Thanks to Trump, those of us who want to visit Cuba now have to go to Canada or Mexico then sneak a flight over.
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@tony83703 Actually, you are free to travel to Cuba under current regulations, for practically any interest other than relaxing on the beach: music, cigars, economics, arts, sports, conventions, etc. And you can fly directly from a number of US airports. No sneaking necessary. Contact a good travel advisor.
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I lived in Mexico in 1986 sorry I didn't take a plane from the Yucatan to Cuba, at age 75 I still have an adventurous spirit I must admit the women look so fetching and move in such a seductive manner.
The reason I didn't take a plane to Cuba in 1986 is that doing so was a crime.
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When we try to analyze the power of music, and how natural it feels to play those sounds and move our body, and spirit, to it's rhythm, one would have to seriously think that it preceded verbal and written language...by a mile.
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Great piece!!! Check out "A Tuba to Cuba" which chronicles the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's journey through the musical connections between New Orleans and Cuba. It's a fantastic journey!
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I had the opoortunity to travel to Cuba last year in support of the Cuban people. I have so many wonderful memories of the trip, but the music really stands out. Its everywhere, bars, night clubs, park, street corners. It obvious that year of an embargo lead by the US has served their purpose, many people in the country have little capital wealth that we find so important in the US, but the funny thing is they all seem so much happier than people in the US ! I think part of that is the music.
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Great examples of passion, devotion, and talent! Definitely shows that money, social media, nepotism is not needed to create wonderful things!
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Wonderful piece. Thank you.
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How can we speak of music in Cuba when the US is committing the Draconian measures it has instituted against Cuba and with Trump increasing the sanctions against the island's people. Here are facts and figures from United Nations General Assembly Resolution 73/8 calling for an end to the US blockage which does not include the significant impact of the latest sanctions.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/cuba-versus-the-blockade-losses-and-damages-over-six-decades/5690618
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So glad to see this wonderful piece. But you got something important very wrong in the part about the Muñequitos and rumba: "The batá drum, a Yoruba drum that stands upright on the ground and is slapped on the top." The bata isn't usually part of rumba -- that's the conga. The three different sizes of sacred bata drums (iyá, itótele, and okónkolo) are played while resting on the knees of the seated percussionist. And they're not supposed to touch the ground. Maybe the writer was thinking of conga drums.
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@Lauren Aberikula, non sacred drums, can touch the ground, It's very common in Cuban rumba today to hear bata incorporated in the music, and has been for some time now.
Thank you! I find it ridiculous that we officially do not choose to engage with Cuba ... not only to visit their interesting culture, and natural beauty but for the humanitarian benefit of her people.
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Good article but contains several mistakes in translation and accuracy. The batá drum is played horizontally, either on a stand(s) or sitting down, or strapped around the player's neck if played standing; it doesn't rest on the floor...
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@J. Vega Bata drums are commonly played in rumba today, and have been for some time Aberikula drums, non sacred, can touch the ground. Check out some clave y guaguanco or afro cuba de Matanzas to hear some great bata rumba.
This is a great article! I was very disappointed not to be able to hear what was going on -it took be a while to realize there was an unmute button. That made a big difference :)
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I love this Island and its music...still rooted in the pleaser per se...not int the money you can earn from it. Great article showing the talent of cuban musicians
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With all due respect to, and envy of, music lovers, to me, Cuba is cigars, not (yet?) legally importable from the island directly. As to music: modern music is unpleasant noise, classical puts me to sleep.
@Tuvw Xyz Danson, bolero, cha cha cha, mambo, not classical or modern, just fantastic Cuban music..
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@Tuvw Xyz the music notwithstanding, you can actually, bring back 100 cigars when you go to Cuba.
As dancing and joining in is part of "musicking," I am dismayed by the ignorant sentence about children: some appeared to have choreographed (or somehow organized) dancing while other were 'shaking their bootees.' The cultural heritage of isolation, control, strength and agility of backbone hip,pelvis and abdominal moves, to say nothing of the whole body and mind, is a cultural treasure. The treasure is in the health and training of the body and the community participation. In this situ, it may start in the womb (where music and mothers' rhythm can be felt) and comes from a tradition that is about how it feels and how it serves the body and unites with music-why doesn't the NYT send a more informed person to report on this? Long before you ever see a performance formal or otherwise-the tip of the iceberg is NOT booty shaking, it is dance/music/ participation and it is learned, studied, practiced, experienced and shared. Fortunately there is a pedagogy so that anyone can have a part and a place-this is the greatest treasure and the experience is ecstatic.
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Thank you. Thank you 💕.
