For each of the categories detailed below we have identified the most prominent musicians of this genre and have provided brief summaries of these individuals / groups.
*Coming soon
We will soon provide details of the best:
. Trova and Nueva Trova
. Rumba and folkloric
. Salsa and timba
. Son
. Bolero
. Classical
If you would like to contribute to the web-site, especially regarding one of the areas detailed above or have any comments or feedback regarding this section please do get in touch with us at CubaAbsolutely@gmail.com
We would also like to begin a music blog and give a forum to people interested in Cuban music.
All jazzed up - The Havana International Jazz Festival
by Silvia Gomez (from the 2007 Print edition)
Jazz is one of the city's most popular musical forms and the Havana jazz sound is unique, the result of centuries of musical mixture to which Africa and Spain contributed the main ingredients and China, France, Italy, Mexico, Argentina and the United States added the seasoning. The sophisticated, cosmopolitan result attracts aficionados from all over the world—both to perform and to listen
.full article from 2007 print edition
In search of music in Havana
By Karolien Verheyen
When the airplane hit the warm tarmac I felt butterflies in my stomach. Here I was, Havana, Cuba, on my own, with very little Spanish and knowing not a soul in this country. I knew this was not going to be an easy trip, being that I was travelling on my own as a woman and did not know the Caribbean spirit that well.
.read complete article
Out of tune but well in accord—restoring Havana's historic pianos
By Sue Herrod—December 2007
One very sunny day last year, in March (2007), a small party from Ireland descended on Havana laden with radio mics, cameras, sound people, leather, felt and wire. Cameras, leather, felt and wire, I can hear you ask, brow, naturally, a little furrowed?
Well...could be a country crafts series, or what about a late night, one-off, tropical bondage short? Actually, what these three well-known piano tuners and repairers.
.read complete article
Roly Berrio: Oyeme! - Who will help this super talent go vinyl?
Text by Sue Herrod (July 2009)
A raw, edgy-but-lyrical singer-songwriter, achingly funny and hailed as one of the finest trovadors of his generation. By anyone’s standards this young man is a huge musical talent. So how is it that a few years ago, tremendously impressed by a solo concert, I asked for a cd and instead was given something scribbled on the back of an old bus ticket?
read complete article
The best in Cuban hip hop, reggaeton
By Sue Herrod (October, 2007)
Sue has delved into the fascinating world of Cuban hip hop, rap and reggaeton to give a comprehensive introduction to each genre and has written reviews of the best 25 artists playing at present. Don't miss her insights to Eddy K, Freehole Negro and Genta de la Zona.
Read more
Jazz - 20 of the best
By Eva Torres (October, 2007)
Undisputedly the king of Cuban contemporary jazz, Dionisio Chucho Valdés is an internationally known figure and 5 times Grammy award winner who is for many one of the best pianists in the world. Silvia Gomez reviews this towering figure of Cuban jazz along with her pick of the rest in an all-time top 20 Cuban jazz musicians.
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'Rich, vibrant, layered and soulful, Cuban music has long acted as a standard bearer for the sounds and rhythms emanating out of Latin America. From the down-at-heels docks of Matanzas to the bucolic local villages of the Sierra Maestra, everything from son, salsa, rumba, mambo, chachachá and danzon owe at least a part of their existence to the magical dynamism that was first ignited here.'
Lonely Planet 4th Edition
'.music is a daily presence across the island, from rural areas and dusty provincial towns to the capital. It seeps out of cafes and casa de la trova in the mid-afternoon and thunders out of dance halls as the sun rises over the Malecon. The musical diet is a dizzying menú of styles with uncommon appeal, so emphatically tropical that you can almost hear the humidity in the vocals, chords, and percussion.'
Frommer's Cuba 3rd Edition
20 of the best Cuban contemporary fusion artists today
By Sue Herrod (2008 print edition)
Contemporary fusion is a spontaneous phenomenon that's a key element of Cuban musical life. The idea of blending sounds, of mixing one style with another, has been part and parcel of the island's musical tradition—particularly using African, European, Latin, Caribbean and US styles
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