had won the Grammy award for Best World Music with the album Talking Timbuktu, produced by Ry Cooder. Finally in 1995, Juan de Marcos and Nick Gold agreed to organize a project, in a Jam Session style, where Cuban and African musicians would merge. With Ry and Nick’s experience and interest in African and Cuban music, which had fascinated them during the edition of Estrellas de Areito, they traveled to Havana in 1996 to undertake this new project.
Along with the troubadour from Santiago de Cuba, Eliades Ochoa, and other Cuban musicians who would be part of the recordings, the arrival of the two African musicians was expected: Toumani Diabate, Cora player, and the guitarist Chadi Madi. The African instrumentalists could never arrive due to difficulties with their visas, and this new circumstance caused a change in the project’s original conception. It is then when Juan de Marcos summons consecrated figures of Cuban music, among which were: Compay Segundo, Rubรฉn Gonzรกlez, Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo.
รngel Terry Domech, tumbador and member of the project, relates:
We were lucky that Rubรฉn Gonzรกlez kept, in a folder, danzones of all times: Buena Vista Social Club, La Negra Tomasa, etc., arrangements were not even made; it was all from memory (โฆ). There was a true professional of teachers who, for many years, dedicated themselves to music.
The instrumental danzรณn “Buena Vista Social Club”, authored by Israel Lรณpez, Cachao, evoked those glorious dances of the homonymous Social Club, gave the title to one of the records that were produced at that time. Another of the albums was A Toda Cuba le Gusta, with a big band format. Both musical works were nominated for the 1997 Grammy Awards, but the Buena Vista Social Club studio album won in the Traditional Music category. However, before obtaining the award, the album had already sold more than half a million copies in Europe, as a result of several concerts performed with the Afro-Cuban All Stars format, under the direction of Juan de Marcos, where they only included a few of the musicians who participated in the recordings.
In 1998, Ry Cooder returned to Havana with the German film director Wim Wanders with the intention of filming a documentary about those troubadours and soneros, who were living testimony of a millenary culture, and who had achieved world fame in their old age, to become legends. The cinematographic work recognized the talent and virtuosity of Cuban interpreters and composers, and a whole heritage that had survived wars, revolutions, emigration, and discrimination, yet sounded full of life and joy and managed to move the most diverse audiences.
Artists with capital letters, with no other pretensions than to sing their melodies and serve Cuban music itself, who never renounced their identity, their purest roots, being the most worthy way to honor the nation that fathered them. The documentary was titled Buena Vista Social Club, and beyond its technical values, Wim Wanders delivered a sensitive and honest work, that transmitted the charisma and grace of these Cuban musicians. The film won more than fourteen international awards and an Oscar nomination, in a kind of double distinction: for Wanders’ work and, at the same time, for the work that gave the documentary a reason for being.
You can find Part 1 and Part 3 of this blog trilogy in the following links:
https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Photo-Jan-02-8-43-32-PM-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=119202560Editorial Teamhttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngEditorial Team2020-09-20 11:15:022022-04-03 10:45:14The History of Buena Vista Social Club Part 2
In a marginal neighborhood of Havana in the 1930s, an โalluring mestizaโ danced in a black social club, eventually packing the most important and distinguished stages in the world. This is the true story of the โBuena Vista Social Clubโ. More than a name, more than a gathering of dance-loving folks, more than a nostalgic song, more than a Grammy-winning record, and a multi-awarded documentary, this phenomenon enticed the whole world to dance and became the antonomastic insignia of Cuban Son. Buena Vista Social Club is all that and it is also the vindication of that โalluring mestizaโ that Cuban popular music has always been.
The place. The Social Club in the humble Buena Vista neighborhood.
From the depths of the Cuban East, the Son and the Trova were dragging musicians, poets, dancers, love stories, tragedies, parties, and passions in a kind of conga, until they reached Havana in the early twentieth century. In the capital, the Son seduced with such force that he came to merge with ballroom and solar dances, he entered the bowels of the culture to baptize everything he touched as “Cuban”, from danzรณn to salsa -which would later be consolidated as a genre in New York, at the end of the 60s-.
Thus the Son arrived at the Buena Vista Social Club, which, according to Rafael Lam (2016: 58), was a black society, of the many that existed in Havana before 1959. The Social Clubs were popular cultural societies in Havana, divided according to the different social strata, and where its members paid a monthly fee to participate in the activities that were organized there. Buena Vista, on the other hand, is a neighborhood located to the west of the city, and it was built to be inhabited by the servants who worked for the rich of Miramar, a neighborhood that was right next door, much more luxurious and residential.
The Buena Vista cultural society owner, Julio Dueรฑas, had moved the entity from a small and humble house to a slightly larger one in 1948. The new location had a patio and living room 15 meters long by 20 meters wide, where dances were developed and some of the most popular musicians of the time played. Although it was a humble neighborhood and the society was frequented by black proletarians, it was mandatory to dress elegantly in correspondence with the standards of the time.
Many of the events exceeded the cost of the average salary of the club’s worker members. The musician and composer Antonio Arcaรฑo, one of the great monarchs of the dances, would later confess that he offered many free dances in that society. He did it not only for the satisfaction of that humble sector, but because those entities were dance music authorities, practically judges of the charangas, and if an orchestra succeeded in that environment, it could be considered a good orchestra.
The Buena Vista Social Club became the mecca of Cuban Son, where the most authentic musicians, composers, and orchestras of the time passed, paradoxically the most humble. Antonio Arcaรฑo, Arsenio Rodrรญguez and Regino Frontela Fraga โdirector of the Melodรญas del 40 orchestra- became the sovereigns of dance after passing the litmus test of the Buena Vista public. Legend has it that while absurd waltzes or fox-trots were performed in the highest status clubs, at the Buena Vista Social Club dancers packed the sidewalk when a concert by the danzoneras brass bands was announced, for example, La Ideal by Joseรญto Valdรฉs, La Tรญpica by Pedrito Calvo, Cheo Belรฉn Puig or La Tรญpica by Aniceto Dรญaz.
In the new regime established after the triumph of the revolution in 1959, all societies and Social Clubs in Cuba were eliminated. Considered a “vice” that promulgated racism and the division of society, the concept of the Social Club was not compatible with the new socialist ideology. The Buena Vista Social Club was closed and the building became merely a home, with no more glories, and whose joys would not be evoked until decades later.
Footnotes (Spanish):
El tรฉrmino โsonโ, en espaรฑol se refiere al gรฉnero musical bailable de origen cubano.
Conga: Dรญgase del gรฉnero musical bailable de origen afrocubano donde los bailadores siguen a los mรบsicos en marcha, marcando el ritmo con sus pasos.
Edificios donde los habitantes viven en cuartos muy pequeรฑos y aglutinados y comparten baรฑos pรบblicos y otras zonas comunes.
You can find Parts 2 and 3 of this blog trilogy in the following links:
https://i0.wp.com/havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/buena-vista-social-club-havana-cuba.jpg?fit=1440%2C1080&ssl=110801440Editorial Teamhttps://havanamusictours.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/final-e1675339047365.pngEditorial Team2020-09-11 12:35:302022-11-28 10:05:24The History of Buena Vista Social Club Part 1
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
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