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Canned hams in; cigars out 
This Spring B. George, the
director of the ARChive, traveled to Cuba to attend Cubadisco 2003, that nation's industry confab.
Cubadisco This was the seventh annual Cuban record industry event held in Habana to showcase musicians, meet and greet, make deals and allow for a bit of historical perspective on the music. It was a great time to visit because, beyond the ease of contacting all the record companies, within the space of a week the city was jam-packed with live performances from all over the island. My guide was Ed Steinberg of Rockamerica, who is married to a Cuban and does a frequent back-and-forth researching music film and video footage. The canned hams were for his extended family. But pork was a poor substitute for my powerbook - one dangerous canned item that was not allowed into the country.The Feria is held at a large convention center on the outskirts of Habana, PABEXPO. In addition to exhibits by record companies, publishers and the many provincial music organizations, each day offered a lineup of seminars, films, graphic arts and at least one artist showcase. For international flavor, each Cubadisco honors another country, its performers and music. Last year it was Mexico, and this year it was Germany. I had hoped for a groundbreaking tuba and timba mix, but as all of this cultural exchange was Classical, I heard none of it. During this event the Cuban music industry also hosts their annual awards ceremony, similar to the Grammys, honoring the most popular popular music of the year. One convention center highlight was a gallery show set up by the Museo Nacional de La Mùsica, detailing a history of audio recording (Historia de la Fonografía). I was impressed by the range of beautiful playback machines, from wire recorders (the Webcor "Electronic Memory") to hurdy-gurdies to MP3 players, but the real treasures were the old Cuban 78s and LPs used as illustrative props. Outside the hall was a thatch-covered eatery, Palenque, with a changing-every-day lineup of traditional music and MCs/comedians. Here you could have lunch, drink, schmooze and hear music in, lucky for me, just about perfect weather. The overarching seminar (Simposio) topic wasThe Music Industry In the 21st Century. Lectures and panels tackled the same issues as you might expect anywhere; the role of the internet and music downloads and the future of recorded music and can the orchestra survive and is Cuban music World Music and royalty problems and is mass media for the masses... Well, maybe that last one wouldn't pop up in a capitalist country. Only the first day of the conference provided translations, as the American embargo on travel had kept just about everyone away. While the PR boasted attendees from 16 countries, most were from the Southern hemisphere, and I met few Europeans and no Americans at the conference or during my entire 10 day trip. I think I saw a Canadian.
mùsica After a conventional first day of trying to get my dance card filled (making appointments) and touring the exhibits (maybe 35 stalls), I attended the opening night concert honoring the 55th birthday of Sergio Vitier. Vitier, a revered guitarist and composer, had his works performed by, and shared the stage with a host of all-stars. Standouts included vocalist Marta Valdès, tres virtuoso Pancho Amat, brother pianist Josè Maria Vitier, and jazz pianist Chucho Valdès. The highlight of the evening was the moving and sensitive improvisation by pianist Ernàn Lòpez-Nussa, playing variations on a Vitier composition from the film, Roble de Olor.Like all the formal concerts I attended, this one at Amadeo Roldàn Hall, the theaters were tidy, comfortable and acoustically superior. Every show started on-the-dot, flowed effortlessly and was dirt-cheap. The average Cuban can see some of the greatest music on the planet for 50¢ a ticket. If there's a downside it was that only folks attending the conference, and getting the daily paper highlighting the changes of venues, times and performers, had the slightest idea who was where when. My evening ritual was a mojito on the veranda at the Hotel Nacional - a sort of calm before the nightly late-night ramble. Here I talked to many guests lamenting the lack of any reliable info on what was going on in the city. After the concert it was a long-distance cab ride to hear Los Van Van at the House of Music in Miramar. Egrem, the oldest and one-time only Cuban record company, runs two "Houses" in the city - this one an upscale tropical half-outdoor dancehall that caters to salsa acts. It had it all; fountains, palm trees, B-girls, rhum, cigars, a compere, faranduleros (serious late-night fun seekers), jineteros (facilitator/hustler) some of the best dancers I'd ever seen and a hefty admission. The Juan Formell-less Van Van was cookin', but like so much of the salsa I heard on this trip, prone to a regularity catering to dancers. Missing were any long improvisational montuno sections, the few clever tricks left to the horn section. Over the next few days I also saw an up-and-coming star, Haila y su grupo and Issac Delgado. Solid. Good. But, gimme Colombia for hot, innovative salsa.
