Music

Cuba, the music that lives in Alain Pérez

By Alain Planells

It happened in a Havana café called Mama Inés, a place where Alain Pérez believes to have found a criterion and sound that define him in the Cuban musical framework.

“Cuba’s great percussionists play host to The International Jazz Day Concert”

By: Alejandro Martínez Martínez

April 30th 2017 was a very special day in Havana. Cuba’s capital city was host to the renowned International Jazz Day which featured an all-star global concert in the Gran Teatro. This electrifying event was filmed live and broadcast all around the world.

Remembering is Reliving

Mercy Ramos, Photos: José Meriño

As the popular saying goes, “remembering is reliving.” Thousands of we city dwellers relived our youth of the 1960s, when the popular John Lennon Park in Havana became the stage to pay tribute to The Beatles, one of the most famous rock groups of all time, while celebrating the 50th anniversary of their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Composing, Style Polito Ibáñez

By Ibis Frade Photos: Luis Mario Gell, Leonel Fernández Delgado and Prensa Latina

The University of Medical Sciences in Havana is one of Cuba’s most important institutions, not only for its long history but because of the social and human values that are essential to its training of healthcare professionals. Dr. Luis Alberto Pichs García is the current Rector.

Dance to my Funky Songo...

By Laura Martín

Nube Roja (Red Cloud) is a Cuban band that does audio and video experimentations with the assimilation and recontextualisation of codes of music and universal art. It marks the pulse of a generation, reflects a state of mind and draws the path of postmodernity in the current panorama of Cuban music.

Cary Diez, a voice marked with Rumba

By Jorge Petinaud Martínez

Cuban musicologist Cary Diez is hypnotizing when she speaks about rumba, a festive music and dance genre recently inscribed on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of the United Nations Office for the Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO).

Guillermo Barreto

By Omar C. Romero Feria

Born on August 11, 1929 in Havana, he received his first musical lessons from his father, Primo Barreto, then studied piano with maestro Rafael Ortega.He started with percussion with the great maestro Obdulio Morales’s orchestra and later, in the 40s, joined the Tropicana cabaret band as drummer under the direction of the maestro of maestros, Armando Romeu, who recognized that Barreto had an exceptional musical ear.

Havana Rhythm and Dance Festival “In Memory of Guillermo Barreto”

By Giraldo Piloto Barreto

This coming March 7 to 12 will mark the 16th edition of an event that promotes Cuban cultural tradition, preserves its values and strengthens new talent - Havana’s Drum Festival - where over 1,500 artists gather every year, including dancers, musicians and artists .

Giraldo Piloto y Klímax: a dream come true

By Joaquín Borges-Triana

Cuban musician for whom I have had great respect for over 30 years is Giraldo Piloto - drummer, orchestrator and composer.

Rafael Lay: his words and feelings

BY CIRO BIANCHI ROSS, PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ARAGÓN ORCHERSTA

Each show has an impact - it wins you over. With a career that has lasted more than three quarters of a century, the Orquesta Aragón (Aragón Orchestra) still fills arenas and nightclubs with fans of all ages who come to enjoy the concert, singing along and dancing to the band’s most popular hits.

Cuba’s National Septet Celebrating 90 Years

By: Dr. C. Ricardo R. Oropesa Fernández

The Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro founded in Havana on December 3rd, 1927 by Ignacio Piñeiro was the only musical group that received gold medals at two international fairs in the 20th century – in Seville, 1929 and Chicago, 1933.

The Rolling Stones in Cuba An, Unprecedented Performance

By Prensa Latina / Photos: José Tito Meriño

The Rolling Stones dazzled a crowd of over half a million people in Havana in a show with no precedent in this country. The vast sports pitch at Havana’s Ciudad Deportiva sports complex was almost too small for the multitude that spilled out into nearby streets and even climbed onto the roofs of neighbouring houses to catch tunes like Jumping Jack Flash, Midnight Rambler and Gimme Shelter.

Edesio and Cristian Alejandro: Film for Music

By Prensa Latina / Photos: José Tito Meriño, Idolka de Erbiti, Antonio de Erbiti, Alex Medina y Alejandro Pérez

About 12 years ago, at the peak of his career as performer and composer, Edesio Alejandro was forced to leave the stage for health reasons.

60 Anniversary of Elito Revé y du charangon. La aplanadora de Cuba

Luna Manzanares, Born to Sing

By: Shirley Moreira / Photos: Courtesy of Norlys Pérez

Interviewing Luna Manzanares proved to be more than just a journalistic task, it was an opportunity to discover the woman behind the singer who not only welcomed us into her home but entertained us with her fascinating voice. Yes, Luna sang for Cubaplus.