For bringing us this WONDERFUL music & dancing.
And pictures of the people 🌸 and the places.
I appreciate it greatly.
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This is most welcome, the brilliant colors informing the photos and videos echoing the multi-hued percussion timbres. On his Manteca album, named for a foundational Afro-Cuban composition by Dizzy Gillespie, Clare Fischer introduced his classic song, "Morning", evocative of the timeless rapture and insinuative subtleties of Afro-Cuban music, including tender lyrics gracing hauntingly undulating melodies, rhythms and harmonies. Exhibiting how such roots may be expanded upon, speaking to the powerfully procreative dimensions of Mother Cuban music, here is Fischer himself on Fender Rhodes together with the stunning vocalisms of 2 + 2. https://youtu.be/GL4bH-lTSiU
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Excellent reporting! The NY Times just keeps getting better and better!
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Thank you for this essay.
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Separating Cuba's past history with the US, if Cuba was an island of Swedes from Europe, they would not be under the duress of the United States. Racism is still the prime motivator for the US's crime against Cuba. The people of Cuba are no different in wishes and desires, the US's strangle hole is heartless and evil!
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If Cuban ex-pats living in South Florida want to liberate Cubans left behind, why don't they do so without forcing our government to hold other Americans and Cubans hostage by denying the free exchange of ideas and culture.
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Years ago, I had the pleasure of attending a concert by the Buena Vista Social Club. Their music never me.
This article and photography is a love poem to Cuba. Beautiful!
p.s. look at the love and joy on the children's faces as they listen to the music and dance.
@Hope Love the Buena Vista Social Club...Cuban music at its soulful best
Great article. I makes me want to go to Cuba. I have many Canadian friends who love the island. I hear the scuba diving is excellent as well. Here in the Tampa Bay area of Florida the historical connections with Cuba are strong. It is well past time to lift the U.S. embargo.
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Beautiful
Diverse
Joyful
Playful
Proud
Grounded
Hopeful
Soulful
and
Inspiring
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Great article, but I can't help wondering what, if any, influence the release of Preservation Hall Jazz Band's "A Tuba To Cuba" (2019) album and accompanying documentary had on the reporting. Is there any connection or is this just the right time to celebrate Cuban music. Regardless, I'm stoked to see so much in-depth coverage on such a unique cauldron of musical heritages.
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This is such a great article.
My wife and I will be heading to Cuba for vacation in January for 2-weeks. Going to fly through Mexico. Can't wait to enjoy a culture that loves to dance.
@Lenny Beaulieu you can fly directly from various US airports, just can't call it a vacation.
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I was in Cuba in 2014, just as it was announced that Obama was bringing back diplomatic relations. If you can get the chance to go there now, I suggest you take it.
There's nowhere else on Earth like Cuba: it's like a time capsule in many ways. And the music, indeed, is fantastic. And simply everywhere.
One of the best experiences in my life, so far.
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@Jack Lee. Agree. We were there in 2012 and cannot wait to make a return trip. Warm people, wonderful cigars and aged rum, beautiful sights and sounds, and Old Havana was charming.
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Wonderful article. Brings back memories of our trip to Cuba earlier this year. We started in Gibara and made our way over 2 weeks to Havana. There was music, dancing and painting everywhere. The Cuban people are welcoming, resilient, inventive and creative.
The Trump administration has made travel to Cuba more difficult, but it is still possible and worthwhile.
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Thank you for this small but delightful journey in Cuba. I had the pleasure of visiting there about 3-1/2 years ago and have wanted to back ever since. I found the people warm, friendly, curious and kind. The land was gorgeous and the music enchanting. This piece brings it all back.
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Thanks for this story. I have travelled to Cuba several times and absolutely love it. The people are friendly and daily life seems a lot simpler than in Florida where I'm from. Once the US gets past the Trump cancer we can begin to revitalize our relationship with Cuba. I hope to visit again this winter. Until then I'll listen to my collection of the tantalizing sounds of the local Cuban music.
So great to see such a thoughtful and thorough article about the deep roots of Cuban music and dance culture, which stands in such stark contrast to another recent nyt article about Takashi 6ix9ine and gang culture in American hip hop. It’s important to show positive examples of skilled musicians and live performers embraced by their audience and carrying on traditional art forms with respect and dignity. What makes such a huge difference is that this music is largely outside of the commercial music media and industry, which tends to corrupt everything it touches.
I just wish I could dance.
The music is in my head, but the body is rhythm challenged.
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Although I spent time in Havana 15 years ago, this article made me want to return and head out of the city to Santa Clara and Matanzas. I enjoyed the beautiful photos and your attempt to give a comprehensive portrait of cuban music---which is not an easy task and always evolving.
