Cuban Culture in the News
Archive: 1/04-6/04

CUBAN DANCER WILL present Tocororo IN LONDON  6/29/2004 Cuba Now: "Acosta, considered the Best Dancer in 2003 by Great Britain’s National Dance Critics Circle, first presented Tocororo in Havana in January, then in London in February, and later in Mexico and the United States, where the press described him as “the bridge which fills the vacuum between Nureyev and Baryshnikov.” "

YOUNG CUBAN MUSICIANS PERFORM IN CANADA  6/29/2004 Cuba Now: "Two young Cuban Jazz musicians, David Faya and Reinier Mendoza, were guest performers at three Canadian festivals: the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the Medicine Jaht and the C-Jazz, both in Calgary. Faya (bass player) and Mendoza (percussionist) in the Camino de Santiago Band, directed by famous musicologist Alberto Faya, performed with the Mazacote Band, led by Canadian pianist Vicky Oveson."

CUBA'S NICOLÁS GUILLÉN - A BILINGUAL ANTHOLOGY  6/28/2004 Cuba Now: By Keith Ellis

Estoy haciendo el recorrido de la música cubana  6/24/2004 Cuba Ahora 

Tribute to Juan "Long John" Oliva a.k.a. "Penalty" El Rumbero del Jazz  6/24/2004 Latin Jazz Network: "Prophetically, Oliva stated that his music was created now (present day) but was intended for, "a generation two millenniums for now." In keeping with Oliva's prophecy, I am convinced that his body of work will stand the test of time. Moreover, his work with the AC Jazz Project (Lucumi - 2002) and the AC Timba Jazz Project (Buscando La Ortographia - 2003) are destined to become classic recordings in the Afro-Cuban and jazz genres. Indeed, I envision a new generation of up and coming musicians grooving to the sounds of Oliva's music for years to come."

Cuban Jazz Musicians Participate in Montreal Jazz Festival  6/23/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Cuban jazz musicians David Faya and Reinier Mendoza said they will participate with the Canadian Mazacote jazz band at the 25th Montreal International Jazz June 30 to July 11."

Lam and Carreño at Spring Latin American arts auction in Paris  6/23/2004 Cubarte Newsletter 

Popular Cuban Musician Ibrahim Ferrer Starts Latin America Tour  6/23/2004 Cubarte Newsletter 

Singer Benny Moré´s Statue to be Finished Soon  6/23/2004 Cubarte Newsletter 

En Black y negro  6/23/2004 Juventud Rebelde: "Hizo famoso a un marginal, El Mosca. Un personaje al que le dio ternura y color en el festival del humor Aquelarre, en 1998. El público se sentía cautivado por aquella mezcla de discapacidad e ingenuidad."

Carlos Acosta and his Aché  6/20/2004 AfroCubaWeb: by Pedro Pérez-Sarduy - "In Tocororo (named after the multicoloured national bird of Cuba), Acosta’s performance is one that has never been seen before by a Cuban dancer trained in the tradition of classical European ballet. He masterfully debunks the falsehood of another racist myth, that there can be no middle ground in dance: whites in ballet and blacks in contemporary modern dance or folklore. Many may not have reflected on that painful hybridity in Cuba whose origins lie in a different way of viewing the world. A pas de deux becomes a rumba and then a guaguancó, another expression of the Afro-Cuban liturgy invoked by a majority of island inhabitants to celebrate their ancestors. The final apotheosis of the Cuban danzón and son is an ancestral fusion that today generates new forms of dance pleasure, a mix to be found both here and elsewhere."

Multimedia del Bolero  6/20/2004 Cubarte: "Por primera vez en Hispanoamérica se elabora un producto de tal envergadura en tanto contiene todos los ámbitos informativos sobre este género musical tan gustado en la región y más allá, habida cuenta de la preferencia por el bolero no sólo en la amplia zona de las dos Américas, pues incluye a Estados Unidos, Canadá, Centro y Sudamérica, sin olvidar otros espacios hispanoamericanos y europeos, como se conoce por la preferencia por esta música de amor y olvido, sueño y razón, lirismo y pasión."

