From January 21 to 28, Havana will be Jazz. Yes, the 39th edition of the Jazz Plaza International Festival will be held in Havana and this year, as in previous years, the programming promises to be very eclectic, with a clear increase in artists from outside. Indeed, musicians from around twenty countries, including the United States, Brazil, Colombia, France, Holland, the Dominican Republic, Spain and Trinidad and Tobago, will make the trip: Arthur O’Farrill , Ted Nash, Aaron Goldberg, Victor Goines, Étienne Charles, Emmet Cohen, Pablo Fagundes, Marcus Moraes, not to mention Cuban jazzmen like the legendary Roberto Fonseca, Rolando Luna, Ernan Lopez Nussa, José Maria Vitier and Bobby Carcassés (the founder of festival). For the first time, a dance company (classical and contemporary), the Malpaso company, will participate in the event, while the closing of the Festival will take place at the Nacional Theater, with a performance by the prestigious National Ballet of Cuba.
This internationally recognized festival aims to show how Cuban music brought its grain of salt to a musical genre born in the United States. At all times, throughout the 20th century, and in these first decades of the 21st, Cuban and American musicians have maintained links and exchanges, beyond borders, keeping alive the words of the Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier: “Jazz fills us with enthusiasm because, ultimately, it is one of the most spontaneous expressions of our time. »
The concerts mainly take place indoors — the two halls of the Teatro Nacional, the Marti Theater, the Cuba Pavilion, the theater of the National Museum of Fine Arts, the Mella Theater Gardens, the Maison de la culture Plaza and the Fabrica de arte cubana — for a ridiculous price, but during the day, you can also witness musical feats given by new talents in the capital’s many parks. To experience total immersion in Cuban music and culture, in the warmth of the Caribbean, this is the perfect and unique opportunity.
For jazz enthusiasts, musicians, people in the trade, symposia, exchanges, conferences, workshops, film screenings, piano and percussion lessons and book launches are also on the program, in the morning and afternoon in the premises of the Fabrica de arte cubano, in the Vedado district.
To view the full schedule of indoor shows, here is the link: https://magazineampm.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/0-Jazz-Plaza-2024.pdf
Enjoy it. Currently, air fares only, Montreal-Havana on Air Transat are rather low. All this, less than four hours by plane.
Photo Jacques Lanctôt
National Geographic
Meanwhile, the prestigious magazine National Geographic has just ranked Cuba as the top cultural destination in the Americas to visit in 2004. In this article, it is stated that the country’s capital, Havana, is a potpourri that feeds on different cultures from Africa, from the Caribbean and Spain. “Walking its colorful streets dating from the colonial era is the best way to learn about the city’s long and turbulent history,” it says.
Varadero is not left out since, according to 750 international judges, travel agency staff, journalists and other tourism experts, its beaches are among the fifty best beaches in the world, occupying 48th place between India and New -Zealand.
For Tripadvisor, however, Varadero, with its sandy beaches, turquoise and crystal clear waters, modern facilities, activities and excursions offered, nightlife, restaurants, is among the ten best beaches in the world, occupying the 9th position . Three foreign hotel chains — Melia, Iberostar and Blue Diamond — share 64% of the hotel supply there.