One minor mistake: you said that the "bata drum stands upright on the ground and is slapped on top". No, the bata sits in the lap of the musician horizontally and is slapped at both ends, since it has two heads.
Thank you NYT. Beautiful people, beautiful music. Great journalism.
I'm dancing!
I was first introduced to the world of Cuban music when I scored and produced the soundtrack for the film “The Mambo Kings” in 1990. Since then the sounds of Cuba have flowed through me, and this article just reminds me how deep, delicious and mysterious the music of the island can be. There is no way for me to fully express my deep appreciation and affection for this article! Shannon Sims, you made my day...and Todd Heisler, I’d like to frame every one of your photographs.
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This is a lovely article. As one reader points out, it misses many important genres of Cuban music, and misses some of it's many 'roots' musics (the contradanza, ancestor of the danzón; puntos based on the décima poetic form inherited from Spain; and the music of Santería or the regal de ocha, the most thriving form of worship of the African saints), BUT it gets a lot right, and provides a vibrant window into the role of music in everyday life. One error: the batá drum should not be stood on its end -- it has two heads and is played while the drum sits on the lap. This latter point is important because the drum is widely understood to have its own spirit, and to play it as the author describes would be considered sacrilegious.
@Gage Averill This applies only to sacred bata. Non consecrated drum ( aberikula) are often played in rumbas, and can touch the ground.
In 2001 I was on a folclorico tour by bus from la Habana to Guantanamo, led by Ned Sublette. I remember so many of these places and more. Even a roadside bicycle taxi in la Florida with about half a roast pig remaining, on the road from Guantanamo to Matanzas - gosh that was a long day's bus ride. La Casa de la Trova (Trinidad IIRC), Haitian groups in Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba. We did not get to see los Munequitos (who were in la Habana for a Santeria ordination), but we did visit their home village, Jovellanos, where an abuela and I bowed extravagantly to each other and I gave her my Akubra. I did get to see los Munequitos in Miami that spring. And Cimafunk played the North Beach Bandshell a couple of months ago - thank you, Rhythm Foundation.
The article does not mention the Haitian influence (esp in Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba) brought in by planters and slaves fleeing the Haitian revolution.
Gosh, would I like to do that tour again.
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I took my daughter to Cuba last year. It was an incredible experience. The music was phenomenal. My favorite was when we made a bathroom stop on the way to Trinidad from Havana. The bathroom attendant had a guitar and began playing and it made for a magical moment. I wish more Americans could support the people of Cuba.
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Absolutely fantastic story, thank you!
As a Latin American who enjoys Cuban music, I find the music scene on the island to be in a sad state of affairs. The Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon was both a blessing and a curse. Currently, no Latin American country plays new Cuban music on the radio. The only demand for it comes for the elderly who remember its former glory.
Cuba produces excellent musicians with its state-sponsored education system, but any music currently coming out of the island has no demand in Latin America. Why? because it's fallen out of step with the variety of Salsa that is popular nowadays.
After the heady days of the Fania All-Star phenomenon in the 70s and 80s, it fell to groups like Grupo Niche in Colombia to carry the standard of Salsa. Cubans went their own way and don't even seem to be aware that what they must get kick out the nostalgic Buena Vista habit if they are to reclaim their music and its proper place in the world.
I know that Americans and Europeans like this old-style, slower tempo Cuban music, but these are not consumers who are truly passionate about Cuban music. Cuban musicians and songwriters must reconnect with the young people of Latin America, anything else will condemn Cuban music to a slow death.
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Wow!!!
What a great article. I've got a lot of listening to do!
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Cuba is indeed music. It is also the well known National Symphony, the female classical orchestra of Zenaida Romeo, the ISA (Instituto Superior de Arte) a renowned music school. Cuban musicians, while they may look "country" actually receive extensive & rigorous training musical training from a young age. They will surprise with their virtuosity and in depth knowledge of music, easily playing any piece by ear.
"Salsa", "Latin" are commercial names to hide the cultural identity of Cuba. Much of that music is Cuban music. The music that sells worldwide is Cuban music.
And, yes, the trump admin has made things more difficult for Cubans, but, more so, the 60 year economic blockade by the US. Even though, Cuba has a higher literacy rate and lower infant mortality rate than the US. Everyone goes to school and no one sleeps in the street. Kids dont have to worry about being shot in school and violent crime is rare. An island of 11 million that has been, as someone else wrote, "demonized" by the US.
I have visited and have lived in Cuba, not just as a tourist for a week or so.