De uno a otro Revé  6/20/2004 Jiribilla: "A la orquesta de Elio Revé Matos le llamaban con toda razón "escuela". El viejo tenía una ética: nunca dejar de ser lo que se era y defender una identidad sin concesiones. Ese espíritu está presente hoy en la continuidad de su obra."

Mérida presente en el VI Salón y Coloquio Internacional de Arte Digital de La Habana  6/19/2004 Aporrea 

Califican en Perú a Ibrahim Ferrer de leyenda de la música cubana  6/17/2004 Boletin Cubarte 

Crecen expectativas ante cercanía de Festival del Caribe  6/17/2004 Boletin Cubarte 

Diva cubana dedica su último disco a Celina González  6/17/2004 Boletin Cubarte: "Mexico - La intérprete cubana Omara Portuondo, considerada una Diva de su país y del grupo Buena Vista Social Club, afirmó aquí que dedica su último disco a Celina González, la "Reina de la música campesina" en la Isla. En una conferencia de prensa en esta capital para promocionar su segunda placa con el sello World Circuit/Discos Corazón, la cantante dijo que este es un homenaje a Celina porque contiene varias piezas del género que ella hizo trascender con su virtuosismo."

El grito de los garínfugas  6/17/2004 Boletin Cubarte: "Gran interés constituyó en el ámbito de la IV Fiesta por Africa, efectuada en el recinto ferial de EXPOCUBA, la presentación del libro "El silencio de los garínfugas", del licenciado Bienvenido Rojas Silva, publicado con el coauspicio del Centro Pablo de la Torriente Brau, de Cuba, y la editorial Guardabarranca, de Honduras. La doctora Leyda Oquendo, especialista principal de la Casa de Africa de la Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad, realizó el elogio del libro. Destacó que constituye un ejemplar testimonio global de un sujeto colectivo sui generis, por la resistencia cultural de ese pueblo y por su coherencia en la preservación del medio ambiente. Más adelante subrayó: "revela la América carpenteriana de lo real maravilloso y el realismo mágico del Gabo García Márquez". Según el autor, visitó ese país como corresponsal cubano para reportar la labor internacionalista de nuestro personal de la salud y encontró en la región de Mosquitia emplazamientos de los garínfugas, quienes constituyen el 10 por ciento de la población hondureña."

Ibrahim Ferrer y Buena Vista Social Club de gira por Brasil  6/17/2004 Boletin Cubarte: "El cantante cubano Ibrahim Ferrer y otros integrantes del Buena Vista Social Club se presentarán este mes en Sao Paulo, Río de Janeiro y Belo Horizonte, las tres mayores ciudades de Brasil, anunciaron los organizadores."

Los Aragones en Panamá  6/17/2004 Boletin Cubarte: "La legendaria orquesta Aragón de Cuba, fundada en 1939 en la ciudad de Cienfuegos por Orestes Aragón, se presenta en panamá este 18 de junio, informaron los organizadores del concierto."

Tengo un gran compromiso con la cultura cubana: Omara Portuondo  6/17/2004 Boletin Cubarte 

"Chucho" Valdes to Play along with his father and El Cigala in London  6/16/2004 Cubarte Newsletter 

Juan Formell and Los Van Van Finish their Album Chapeando  6/16/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: ""The saga recounted in Chapeando," he explained "talks about Osain as a deity patron of the jungle (herbs and plants) which opens ways. Los Van Van were founded on December 4, the day of Changó (African deity) with the blessing of the rest of the gods." According to Formell, time passed, people left and the roads started to close, but new figures arrived to continue a unyielding march, and the way we are going to continue this march is "chapeando" (mowing grass). Formell also stated he intends the album to be a jewel of art design and that is why they requested the contribution of great figures of Cuban fine arts and literature, friends of the musicians. "For instance," Formell stated "the cover and back cover show paintings by Mendive, Choco, Rancaño and Fabelo, and includes sleeve notes of Cuban writers such as Miguel Barnet, Rogelio Martinez Fure or musicologists such as Maria Teresa Linares." "

Omara Portuondo Reiterates Her Commitment to Cuban Culture  6/16/2004 Cubarte Newsletter 

