The year: 1977.
The place: La Habana, Cuba.
President Jimmy Carter thawed the freeze between the United States and Cuba a bit by allowing a boatload of American musicians to travel to Havana to perform with Cuban musicians, the first such officially sanctioned visit since 1961.
Check out the young, very serious and (very thin) Arturo Sandoval and Paquito D’Rivera.… Read more
An excerpt of the review of the DVD re-issue (out of print) from the New York Times:
“EARLY in the salsa documentary “Our Latin Thing (Nuestra Cosa),” a 40th anniversary version of which will be released Tuesday, the master percussionist Ray Barretto is asked what he wants the movie to accomplish. He responds that … Read more
Jack Costanzo (1919-2018)
Jack Costanzo started out as a dancer but self-education which included three trips to Havana in the 1940s made him a bongero (bongo master) and he was in instant demand both with jazz and Latin orchestras.
His first exposure to the instrument came when he was 14 years old at a ballroom dance concert in his home … Read more
You’ve got to hand it to Harvard. They’ve got money and in this case they knew how to spend it.
This short video is an excellent musical and visual survey of some of the best that the western part of Cuba has to offer music lovers.
Cuban saxophonist, percussionist and composer Yosvany Terry directs the jazz bands at Harvard where … Read more
In 1985, on his second trip to Havana, Dizzy Gillespie was accompanied by a documentary film crew.
The resulting film “A Night in Havana: Dizzy Gillespie in Cuba” captures Dizzy’s spirit like few other films.
The film includes beautifully shot concert footage of his performance at Havana’s Fifth International Jazz Festival, his adventures touring Havana and his reflections on Afro-Cuban … Read more
For more of Henry's programs click … [Read More...]
"My analyst told me...that I was right … [Read More...]
Interview with Abraham Ravett … [Read More...]