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@Teddi P I am going to disagree with your statement about salsa and Latin music. Salsa was invented by ( Puerto Ricans and Cubans in New York in the late 60’s. Salsa music takes from different afro Caribbean sounds from Cuba y Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico,Dominican Republic and Cuba are very musical island. I found it so ridiculous how some people try to dismiss the musical accomplishments of two islands. These tree island are musically and culturally the same and if you really know about them you wouldn’t not say that.
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Having travelled in Cuba, I can vouch for the importance of music. But the article fails to mention the defining genre of this generation - reaggeton. That is by far the most played music you will find anywhere in the country. We shouldn't forget that Cuban artists were pioneers, and the Cubans early adopters, of the genre.
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@Patrik
Reggaeton is definitely Puerto Rican. After them, Colombians are probably the most prolific and popular reggaeton artists. Cubans have a great musical tradition, but so do the other islands of the Caribbean. PR, DR and Jamaica have complex and vibrant music scenes as well.
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This is why I subscribe to the NY Times.
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I must write that this article is flawed and ignores all of the academic research that has been done on Cuban music and its European, African and American origins. The habanera is never even mentioned. The true roots of cuban music are ignored in favor of someone's revisionist views or perhaps simply the ignorance of the sources. The timing of this article as published by the NYTimes is incongruent with the crisis currently looming on the island. I don't know when the videos or pictures were taken, but my family on the island has sent me recent fotos of barren streets and highways due to the lack of gasoline for transport; not to mention the food shortages, power outages and many other negative economic impacts to the island and its people. The images would lead one to believe that its music in the streets. As to representing that it was the spirit of the revolution that allowed the gay community to have access to clubs, I am reminded how the regime imprisoned AIDs infected men, most of whom were gay, in concentration camps during the 80s and 90s. I also recall how Cuban jazz artists like Paquito D'Rivera and Arturo Sandoval were forced to leave the island throughout the 70s and 80s because the spirit of the revolution did not view cuban jazz (a fusion of American jazz and Afro-cuban sensibilities) to be worthy of sanctioned expression. Cuban music has a rich heritage and is much more than what this boondoggle based article represents.
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@L Ramirez
Thank you for this. Cuba is suffering and American tourists ignore it. Cuban resilience is amazing, but the country is suffering from severe shortages. We need to stop the embargo and help Cuba develop its infrastructure.
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@L Ramirez.
The academic record of Cuban music is often tainted by ideology. The roots of salsa lie with Danzon in Havana, rumba in Matanzas and Franco-Haitian music in Santiago. Cuban music has always been played in the street, as well as clubs. As the photos and videos show, that tradition continues today. It’s practically impossible to visit a Cuban town without seeing live performance. Though many musicians have chosen to emigrate, I’ve never heard of a player being forced out of the country.
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@L Ramirez
Yes, all true, yet in spite of all the travails both internal and foreign, ancient and contemporary, Cubans have not lost their joy of living and love of music which in no small measure makes it possible.
There is music in the streets, homes, and souls of Cubans. El son es lo mas sublime.
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Been to Cuba once. Loved the people and the food and the music before the visit. Loved them all even more after my visit.
Thank you.
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Several years ago Havana was the host city of the International Jazz festival and the local musicians are equally innovative as their international counterparts.
It's unfortunate that we cannot enjoy the power and creativity of Cuban music because we've been told that that small island and its people are a threat to what used to be the most powerful nation in the world.
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@Peter P. Bernard I have been to Cuba six times and love all the Cuban music, people, dance and other culture that pours from the Cuban soul. Cuba is facing incredible difficulties since April this year when US President Trump ramped up the US blockade of the island by implementing the Chapter III provisions of the Helms Burton Act. Trump hates socialism so he wants to kill off the Cuban socialist revolution. He would try to trow out out the baby with the bathwater as the Cuban music which is written about in thus article is an integral part of Cuban society and a free, educated and passionate people.
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@Peter P. Bernard
Yes, they are a threat. Ask any of us Venezuelans for details.
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A great documentary to watch is "Tuba to Cuba" (2018) by the New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Through music, travelogue and personal insights, the film explains the cultural connections between New Orleans and Cuba.
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@Living in Interesting Times. Yes, I’ve seen the film. Great, indeed. It’s on Amazon Prime.
When our tour group visited Cuba in 2015, I was struck by all of the youth playing in parks, soccer in the streets, music in the cafes and then I realized that in a country without the internet, people naturally congregate and entertain each other. No video games or smartphones to mesmerize children.
We were greeted as guests of a local group of Cuban doctors. They prepared food and drinks and of course, gave speeches in Spanish and then played the one international language - music and invited our group to dance with them. So wonderful and I could not help wonder if we would have been so hospitable if they visited us in America?
