POSTCARDS FROM CUBA
Photos by Benjamin Forster. Words by Cristina Dio.
Click on the images to enlarge.

La Habana
Havana is the Caribbean's largest city and a wellspring of musical talent. It is here where Cuba's musical tradition underpins a thriving culture of experimentation that informs and influences music all over the world. If you love latin music, Havana will make your head explode. Street ragga, timba dura, salsa, afro-cuban jazz ... it's all here in abundance. In Havana we were invited to the house of Marcos Jorrin, whose uncle Enrique penned the very first cha-cha-cha, we frequented the famed Cafe Cantante, jazz den La Zorra y El Cuervo (The Vixen and The Crow) and hung out with Los Tres de la Habana, Sur Caribe, Oscar Valdes and Diakara, Pupy Pedroso and Compay Segundo's band, led by his son Salvador Repilado. Watch this website for stories and interviews coming up...

Santiago de Cuba/Trinidad
El Oriente (the east) is known as the birthplace of the "son", Cuba's most popular traditional style. "Son", along with many other musical forms, such as the bolero, charanga, guajira-son and trova are most prevalent on the eastern side of the island. Musicians perform daily at public music houses such as La Casa de la Trova where we met Los Cubanitos, Inaudi Paisan Mallet and trovador Bene Bili. Santiago is also celebrated as the birthplace of the revolution and we happened to be there for the 50th anniversary of Castro's attack on the Moncada Barracks. El Oriente is a fascinating place...