Daily Life In general, days broke down like this; out to Cubadiscos in early afternoon, lunch chats or meetings, music outside at the Jardin del Teatro Mella, a formal concert, eat, then to a club for more music. I stayed in Verdado at a casa particular, a legal room in a private house. It was a short walk to the seawall, a 20 minute walk to the Teatro Mella where many concerts were held, and a few blocks from the Hotel Nacional de Cuba where they keep the internet, international calls and the mojitos. I was around the corner from a nice outdoor food market and a square-block tropical garden that is home to the spaceship-shaped Coppella, the cities premier ice cream parlor. A nearby fast food joint provided pollo under the stars. One night I watched an eclipse of that fabled Habana Moon overhead, while between innings of a baseball game on the large TV behind the counter, they cut to live coverage of the moon above. By the way, in a country without advertising, four innings went by in 15 minutes.
Tuesday morning was my first day of record hunting. The photo above is of a street-level apartment cum store that mounts an outdoor display. Inside, piles of LPs are laid out on upholstered car seats and living room chairs. Next I went to the one everyone goes to, The Tienda Seriosha ("Serious Store" may or may not be its name), at 408 Neptune St., Centro Habana. This place is at the very back of an indoor everything market, where the temp. is always 100 degrees plus. Here a really beat, filthy disc is lovingly described as having, "a little dust". Throughout my trip various friends of friends would show me LPs in hopes that I would buy, and a few very nice things were found. But in general it was nearly impossible to find both LPs and their sleeves in good condition. Even some CDs were difficult to locate and I spent the whole trip trying to track down a new release by guitarist Cèsar Portello de la Luz. Here's the complete list of recordings . Books, on the other hand, were everywhere. Cuba has one of the world's highest literacy rates AND people read. I had never intended to buy books, and my Spanish reading skills are limited, but as I went through the stalls I realized there were valuable titles lurking everywhere that would greatly enhance the library at the ARChive. I purchased 21 titles. Here's the complete list of books .
more mùsica Cubadisco "officially" opened with a show at the Teatro Mella. While waiting to buy a ticket I discovered the free entertainment presented in the little attached garden (Jardines del Teatro Mella ). Here, under the trees, with a cool breeze and yellow flowers falling from the trees, with a cold beer in hand, l heard three or four groups playing mùsica tradicional almost every afternoon.Bands that I enjoyed included Septeto Habanero, Cuarteto Cuba Sol, Quinteto Tipico Oriental, Vocal Baobab and the Charanga all Stars. The resourceful and great Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro included a corneta china player, bongos with skin made from x-ray film and a 12 string guitar rigged as a tres. This son group has been around Habana in various forms since 1927, and I found two somewhat recent CDs to purchase, Clàsicos del Son and De Son Cuba Matamoros. (full list of CDs I bought) The best afternoon of music featured a slate of rumberos, including Raices Profundas, Clave y Guaguancò and Ensila Mundo. They attracted the old and gold dancers, with moves from sly to licentious, their flirt and conquer style drawing envious ahs and applause from the audience.
