CubaPLUS Magazine

The most valuable and brilliant thing about Cuban jazz was present this Saturday, April 30, at the V Matanzas Jazz Festival, with which the International Day of that musical genre was celebrated, whose beginnings date back to the 19th century in the North American city of New Orleans.

From early in the morning until late at night, the chords of jazz were heard in Matanzas, where that rhythm was the protagonist. In the morning session, the portal of the iconic Sauto Theater served as the stage for the performance of the Atenas Brass Ensemble group together with students from the city's conservatory directed by maestro Rodolfo Horta Hernández.

In the early hours of the afternoon, the José White room was the host of the photographic exhibition of the lens artist Claudia Padrón and the performance of the Chamber Choir of Matanzas, directed by José a Méndez. A few hours later, the Cuban Swing orchestra led by Bruno Villalonga performed there.

Also in the evening in the Patio of the Hermanos Saiz Association, he delighted the public with his art The Heat Transfer Ache Olorun Band.

To close the celebration with a flourish, at the Paseo Rio San Juan the Closing Gala was held at night with a performance by Afrocuba de Matanzas; the Mestizaje trio; Emilio Vega and Step to the Front and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas.

International Jazz Day has been celebrated since 2011 by agreement of UNESCO with the aim of raising awareness among the general public about the virtues of this musical genre as an educational tool and as an engine for peace, unity, dialogue and the reinforcement of cooperation between peoples.