Teté is Here... and stopped the train  6/16/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Teresa García Caturla deserved the award. Besides obtaining the Cubadisco Prize in the category of Traditional Popular Music, the Grand Prix Cubadisco 2004 fit this woman who possesses the most splendid essence of the Cuban spirit. Gloria Ochoa, experienced producer who belonged to the Bis Music label until last year, bet for Teresa and didn´t do it with empty hands. Teté was and is a Cuban musical legend -who doesn´t value her work at the Cuban quartet Las D´ Aida?-, however, memories were not enough for Teresa. She felt the need to have a record, her own CD, and that was, of course, Llegó Teté (Teté is Here)."

A Havana Blues Band Concert  6/15/2004 Cuba Now: "The Society Havana Blues band presented its new repertoire this week in keeping with its traditional musical style based on classic American blues of the 1920's and 30's and its own themes influenced by contemporary Cuban poetry."

8th Cubadisco 2004 Grand Prix - A singer by pure intuition  6/15/2004 Granma: "TERESA García Cartula, a singer from the Buena Vista Social Club, took First Prize with her album Llegó Teté (Tete has arrived), in the Traditional Popular Music category and the Grand Prix of the 8th Cubadisco Fair 2004. The album was the idea of musicologist Gloria Ochoa, and arrangements were by Germá Velasco, one of the top bandleaders of the 1990s Cuban salsa boom, with the group NG La Banda… “For me, one of the great moments in my career was joining the Afro Cuban All Stars in 1998, the band that recorded the Buena Vista Social Club album, which brought about the rebirth of traditional Cuban son in the world. All of a sudden, us singers and musicians of the old guard found ourselves in the vanguard, on the stages of the best theaters in the world. The admiration in Europe for traditional Cuban music is almost incredible,” García commented."

Big Cuba Fiesta at Respect - Free festival, Victoria Park, London  6/14/2004 Cuba Solidatory, UK: "Saturday 17th July 2004 12 noon to 8.30pm …Starring at the Big Cuba Fiesta will be the Afro Cuban sounds of Bobby Carcassés y su Orquesta direct from Cuba. Support comes from Omar Puente and Raices Cubanas, the UK-based Cubano outfit who always get everyone dancing, traditional Salsa y Son from Los Yumas as well as a special treat from Latino rockers from El Salvador, SuperPakitoChac. Live sounds will be interspersed with special dance sets from legendary DJs Dave Hucker and Club Clandestino."

Local and international acts on stage in Vyronas  6/14/2004 Kathimerini, Greece: "At the Vyronas Festival, the Grammy award-winning Buena Vista Social Club’s Omara Portuondo will sing classic Cuban works."

Frank Stewart: A PHOTOGRAPHER OF JAZZ AND RUMBA  6/13/2004 CubaNow: "Senior Staff Photographer for Jazz at Lincoln Center, Frank Stewart opened a double exhibit of his work in Havana this June, highlighting top American Jazz musicians, along with images of Cuba, an island he has visited more than once."

Jazz and Rumba in Black and White - An interview with photographer Frank Stewart  6/13/2004 CubaNow 

Bebo Valdés en la cima de la música  6/13/2004 Cubarte: "Bebo Valdés -colosal pianista y orquestador- se ha convertido en el músico del momento por su CD Lágrimas negras, que grabó con el cantaor español Diego el Cigala, a finales de 2003, y fue seleccionado entre los mejores discos del año por el crítico Ben Ratliff del New York Times. En él participan otros cubanos: Tata Güines, Pancho Quinto, Paquito y Cachao. También incluye un recitativo del brasileño Caetano Veloso."

Cultura comunitaria: Tesoro humano  6/13/2004 Cubarte: "Diez años se cumplen, desde que se fundó el quehacer de los Coordinadores para la Cultura Comunitaria de la UNEAC. El llamado surgió en uno de los momentos más difíciles del Período Especial, para ayudar a preservar ese tesoro que es la cultura acumulada durante siglos; y contribuir a la reanimación de la vida espiritual en las comunidades de residencia."

