Flavors Of Cuba

Cuba Video, CD’s & Books

adam fulford — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 04:15:32 +0000

Here are our recommended Cuba products.

Cuban Music

jon griffin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 02:57:06 +0000

Cuban Marimbula

By Jon Griffin – Special To Flavors of Cuba

Cuban music set the stage for many types of music. It was also influenced by two distinct diaspora; Spain and Africa.

Two Influences

Unlike Mexico, Cuba and most of the new world colonized by Spain and France, didn’t have a native population that could work. That fact contributed to the use of slaves from Africa. To begin with, most of the slave population came from the Yoruba and Bantu tribes. Each contributed different cultural and musical ideas.

From Spain, and often with influences from the Canary Islands, came the European idea of music. Originally only played for the white settlers, eventually the black musicians incorporated their own Africanisms. This fusion eventually combined and changed into a unique musical style, know today as Cuban music.

In a nutshell, the polyrhythms of the slaves merged with the harmonic and melodic ideas of the Spanish. Thus styles like danzon morphed into cha-cha-chá when the musicians added an afro-centric concept of the chorus, known now as the montuno. Likewise, the son added the same montuno section and became son montuno, not to be confused with son de monte or son from the mountains.

Here are some articles that will help you understand Cuban music and also give some recommendations of classic Cuban music to listen to. I also highly recommend my 4 CD Anthology of Cuban Music as a starting point. It includes a booklet and covers the 4 major Cuban music genres. All are from the archives of CIDMUC (Center for the Investigation and Discovery of Cuban Music). I have also recorded with Ban Rarra and that CD includes not only traditional Cuban music, but examples of the Haitian influence on Cuban music as well.

To get either CD please visit ===>>> Salsa Blanca, Cuban Music and More

Articles On Cuban Music

Cuba Travel

cubaphile — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:01:30 +0000

Dance for Chango - Havana 1997

Did you know that Americans can travel to Cuba? There are restrictions of course, but there are legal ways to travel. If you have any interest in Cuba, you really should see it before it changes. There are ways to book flights, and hotels in Cuba from the United States, but you need to be careful. As someone who goes legally, I definitely have been through the ringer and can recommend which companies you can depend on (and no, I don’t work for any of them and make no money in commission.)

If you aren’t an United States resident, congratulations, you can visit Cuba anytime you like. Of course, the articles on travel to Cuba won’t be as relevant, but for an insiders view of Cuba, you can break out of your all-inclusive resort and visit the “real” Cuba.

So, here are some articles on Cuba travel. These articles include Cuba trips, holidays in Cuba, hotels in Cuba, sightseeing in Cuba, and anything related to Cuba travel.

About

flavors — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:57:38 +0000

Flavors of Cuba is all about Cuba. The owners have been to Cuba many times, and we often link to other sites.

If you have an article, and yes we accept links, please contact us.

Privacy Policy

cubaphile — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:47:58 +0000

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Los Van Van In Miami

cubaphile — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:15:15 +0000

By Jon Griffin

The Beatles of Cuban popular music, Los Van Van has returned to the United States and is performing it’s first US concert in 10 years.

Los Van Van was formed in 1969 by Juan Formell and has many mega hits and is credited with the creation of Songo (first with Timbalero Blas Egües, and refined by the infamous “Changito”).

Hoping for more calm than the last politically tinged concert in Miami, Formell thinks the younger generation of exiles will not be as politically reactive, and he mentioned his most recent trip where he was treated much better.

If you live near Miami, don’t miss this show. You won’t be disappointed and you will see a level of musicianship practically unheard of these days. I wish I was in Miami for this.

Details:

Get your Tickets Online At Ticketmaster for Los Van Van

When: Sunday, January 31 at 7PM

Where: James L. Knight Center,
400 SE Second Ave.,
Miami.

Cost: $62 to $102

Upcoming Shows

cubaphile — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:33:45 +0000

No shows booked at the moment.

Famous Residents of Cuba

cubaphile — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:08:45 +0000

January 20, 2010 – Thanks to Emma Lelliott

Whatever your views on Cuba, everyone agrees that the island has been home to some of the most colourful and passionate people in history. Cuba seems to lend itself to free-spirited and wonderful figures, many of whom take holidays to Cuba, find themselves under her spell and decide to stay.