The Teatro Mella became a kind of home base, the theater and garden a reliable 20 min walk from my residence and a welcome relief from the rush to make a concert on time in an iffy taxi. On my walk one evening I saw teenagers practicing for a cotillion. It was dusk and I was passing a dancing school at the bottom of a hill, bordered by a long driveway. Arranged in a line along the drive were 40 boys facing 40 girls, all dressed alike in jeans and tees. To the gentle tinkle of a cantradance, they clasped hands to make a canopy. Then dancers from the end of the line stooped under this archway as they moved to the front, stood up, clasped hands and waited for the next couple. There were turns, bows, delicate moves. The approaching darkness and odd perspective created by so many people reaching down the slope, created a unforgettable scene. It was modern salsa in slow motion, black and white, and cinemascope. Performing that night at the Mella were Cèsar Portello de la Luz (an incredible vocalist and guitarist playing traditional music), Buena Fe ( a Simon and Garfunkle for the new millennium), and Free Hole Negro and Paulo FG. These last two were hip-hop funk acts that failed to connect with the crowd. As this was an invitation only/industry event, my guess is that the music was a little younger than the audience. Later when I would see rap acts with a paying audience of fans, the reaction was enthusiastic. This happened on Thursday night when X Alfonso and Sintesis shared the bill at the Mella. X Alfonso (pronounced 'Ek-ess') usta be pop-y with a crew cut, but now fronts two look-alikes (let's call them Rob and Fab) in dreads dispensing power-rap. This evening celebrated his latest release, an tribute to the legendary Beny Morè, Homenaje Benny Morè 1919-1963. The show opened with a Beny impersonator in a white zoot suit and fedora, on a giant drum, holding his trademark cane, dancing between two drummers on kit sets, lip-synching a Morè original. Then the rap kicks in and X is houselit. Alfonso is in black, very street, very beautiful. The place goes nuts. Everyone in the theater leaves their seat and rushes the stage, where they stay throughout the concert. The bouncers are boppin', the guards are nodding. So THIS is a police state? The second half of the bill featured Sintesis. This family affair is led by patriarch Carlos Alfonso and Lucia Huergo. Sintesis began as a progressive rock band that later fused rock with Afro-Cuban Santeria chant, successfully debuting with the 1987 LP, Ancestros. I was prepared for a tired set, yet the show was engaging, these elder statesmen still able to rock. X performed with his kin, this time all in white like the rest of the band, as befitting this transmuted religious music. I spent most of Friday scrambling to get CDs for the ARChive. This meant visits to a few of the larger record companies in the ritzy Playa section of Miramar. Everyone was helpful and went out of their way to make sure I got everything I needed. All in all we added 91 discs to the collection, and the full list is here. Friday night's concert featured Chucho Valdès at the Teatro Amadeo Roldàn, fronting both his cuarteto and the Cubadisco orchestra. My desire to only see artists perform for a home audience is sometimes disappointing, as here, where the artist made stabs at respectability at the expense of what made him relevant. Chucho covered familiar semi-classical standards from composers George Gershwin and Ernesto Lecuona on the grand piano, with only hints at moving them into jazz territory. But what he began as a Latin Montovanni, ended in a world of his own making. One crowd concession that became intriguing was a well rehearsed call and response phrase-play with his quarteo. It got even better when the whole symphonic orchestra gave it a try. The best piece of the night was his composition "Misa Negra", an AfroCuban drum based mass, complete with conga, bata and bajo ensemble, ended the show. (a version available from Messidor, Germany, 15972-2, CD, 1992, performed with the Chucho-led Irakere).
Music Museum Music Museum On Saturday morning I got a tour of the Museo Nacional de La Mùsica, Cuba's official music archive and museum. The collection was started in 1949, then restarted in 1971 when it came to be housed in a magnificent colonial mansion overlooking the sea in Habana ViejaAfter a short meeting with the director, Jesús Gòmez Cairo, I got a lengthily tour by librarian Rolando Dalgado. The bulk of the public space is devoted to one of the greatest collections of traditional drums in the world, displayed in the Sala Fernando Ortiz. Every religion, musical style, ethnic group and province on the island is represented, from Guantànamo ( Tumba Francesa, Rada, Bembe ) to Pinar del Rio ( Makuta, Yuka, Bembe ) Behind the scenes, with only some rooms air conditioned, is the bread and butter of any archive; the sound recordings, books, magazines, press clippings, photos and memorabilia. The collection boasts about 45.000 Cuban recordings, of which approx. 2000 are catalogued. It was a wonderful day going through boxes of unpublished photos from the twenties, seeing complete runs of perhaps Cuba's earliest music magazine, Musicalia, beginning in 1927, and witnessing the staff's valiant attempts at preservation with so few resources. The rest of the day was spent being a tourist for the first time, just walking the streets of old Habana, taking in the architecture and street life. After so many days in a residential neighborhood, this was my first and only encounter with anyone trying to sell me anything.
