While the President of the United States, Barack Obama fulfills his agenda in Cuba, musicians from both nations are participating in the First International Jazz Band Meeting, to be held until March 25.
Dedicated to local musicians Rafael Somavilla (1927-1980) and Chico O’Farrill (1921-2001), the event brings together students from the Schools of Art in Havana and from the American St. Olaf Jazz Band, directed by Dave Hagedorn, announced the organizers.
In its first edition, the event includes concerts, lectures and spaces of debate related to world peace and the role of the musical genre to bring changes in society. There will be also jam sessions and workshops.
Chaired by musician and director of the Joven Jazz Band, Joaquín Betancourt, the event will have several venues, including the Mella Theater, the House of Cultural Alba, the Higher Institute of Art, the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory and the School of Music Guillermo Tomás.
The First International Jazz Band Meeting aims to promote and encourage the dissemination of the genre in the younger generations, and to recreate the culture of jazz bands.
Born in the late 19th century in the United States, the instrumentation of jazz is born from the musical tradition of the West. However, some of its sound elements have African melodies as a basis.
NYC Havana Blog 