Quiquiribú: un canto a la libertad  6/13/2004 Juventud Rebelde 

Ibrahim Ferrer llega hoy a Perú  6/13/2004 La Hora, Ecuador 

Festival perfection  6/10/2004 Budapest Sun, Hungary: "The world music stage will feature Omara Portuondo, the diva from the Buena Vista Social Club, the rai-king Rachic Taha, and the Klezmatics."

Ibrahim Ferrer se presentará en capital ecuatoriana  6/10/2004 Cubarte: "Un anuncio de los medios afirma que Ferrer estará acompañado aquí por una banda de 16 músicos cubanos, algunos de ellos del Buena Vista, para interpretar piezas del cancionero clásico de su país."

Juan Formell “En el malecón de La Habana”  6/10/2004 Cubarte 

La orquesta Los Van Van termina disco inspirado en orishas  6/10/2004 Cubarte 

Vende Sotheby´s reconocida obra de Wifredo Lam  6/10/2004 Cubarte: "Pertenecientes a la autoría del artista cubano Wifredo Lam, representado por una serie de obras que documentan su evolución artística desde el cubismo y el surrealismo a su particular estilo modernista de raíces afrocubanas, en la venta de subasta de arte latinoamericano de Sotheby´s, efectuada recientemente en Nueva York, se vendió la pintura "Grande Composition", por un valor de 355.200 dólares"

Juan Ramírez Martínez - “Mi pasión es buscar imágenes”  6/10/2004 La Demajagua: "Conocido como promotor cinematográfico, este Hijo Adoptivo de Bayamo incursiona en varias manifestaciones artísticas, aunque dice preferir el cine. Su docudrama Los hijos de su espada, será presentado simultáneamente en las salas de video de Granma"

CARNAVAL SANTIGUERO DEL 20 AL 27 DE JULIO, 2004  6/10/2004 Sierra Maestra 

Cuba makes new Guinness record in Son music  6/9/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Cuba has set a new Guinness record for the longest performance of Son music, breaking the old record also made by the country in 1997. Nearly 1,000 Cuban artists performed Son music in a road show continuously from May 15 to 28 for 300 hours, 100 hours more than the former record, which involved 1,200 artists. They departed from Santiago de Cuba City, in eastern Cuba and travelled through 14 provinces and islands before stopping in Havana. In the last days of the road show, they were joined by famous Dominican artist Victor Victor and the Japanese Symphony Orchestra."

Bebo Valdes: A Piece of Cuban Music History  6/9/2004 PL 

Cuban group Compay Segundo to Perform in Angola  6/9/2004 PL: "It also disclosed that the group could extend its performances in the African country, but everything depends on other commitments the group Compay Segundo is engaged to in other African countries."

CUBADISCO 2004  6/8/2004 CubaNow: "Cuban singer/composer Silvio Rodriguez won the Best Producer of the Year award. Along with Silvio, Carlos Varela also received an award for his most recent CD, titled Siete, a winner in the category of Trova / Pop and Rock, and Sergio Vitier was recognized for the soundtrack he created for the film Scent of Oak. Other winners included Chucho Valdes and his group Irakere for 30 Years in Jazz, and the group Sintesis for Ancestors Trilogy (I, II and III). Cubadisco 2004 also bestowed awards of honour to Dominican Victor Victor, one of the guests at the fiesta, as well as to the famous Aragon Orchestra and to flutist Richard Egües."

Rumba With a View  6/8/2004 Village Voice: - a nice review of Ned Sublette's new book, Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo - "Your African roots are showing: Cracking the code of Cuban music—in four easy pieces"

Preminencia de Haití en Festival del Caribe en Cuba  6/6/2004 AfroCubaWeb 

MARTIRIO por Nancy Morejón  6/6/2004 Jiribilla: "Quienes la esperábamos, conocíamos de su gracia, de su prestigio y de esa aureola misteriosa que nos trae su nombre inspirado, sin duda alguna. Escuchar en su voz tangos clásicos y boleros antillanos, tal como lo hicimos fue un disfrute más allá de cualquier presupuesto pues, como ella misma confesó en el escenario, “lo que vino de nuestra tierra renació aquí con originalidad. Yo vengo a devolver un poco lo que es vuestro y es también de nosotros”."