Lunch was at La Bodeguita del Medio, where, supposedly, the mojito was invented. (Hemmingway's
favorite mojito) Every inch, floor to ceiling, floor and ceiling, is covered in signatures, a
tradition that has continued since it was a bohemian haunt in the 30s and 40s. After signing in,
my liquidity continued unimpaired at the Floridita, home of the Daiquiri (Hemmingway's favorite
Daiquiri) and then to the rooftop bar of the Hotel Ambos Mundos (Hemmingway's favorite hotel). I
ended my tourist day with the tourist show at El Hotel Nacional de Cuba. Tonight they presented a
pickup band drawn from the Buena Vista Social Club and the Afro Cuban All Stars, the standouts
being vocalist Pio Leyva and keyboard player Gonzalo Rubalcaba.
Rubalcaba played romantic euro-schlock ("Volare" was a high point) on an electric piano and only Leyva (above) raised the show above cruise ship level with some shinning vocal moments between bites on his cigar. On Sunday I went to Santa Maria, a local beach, with a Petr, a Czech scientist, his friend, Alberto, a Cuban scientist, and our driver-guide, John. It was a wonderful, calm way to end my trip. Imagine a beach skyline in the Caribbean free of any hotels? The beaches are one of the few places to get fresh fish on the island (because boats = defection, there are no boats, hence no fishing). Ours were waddled up to us by a spear fisherman, we chose by color and had them fried right on the beach. Afterwards we went to the Alberto's house where he made fresh fruit pina colladas and talked until we solved the world's problems. Next day off to the airport where I pleaded with both Americans and Cubans to, "Please, please, search my luggage again!"
Who Do You Love A big thanks goes out to all the many folks who made this trip easy and breezy: Cari Diaz, my contact at Cubadisco. Here's the Cubadisco site. A high percentage of the info I downloaded before my trip had changed by the time I arrived, but it provided a useful outline of what might happen.The gracious Rolando Dalgado at the Museo Nacional de La Mùsica. He made everything better and seeing the library was a highpoint of the trip. We are getting together a care package to the ARChive of preservation supplies, so contact us if you would like to help. John my guide and recordhunter Fernando Arego. Other record people include Reinaldo 'Ray' Hernàndez Sordo, Minerva Rodriguez and Romel Flores Ramos at EGREM and Sandra Monagas at Estudios Abdala / Unicornio Records. Here are the up-and-running Cuban record labels and links. Unicornio and their marketing arm, Discuba Andante - selected sheet music and song books Soy Cubano + La Peña - my fave site on Cuban culture and music info. Thanks also to the satirist, cartoonist and film maker Juan Padròn and his wife Berta who offered hospitality and a preview of his latest film. Juan is the author of the animated Vampires in Havana (Vampiros en La Habana) with a great jazz soundtrack featuring trumpeter Arturo Sandoval from 1985. I stayed at a casa particular, Habitaciones Don Pepè, Calle 15, Verdado. Pepe was once a doctor, who, sadly, can now make more in a night renting one room than he can as a doctor. The room was large, the hot water was always on, and the breakfasts were spectacular - all at $25 a night. Buy the Rough Guide to Cuba before you visit the island. I found it great Thanks to Megan Kennedy in the NY office. Back in the USA I want to thank Ana M. Limia & Fefi at ABC Charters in Miami, who effortlessly got me there and back and handled all the documents, and who I highly recommend You'll love all the info on "Trading with the Enemy" provided by the US gov. Our host in pre-trippin' Miami was Paul van Puffelen and Jasmine. Paul gave us a great send off meal, supplemented by celebrity chef, Montserrat Guillen who offered appetizing appetizers of pickled scorpions and then concocted an incredible tamarind sauce for the fish from ingredients in Paul's garden. Paul's company, Southern Technical Support , designs audio installations for clubs and events. And more thanks that you can imagine to Blanca Hidalgo at Jellybean Benitez's office for translation of the ARChive press kit into Spanish. And last but not least, my personal jinetero, Ed Steinberg Here is the full list of many wonderful LPs, CDs and books we added to the collection on our trip. The recordings list is alphabetical by artist, artist name on top line in italics. The next line down lists the title of the recording, then, in parenthesis, the record company, origin of the record company, the record company number, format and date/year of release. If the date/year is not on the recording, we use the term n.d. to indicate 'no date'. Descriptive notes are sometimes added at the end of an entry. Oh no, I really wanted to go to books
Pacho Alonso.
