Cienfuegos—which means one hundred fires—is a lovely colonial style city known for its cleanliness, for its efficient bus system and rational distribution of farm products. I first strolled about the wide wharf. Looking at the many docked freighters, I came upon a small cargo ship I’d recognized from television, The Hermann.
Read MoreSeveral days prior to the concert, the few tickets available to the public were sold out. People knew it would be a first-class performance at the Grand Theater of Havana, but they were not overly concerned about missing it.
Read MoreThe La Zorra y El Cuervo Jazz Club located on 23rd St. and O in Vedado brings you nightly performances of some of the best Cuban musicians from 10 pm to 2 am. Here’s the lineup for January 19-31.
Read MoreThe Havana Jazz Café located on the third floor of the Galeria de Paseo Shopping Center (Paseo and First St., Vedado) has top line Cuban jazz performances nightly. The restaurant opens at 12 noon and the bar from 9 pm. to 2 am. One-set shows start around 11 pm. Admission is always a 10 CUC minimum charge. For more information call 838-3556. Read on to see the current standing performance dates
Read MoreJanuary arrived in style– at least in terms of jazz. This past Sunday at the Amadeo Roldan Theater-Auditorium, Havanans enjoyed a jam session backed by strings, woodwinds and percussive instruments. Renowned Cuban jazz pianist Ernan Lopez-Nussa, along with Gaston Joya (bass) and Enrique Pla (drums), joined forces with the National Symphonic Orchestra to give us the first symphonic jazz concert to ever take place on the island.
Read MoreI awoke before dawn and hurried to the bridge to witness the historic landmark, Bariay. I stood beside Sigi at the helm as the sun dawned and we could see where Columbus first disembarked in Cuba. Throughout most of the day I gazed at the beautiful shoreline. It was a sunny day and I was enraptured at the lush foliage along the shore. At mid-day we passed slowly before Yunque de Baracoa.(16) This 530-meter high, odd-shaped mountain standing alone was sighted by Columbus on November 27, 1492.
Read MoreThe Cuban National Ballet —beginning the year at its best— this past weekend presented The Nutcracker(in its complete version). One-hundred children from the Youth Ballet of Hamilton (Canada) performed as special guests. In addition were dancers from the Alejo Carpentier Elementary School of Ballet and the Vocational Workshop of the Dance Department of the Cuban National Ballet.
Read MoreOn hands and knees, we banged and scraped old paint and oxides. We brushed specks with a hard wire brush and then swept the deck clean. We would now rub in oil to prevent dirt from collecting on the deck. Then we would apply the anti-corrosive paint, then two coats of thick paint. When we were about to apply the first coat, seaman Luis took the pail of rust and cast it overboard.
Read MoreWith the new year here, returning to the wooden street of the Plaza de Armas will be the open air performances of the Banda Nacional de Conciertos, directed by maestro Rafael Diaz Carter, on Fridays at four in the afternoon.
Read MoreThe group Obsesión is presenting their project “El Club del Espendrú” (The Afro-Club – referring to that hairstyle of days gone by), will be offering their fans their most recent musical compositions and bringing in 2010 full of happiness with their different musical works. They will be at the Teatro Bertold Brecht café, on Thursday, January 14, at 11:00 p.m.
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