Farewell Night at the Casa del Queso
It has finally crept up on me: my last day in Santiago de Cuba. But it’s going to be a great day. I’ll be having a final…
Category: Cuba
The Beatles…in Cuba
The Beatles never quite made it to Cuba as a group, but what if they had? How may it have affected their music? That’s exactly what I…
Habanera & the Cuban Woman Who Defied the Odds
It’s been a weekend of thrills and spills after meeting Eliades Ochoa and sitting in on a recording session at Egrem. I’ve now moved from Hostal Girasol…
Inside EGREM Siboney | Santiago de Cuba’s Recording Studio
Still buzzing from the Eliades Ochoa gig, today I’ve got a guided tour of Egrem Siboney recording studio on the menu. It’s all part of Xiomara…
Eliades Ochoa | Live @ Casa de la Trova
I’ve been invited to the Casa de la Trova to see Buena Vista Social Club guitarist & singer Eliades Ochoa, play live in his home city…
World Circuit Records & Buena Vista Social Club
Before leaving for Cuba, I met Nick Gold – a pioneer in world music production and distribution through World Circuit Records. He was the architect of the…
Fate, Blunder, Spawn & Wonder
Over the next couple of days, I didn’t know whether I was coming or going, as fate took me on a roller-coaster ride. But sometimes,…
Cha-cha-cha Guitar with Rudy Daquín
Fresh from being shown how to use filin to ease a bolero out of the boogie-sphere and into the realms of sentimental contemplation, Rudy is now going to show me…
Filin Guitar | Jazzin’ Up the Bolero
After meeting Los Jubilados del Caribe yesterday, I return to the scene of the crime for my first lesson with Rudy. As I arrive, Los Jubilados are packing up for…
Los Jubilados Del Caribe
I take the short walk up into Santiago de Cuba’s cultural quarter to a plaza outside the Bacardi Museum. My senses pull me towards the…
Open Mic at the Casa de Las Tradiciones
The great thing about Cuba is: it doesn’t matter if you’re looking for the action or not – the action finds you. One night Marianna invites…
Bolero-Son | Cuban Con-Fusion
So far, in my first Cuban guitar lesson with trovadora Xiomara Vidal, she has introduced me to the bolero and walked me through the son. But it’s getting…