Se supo artista y se convirtió en trovador sonero  6/4/2004 Ahora, Cuba: "El morenito del alma de más de una holguinera bailadora y risueña cumple 93 años, si nos atenemos a su inscripción de nacimiento, donde consta que Faustino Oramas Osorio vino al mundo el 4 de junio de 1911, en la ciudad de Holguín. El artista, de forma jocosa, admite que sobrepasa el medio siglo sin entrar en más detalles, y si lo dejas te cuenta lo que ocurrió en Guayabero, donde un militar celoso le quiso dar por causa de la esposa, una atractiva trigueña, suceso plasmado en la famosa canción que lleva el nombre de ese poblado y lo bautizaría para siempre."

HORACIO ''EL NEGRO'' HERNANDEZ  6/4/2004 Miami Herald: scroll down - "Starting in his native Cuba in the late 1970s and continuing after his defection in 1990, drummer Horacio ''El Negro'' Hernández has performed with a Who's Who of big names in jazz, rock and pop, including Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Michel Camilo and Carlos Santana. Not content with simply having a long and distinguished sideman career, Hernández has released his debut album as bandleader titled Italuba, a play on the names of Cuba and Italy, the country where he sought political asylum. This set of eight vibrant and vigorous Latin jazz tracks are marked, unsurprisingly, by extremely interesting and quirky percussion."

A real treat for salsa fans  6/4/2004 North Wales Herald, UK: "The Afro-Cuban group Sierra Maestra, an outstanding nine-piece from Cuba, will perform for North Wales salsa fans at Denbigh Town Hall on June 19."

Lista en Cuba para se fundida estatua de Benny Moré  6/4/2004 Victoria, Cuba 

LLEGÓ TETÉ  6/3/2004 Jiribilla: "Teresa García Caturla es poseedora de una exquisita voz, que todavía mantiene la misma sonoridad de cuando fue estrenada hace cuarenta años. Fue esta, sin lugar a duda, la razón principal que la hizo acreedora del máximo galardón de la VIII edición de Cubadisco 2004."

POR EL RESCATE DE NUESTRAS RAÍCES  6/3/2004 Jiribilla: "Cada año, desde 1997, la fiesta internacional del Disco cubano ha sido dedicada a un país determinado. Esta, su VIII edición que se está celebrando desde el 23 hasta el 30 de mayo, está dirigida al Caribe al que nos unen ancestros, historias, mares, arte, cultura y en especial la música, que es la expresión más diáfana que enlaza nuestros pueblos. Por tal motivo, conversamos para La Jiribilla con Richard Mirabal Jean Claude, director de la fundación Martha Jean Claude, de la hermana República de Haití."

"Fiesta de Africa" celebrated in Cuba  6/2/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Representatives from African diplomatic missions to Havana ratified their support for the cultural festival dedicated to the African continent -whose fourth edition was held at Havana´s ExpoCuba Exhibit Halls. Egypt´s ambassador to Havana, Mohamed Addalmnan, said that the Fiesta de Africa or African Party, sponsored by the Cuban Culture Ministry and the African Diplomatic Corps in the Cuban capital, serves to spread the truth about the continent´s artistic traditions "poorly reflected in films, on television and other mass media of the industrialized world.""

New Book on Yoruba Religion Ethical Principles Launched in Havana  6/2/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Cuban philosopher and researcher Miguel Limia made the presentation at the launching ceremony. He said that the stories and fables contained in the book are interesting lessons carried by a culture that has endured the devastating actions of the Western hegemonic culture. The book is a valuable source for the study of the moral and spiritual legacy left in Cuba by the people of Nigeria, who were forced to migrate to the island by Slavery, said Limia. Journalist Martha Rojas, from the Cuban daily Grannma, also on hand at the ceremony, commended the book and stressed the need of being more ecumenical in the studies of philosophical and religious trends."