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Lovely article! Coming from Dominican Republic, listening to the music of Cuba and their roots makes my blood jump of emotion. Their music is always lively and full of happiness, the same for DR! Hopefully one day I'll be able to go there. Great article!
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Wonderful article and gorgeous photos. Hope to make it there. Thank you all.
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Great article. I would add the town of Trinidad as a place with wonderful music.
I took a tour of Cuba approximately 10 years ago. There was live music with every meal except one breakfast. One of my favorite countries; the clubs were fabulous.
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Excellent article! Well researched, written and illuminating! Cuba is not easy to navigate and the music scene is so complex and rich. It’s hard to capture the true essence. You brought everything into focus with authenticity.
Felicidades!
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A lovely piece of reporting. Thanks NYT! My son was in Cuba about ten years ago. He said people were dancing in the streets-EVERYWHERE! This is the people-the island, that the USA has demonized for the last 60 years. Demonized for refusing to be small, irrelevant players in a small corner of the American Empire.
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@h king Agreed. Was in Cuba less than ten years ago: music everywhere, and the people were warm and friendly. The politics that force this beautiful island to remain poor have not squelched the extraordinary spirit and art of these folks.
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@h king
Nobody blames the Cuban people. It is unfortunate that they are run by a totalitarian regime that abuses human rights and has destroyed their economy.
Also, Cuba did choose to be a pawn of the Soviet empire and communist. It hasn't worked out well.
This is really the tourist brochure story of Cuba. I visited a year ago and was astonished to see and feel the poverty, ruins, shabby official stores with hardly any food or goods. And now the brutal government has rationed food supply because of the breakdown in Venezuela that used to help Cuba. It's so tragic to witness the cost of a ruthless dictatorship to the lovely Cuba people who struggle every day to manage.
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Hmm, sounds to me like fiddling while Rome burns.
Cuba has serious food and fuel shortages and many consumer goods are rationed or simply unavailable. Regular folks find fresh meat and vegetables in short supply because they are funneled to hotels and restaurants that serve wealthy tourists who bring in foreign exchange.
Cuba’s Communist government is despotic, and many of the limited number of doctors are conscripted to work abroad in order to generate income for the government.
Nice to know Cubans still have good music.
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@Mon Ray Would you recommend that the US strop playing music until we exit the dark age of Donald Trump? If so, what purpose would it serve?
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@Mon Ray. The shortages are hugely exacerbated by the harsh and ignorant policies of the Trump administration which coddles autocrats and murderous regimes such as Saudi Arabia and the Philippines but cannot tolerate Cuba. Things were getting better with better relations with the US but Trump pulled the rug out from under those policies. When my wife and I visited Cuba in 2018, the people couldn't be more friendly, the music couldn't be better, and we never felt unsafe at any time of day or night.
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@Mon Ray
Oh, stop the nonsense political blah-blah!
Don't you know that Cuba has been under an economic and political boycott by the USA for over 60 years, the one respite being during the Obama sojourn?
don't you know that Cuba, in spite of being poor, has the highest literacy rate in the world, that it has the highest per capita number of medical doctors. You will not see homeless in Cuba and there is no fear of violence.
Many Cubans survive he shortages with cash sent home by relatives who have immigrated to the USA.
It's OK if you don't like the political system there, but if you want tp talk about despotism, the mirror which the US president looks into contains all the elements of that word.
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thank you so much for bringing us to the real deal of Cuban music today.
i visited cuba in January for one week and took 2700 photos...my next trip i am planning is to follow in your footsteps and listen to music.
thanks
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I was schedule to cruise to Cuba in October but it was cancelled because of the trump administration. I was so angry about this pettiness as Cuba was on my travel wish list. Hopefully, one day I will have a chance to enjoy Cuba.
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@dupr
Instead of a cruise, fly to Havana, and stay in one of the small "hotels" - casa particulares. About a the comment from Mon Ray, we Hispanics do dictatorships the "hispanic way", not as despotic as the europeans or asians.
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@Angel Perez
Cuba is definitely worth a visit and it helps the local people by bringing in needed funds. Fortunately many Europeans go there regularly. They may not have an overabundance of food, but no one is starving and they do not have amazing numbers of fat people walking around (or not walking as the case may be!). Those people living in the country side are able to grow a lot of their own food even though it is with hand labor (just as many of us do in our home gardens here!).
One real advantage to vacationing in Cuba is that there is no distraction from TV and internet so you spend your week really seeing the country, or relaxing on the beach. A couple of my photography friends have been there three times!
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