The Buena Vista Social Club

More of an institution or group than single inhabitant, The Buena Vista Social Club is the umbrella name for a series of Jazz musicians and singers. The name itself comes from a club in Havana which was popular in the 1940s and 1950s with Jazz musicians. A fraternal club where black musicians would go to hang out and jam, the venue became a focal point for Cuban music. Famous artists would gravitate to the club, which gained what would today be called cult fame with international black musicians. Many planned holidays to Cuba specifically to go to the club and jam with the band.

The club was closed down after the revolution as it was seen as a part of Havana’s hedonistic lifestyle, and it wasn’t until 1997 when the club’s musical style was revived. An album recording by producer Nick Gold went wrong when some of his musicians couldn’t get to Cuba, so Gold filled in with local artists. Most had been members of the club, and the album took on the flavour of the club and its name as a title. The musicians themselves gained international renown – Juan de Marcos González, Compay Segundo, Rubén González, and Ibrahim Ferrer became known as Los Superabuelos (or “The Super-Grandfathers”). The album sold more than five million copies, and the club itself took on legendary status; so much so that searching for it while on holiday to Cuba is a wild goose chase – even residents who lived nearby at the time can’t agree on where the club actually was!

Ernesto “Che” Guevara

Wherever you are in the world, you can’t escape images of “Che”. In student bedrooms, revolutionary enclaves and art galleries, Che Guevara is iconic, and he was one of Cuba’s most famous residents. This is even more obvious on holidays to Cuba, where he is a hero of the revolution. His image is everywhere, not least in famous murals and sculptures in Havana.

Originally from Argentina, Che was a key figure in the Cuban revolution under Fidel Castro. He literally wrote the book on guerrilla warfare, rising to command in some of the major battles of the revolution. Committed to his Marxist beliefs, he was a fierce fighter and revolutionary and became a high-ranking international negotiator and political appointee in Castro’s government.

Though he spent much of his time in Cuba, his beliefs lead him to aid other revolutions with anti-capitalist sympathies. He travelled to many countries on state sanctioned and personal missions, eventually being caught and killed while attempting to foster a revolution in Bolivia. However, his fame and fervour were such that he is still hailed as a countercultural symbol worldwide.

Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway was a world famous journalist and writer, and spent almost half his life on holiday, working or living in Cuba. He was involved in the First World War, the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War, and produced a huge body of short stories, longer prose pieces and articles including classics such as “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, “The Old Man and The Sea” and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”.

Hemingway created his own writing style that became influential for a whole series of later journalists and authors. He is one of Cuba’s most famous inhabitants, and people on holidays to Cuba visit the Hemingway Museum housed in his villa, which includes his boat and preserved examples of his writing.

Emma Lelliott is the general manager of Captivating Cuba, an independent Cuba holiday specialist. With offices in Havana and the UK, Captivating Cuba are experts in putting together the very best Holidays to Cuba .

For more about Cuban Culture make sure you visit Salsa Blanca

Latin All Stars Orchestra Concert 1-9-2009

cubaphile — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:54:07 +0000

Be a part of the hottest salsa night’ in Las Vegas, come to the Gold Coast Casino show room this SATURDAY January 9th 2010 to dance with the stars of LAS VEGAS: THE LATIN ALL STARS orchestra !!!!

Latin All Stars Orchestra will be performing on saturday January 9th at the Gold Coast Casino Las Vegas, from 11 to 3 am with the best salsa hits and latin music playing by one of the best salsa or latin orchestra in las Vegas all under Jiovanni Cofino, bass player, arrangements, composer, general & musical director with the especial feature Rosita Penichet lead singer and salsa diva in Las Vegas for 15 years.  The Gold Coast Casino has been the only salsa night club with the unique salsa style dancers coming every friday and saturday the last 9 years.

This Saturday January 9th, the doors will be open at 10:00 pm

Cover: $10 dls plus a free ticket for any drink.

Dress code enforced.

Don’t miss it we will playing a lot of salsa new york style, cuban style, more than 25 salsa hits and the new original tunes releases from the Band included into the first CD ” Gozando en las Vegas ” due in february 2010….