Unique Book on Cuban Percussion Presented in Cuba  6/2/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "The book "Ritmos de Cuba, percusión y batería," (Rhythms of Cuba, Percussion and Drum Kit) by Cuban musician Ruy Lopez-Nussa, was presented in Pabexpo, western Havana, exhibition site of Cubadisco 2004 Fair, the most important music fair in Cuba. According to Cuban researcher Lino Neira in the introduction, "the book is a complete tool that helps overcome the obstacles world percussionists and drummers face in Cuban percussion.""

2005 CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT CONGRESS  6/1/2004 CubaNow: "The Cuban Ministry of Culture, and sponsors UNESCO, UNICEF, OEI, SELA and the Convenio Andres Bello, is calling on participants to register in the 4th International Congress of Culture and Development, to be held in Havana from June 6th – 9th, 2005. Artists, critics, researchers, professors and development agents, along with governmental authorities, international organizations and institutions, will discuss topics such as: Cultural Policies in times of globalization; Memory and Identity; Cultural Development of Communities; The Contemporary Culture/Art Industry and the Marketplace; Cultural Training for Art and Culture; and Audience and Communication."

CUBADISCO 2004  6/1/2004 CubaNow 

Luciano's Serious Times tour kicks off in Cuba Jamaican Observer Reporter  6/1/2004 CubaNow: Roots and culture Reggae 'Messenjah', Luciano, accompanied by saxophonist, Dean Fraser and singer Mikey General, returned from Cuba after three appearances on the weeklong Cubadisco Festival and Exhibition which ran from Sunday May 23 at Cuba's National Exhibition Hall.

Johnny Dread  5/28/2004 johnnydreadmusic.com 

Cubadisco' 2004 cerró con espectacular concierto de Frank Fernández  5/28/2004 Juventud Rebelde: "Entre los momentos culminantes de la cita discográfica resaltaron el recital Lágrimas negras, del cantaor español Diego el Cigala y Chucho Valdés, el encuentro de la copla, la voz y la personalidad de Martirio con el pueblo cubano, y el concierto bachatero del dominicano Víctor Víctor en Casa de las Américas. En esta VIII edición de Cubadisco, bajo el rótulo de El Caribe vibra y canta en la isla del Son, se dedicó la fiesta del disco y el gramófono a la región en donde nacieron Benny Moré, Bob Marley, Rafael Hernández, Alberto Beltrán, Marta Jean Claude, Jimmy Clift y Eddie Grant, entre otras luminarias del pentagrama."

Cuban-American reggae man on a musical mission  5/28/2004 Miami Herald: "''What people don't know is that Hispanics looooooove reggae,'' Johnny says. In fact, many of Johnny's efforts these days are concentrated in that arena. He has just returned from his second South American tour, two concerts in Lima, Peru. He has done Venezuela and Costa Rica, where 3,000 people waited hours on a soccer field for him. A posting to his website from Caracas calls him el máximo and asks when he'll return to Venezuela."

Cubadisco 2004 - May 26 to May 30  5/27/2004 Cubadisco: dedicated to the Caribbean this year.

Hay química con Chucho  5/27/2004 Cubarte 

Nancy Morejón Hernández: DISCOURS DE REMERCIEMENT POUR LA REMISE DES INSIGNES D'OFFICIER DE L'ORDRE NATIONAL DU MÉRITE DE LA REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE  5/27/2004 Lettres de Cuba 

Chucho Valdes, Sintesis and Lucia Huergo, Nominees for Cubadisco 2004  5/27/2004 PL: "Cuban musician Chucho Valdes and the group Sintesis, Grammy Awards winner and nominees, and saxophonist Lucia Huergo were nominated for the Cubadisco 2004 Awards, the most important awards of the Cuban recording industry. Names such as Amaury Perez, Carlos Varela, Teresa Garcia Caturla, Adalberto Alvarez, Frank Fernandez, Polito Ibañez, Ars Longa and Cubanitos 20-02 are included in the 72 nominees in 19 categories, announced at a press conference at Casa de la Musica, Havana."