Pacho Alonso.
Orquesta America, Orquesta Aragòn.
Orquesta Aragòn.
Los Armonicos.
Bola de Nieve.
Bola de Nieve.
Bola de Nieve.
Elena Burke.
Cachao.
Cachao.
Grupo Cañambù.
Jacqueline Castellanos Y Su Banda J.B.
Juan Manuel Ceruto.
Los Cinco Latinos.
Los Cinco Latinos.
Los Compadres Compay Segundo y Compay Primo.
Juan Carlos y su Dan Den.
De Los Dos [Fernando Alvarez, Elena Burke].
Frank Domìnguez.
Eleyo.
Ibrahim Ferrer con los Bocucos.
Carlos Gardel.
Carlos Gardel.
Lucho Gatica.
Ilmar Lòpez Gavilàn.
Celina Gonzalez.
Celio Gonzalez.
Ruben Gonzalez.
Sara Gonzalez (Grupo Guaican).
Grupo de Experimentacion Sonora del ICAIC.
Luisa Maria Guell.
Olga Guillot.
Julio Gutierrez.
Hermanas Aguila.
Orquesta de Enrique Jorrìn.
Latto.
Pio Leiva.
Pio Leiva.
Ricardo Limus.
Aldo Lòpez, Gavilàn Junco.
Los Van Van.
Orquesta Los Van Van.
Juan Formell y los Van Van.
Trìo Matamoros.
Josè Antonio Mendez.
Celeste Mendoza.
Celeste Mendoza.
Pablo Milanes.
Kino Moran.
Benny Morè.
Benny Morè.
Benny Morè.
Benny Morè.
Benny Morè.
Beny
Morè.
Beny Morè.
Beny Morè.
Fernando Mulens.
Los Muñequitos De Matanzas.
Septeto Nacional de
Ignacio Piñeiro.
Chico O'Farrill's All Star Cuban Band.
Eliades Ochoa y el Cuarteto Patria.
Orquesta
Aragòn.
Omara Portuondo.
Omara Portuondo.
Omara Portuondo.
Omara Portuondo.
Andrès Alèn, Miriam Ramos.
Mongo Rives.
Silvio Rodrìguez.
Silvio Rodrìguez.
Lasaro Ros.
Septeto Nacional Ignacio piñeiro.
Grupo Sierra Maestra.
Sìntesis.
Sìntesis.
Sìntesis.
Son 14.
Sonia y Myriam.
Merceditas Valdès.
Chucho
Valdès.
Pedro Vargas.
Various Artists. Various Artists. Various
Artists. Various Artists. Various Artists. Various Artists. Various Artists. Various Artists. Various Artists. Various
Artists. Various
Artists. Various
Artists. Various
Artists. Vocal Sampling.
X Alfonso.
Los Zafiros. Los Zafiros. Los Zafiros. Los Zafiros.
Here is a list of the books purchased in Cuba.
Bailes Populares Cubanos. Bola de Nieve, Miguelito Ojeda Compay Segundo. Danzas Populares Tradicionales
Cubanas. Diccionario de
la musica cubana : biografico y tecnico. El Son Cubano Poesìa General. Haciendo Mùsica Cubana. Homenaje a la
Mùsica Popular Cubana. Instrumentos de la Musica Folklorico-Popular de Cuba, Atlas. Instrumentos de la Musica
Folklorico-Popular de Cuba, vol 1. Instrumentos de la Musica Folklorico-Popular de Cuba, vol 2. La Africanìa de la
Mùsica Folklòrica de Cuba. La Clava Xilofonica de la Musica Cubana. La Musica en Cuba. La Musica en
Cuba. La Musica Que Nos Rodea. La Mùsica y el Pueblo. Los Instrumentos de Percusion. Rita Montaner. Son de la Loma.
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