Rosita Penichet , Jiovanni Cofino, www.latinallstarsorchestra.com & The Stars of the VEGAS LATIN BAND scene!! THEY SALSA’ED IT @ THE PR BORICUA FESTIVAL Back on the 24th of MAY 2009…..They play salsa, Cuban Jazz, Merengue some Mambo and Cha-Cha and In-Between Sets Dj GC of South Point Casino plays a latin mix of various styles to keep the crowd moving!!!…Come early because after 11:30pm THE CLUB IS FULL!! & they close for capacity!!! Dont Forgot to Ask for and Tip my Boi> Koy Sparks aka SUPER BEVERAGE MAKER!!! at the Bar, You will either see me near him getting my drink.our meetup section or Snapping Pics of All the Couples and Big Groups that come out this nite!! VIP Reservation at 702 7680302

We rocked New Year’s eve, we were the only latin band performing that day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!more than 350 people!!!!!!! Don’t miss it.See u!!!!
Keep live music, alive!!!

Cuba's Tropicana nightclub marks 70th anniversary

cubaphile — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:01:49 +0000

HAVANA,Cuba (Reuters) — Havana’s famed Tropicana nightclub turns 70 this week, its glamour days as an international celebrity haunt well behind it, but its future assured as a money-making hotspot for the cash-strapped Cuban government.

Scantily clad female dancers, their costumes mostly feathers and sequined thongs, writhed across its outdoor stage as they have for decades in a show that began on Monday night and ended Tuesday morning, marking the club’s opening on Dec. 30, 1939.
The show included an homage to stars like Carmen Miranda and Nat King Cole who performed amid Tropicana’s lush gardens and towering trees.
Photos of Cole flashed on screens behind the stage as two dancers swayed romantically to his song “Tenderly.”
Tropicana began as a casino and nightclub that, especially in the decade before Cuba’s 1959 revolution, attracted a steady stream of celebrities ranging from Marlon Brando to Maurice Chevalier. Some performed there and others simply mingled with the elegantly dressed clientele. Their presence and the accompanying publicity made Tropicana one of the world’s best known nightspots.
At the time, Cuba, just 90 miles (145 km) from Florida, was a popular tourist destination for Americans, who have generally been banned from traveling there under a US trade embargo in place since 1962.
Cuban gambler Martin Fox owned the club from 1950 on, but its casino, like many others in Havana at the time, was run by an associate of Santo Trafficante, a Florida mobster who had extensive holdings in Cuba.
After Fidel Castro and his bearded rebels toppled dictator Fulgencio Batista and took power on Jan. 1, 1959, they closed the island’s casinos. The nightclub, like almost everything in communist-led Cuba, became government property. Cuban officials wrestled with how best to use Tropicana, but settled on using its past glory to make money in the name of promoting Cuban culture. “This is an emblematic place for Cuba. It is one of Cuba’s most important tourist products,” Tourism Vice Minister Maria Elena Lopez said as she waited for the show to start.
The club’s tradition of flashy shows has continued, but club director David Varela said the goal now is to showcase Cuba, not just entertain.
The price of admission is equal to about $65, which is more than three times the average Cuban’s monthly salary. So most of the Tropicana’s customers are foreign tourists.

“Tropicana intertwines tourism with the national culture, and that is really what we export to the world – our national culture without any type of vice,” he told reporters.
The Tropicana spectaculars spotlight Cuban music and dance, putting on display “all the sensuality the Cuban has,” Varela said.

It is a tribute to Tropicana’s pre-Revolution stature that five decades after its heyday, it continues to be a big draw for tourists, and therefore a steady source of income for Cuba, which is in the midst of a financial crisis that has depleted its foreign reserves. Varela said 250,000 people have gone to the club this year, which would equal just over 10 percent of the 2.42 million tourists the government recently said would visit the island in 2009.
He said some Tropicana visitors come away disappointed because the club is not the all-night dining, drinking and dancing experience it once was. Most people are now bused in shortly before the show starts, and bused out after it’s over, with little time to linger over drinks as one might expect. Instead of cocktail dresses and business suit, the dress is mostly tourist casual.

What people may not understand, said Varela, is that Cuba, as one of the last communist countries, has a different way of doing things. Cuban cabarets are not like those elsewhere.
“Really, our cabaret has become a theater place where the message is cultural,” Varela said. “This is what has been created during all these years of revolution.”