Cubadisco 2004 Music Fair Exhibition Site Opens  5/27/2004 PL 

Players Havana good time  5/27/2004 The Australian: "The dancers puff on Cuban cigars, the barman pours cocktails mixed with Havana rum, and singers wearing lounge suits step up to the microphone and ease into Caribbean rhythms … it's The Bar At Buena Vista. It's a smoky night filled with raunchy salsa, Cuban folk music and the rhythms of tropical jazz. Welcome to an evening in the Buena Vista Social Club, recreated on stage just like it was in downtown Havana in the 1940s."

Ernesto Lecuona Continues Arousing Worldwide Interest  5/26/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Berlin.-(PL) Ernesto Lecuona, most renowned Cuban composer in the universe, is still collecting admirers in this city, where it is presented a new album including some of his lesser known songs."

My Time With Pello el Afrokan  5/26/2004 Cubarte Newsletter 

The folkloric ballet of Trinidad: Sponge for traditions  5/26/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "The only professional dance company, that exists in the province will be 41 years old in 2004, with the enchantment to condense all types of the Trinidad culture, fundamentally its deepest root, the black congos, awarded with the Memoria Viva prize.in 1997, and symbol of the Sancti Spiritus culture; the group maintains the spectacles several nights during the week in its Palenque, located in the heart of the Villa."

Silvio Rodríguez and Carlos Varela carry off prizes at Cubadisco 2004  5/25/2004 Granma 

Dieguito el Cigala - Los sonidos Negros del alma  5/25/2004 Juventud Rebelde: "El afamado cantaor vuelve a ser noticia en Cuba. Ahora, acompañado del maestro Chucho Valdés, interpretará temas del aplaudido CD Lágrimas negras el próximo viernes 28, a las 8:30 pm, en el teatro Karl Marx."

Los sonidos Negros del alma  5/25/2004 Juventud Rebelde: "Puedo decir sin temor a pedanterías que, cuando Lágrimas negras llegó a mi vida, ya conocía todos sus temas, en la voz de muchos gigantes de este continente. Sin embargo, su especial sello, fruto de la bendita unión de Bebo Valdés y Dieguito el Cigala, me cautivó el alma y el oído."

Cuban Disc Fair Pays Tribute to Chucho Valdes and Irakere  5/25/2004 PL 

CUBADISCO 2004 Cuban Musicians from all over the country to Play in World´s Longest Son  5/20/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "More than 200 musicians from the eastern Cuban province of Granma will perform in this city for 24 hours, on May 17, as part of the Longest Son Song in the World, an event of Cuban artists to take place May 15-30."

Tribute Gala to the 80th Anniversary of Lira Matancera  5/20/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "One of Cuba´s oldest orchestras, La Lira Matancera, has been paid tribute for its 80th anniversary on May 12, at the Sauto Theater, in the western Cuban city of Matanzas. Los Muñequitos de Matanzas and the Fantasia String Quintet, directed by maestro Alberto Garcia, shared the stage with the group and played old and contemporary classics of its repertoire. Other invited celebrities included, Eduardo Rosillo, professor of Cuban radio announcers, linked to the work of the orchestra for years."

A feast of Cuban music  5/19/2004 Green Left, Australia: "In May and June, Cuban music lovers will have an opportunity to see some of Cuba's greatest musicians live in performance, including original members of the Buena Vista Social Club, the Afro-Cuban All Stars and Vieja Trova Santiagera, in a once-only national tour, starting in Perth on May 28. The Bar at Buena Vista pays homage to the stars of the Buena Vista Social Club via the music of legends like the late Compay Segundo and Ruben Gonzalez. Co-founder of the Buena Vista Social Club, and this year's Grammy nominated percussionist Carlos Gonzales will be accompanied by fellow Grammy nominee Luis Frank on vocals alongside diva Barbara Ferrer Sanchez of Anakoana. For many of the artists, age is no barrier to celebrating a passion for life through music. Eighty-six-year-old Reynaldo Creagh weaves magic vocals for the Vieja Trova Santiagera, and 78-year-old Maestro Rabalcalba is the legend on the piano from the Afro-Cuban All Stars."

Ibriham Ferrer Plans Trip To Canada  5/18/2004 ChartAttack, Canada 

El Son Más Largo del Mundo suena en Bayamo  5/18/2004 La Demajagua: "Con la orquesta Tempestad Latina, dirigida por el maestro Carlos Puig Premión, comenzó anoche el aporte de Bayamo al Son Más Largo del Mundo, proyecto que pretende imponer el récord de una pieza musical de más de 300 horas de duración, en la que tomará parte cifra superior a los tres mil músicos de todo el país."

Entrega la UNESCO a la Tumba Francesa de la Caridad de Oriente condición de Obra Maestra del Patrimonio Inmaterial y Oral de la Humanidad  5/15/2004 Sierra Maestra 

MEMORY, FROM POLO MONTAÑEZ I only gave my heart…  5/10/2004 Granma 

Lemvo blends sounds of Africa and Cuba  5/7/2004 Contra Costa Times: "Since he founded Makina Loca in 1990, Lemvo has pioneered an uncategorizable sound that's both essentially African and Latin, drawing equally on Cuban son montuno and Congolese soukous, with a dash of Latin jazz and funk thrown in for good measure. In many ways, the seeds of his sound were planted during the restless nights of his youth. Growing up in Kinshasa in the 1960s, Lemvo was lulled to sleep in his bed by the surging Cuban and Congolese dance music wafting up from a bar next door. Like much of West Africa at the time, the cosmopolitan capital of the huge country then known as Zaire (and now as the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo) was awash with Cuban music, which was embraced by West Africans who recognized their diaspora kin through the Afro-Caribbean rhythms." "

Wemilere Festival 2004 in November  5/5/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Dedicated to the bicentennial of the independence of Haiti, Alejo Carpentier and late artist Martha Jean-Claude, the Wemilere Festival will take place again in the municipality of Guanabacoa, proving that the conservation of the most authentic values of any culture also preserves the genesis of its identity. The Wemilere International Festival of African Roots will take place November 21-24, 2004 at the legendary Villa de la Asunción de Guanabacoa."

Cuban Music Lacks the Commercial Success it Deserves: Antonio Valero  5/3/2004 Prensa Latina: ""Cuban music lacks the commercial success it deserves as one of the three world centers of creativity," director of the Catalonian up-and-coming recording company AyVa, Antonio Valero, stated Thursday."

Adalberto Alvarez Announces Peru Tour  4/29/2004 Cubarte Newsletter 

Cuban Group Charanga de Oro Successfully Debuts in Italy  4/29/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Havana.-(PL) The Cuban group Charanga de Oro drove Italians into a frenzy of dance during its performances during the international debut of the band. Formed recently by highly professional musicians, the Charanga performed in Viareggio, Lastra a Signa, Pontassieve and San Piero a Sieve, places included in a tour sponsored by Toscana authorities and different social and cultural organizations of the region."

Grammy Award Winners Los Papines to be Paid Tribute in Percuba  4/23/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Cuban group Los Papines, Latin Grammy award winners in 2001, has been paid tribute at the 25 International Festival of Percussion (Percuba), which is taking place here in Havana, since April 20 through 24."

Historical Documents of Santiago de Cuba to be Digitalized  4/23/2004 Cubarte Newsletter 

Rumba rhythm: Union City man makes documentary  4/23/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Set to the sounds of Rumba beats reminiscent of its street corner glory days in old Havana, Union City-raised Juan Carlos Rojas captures this aspect of his Cuban heritage in a 20 minute documentary entitled Rumbo a la Rumba. Rumba´s popularity in Cuba can be traced back as far as the late 19th century, resonating from the slums and alleyways of the urban areas of the old country. It was always considered to be the music of the lower classes and minorities, and was never accepted by high society. At some points public Rumba music and dancing were illegal in Cuba. Filmed and produced as a graduate thesis project at the New School University in New York City back in 2002, Rojas has had the opportunity to screen his film at a few different venues over the last two years. Most recently, it made an appearance at the African Diaspora Film Festival last weekend at the Jersey City Museum."

Cuban odyssey - For more than 20 years, saxophonist Jane Bunnett has immersed herself in the rhythms and folklore of Cuba.  4/23/2004 Wichita Eagle 

Cubadisco 2004 Precedents. The Origin of Cubadisco Fair  4/16/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "By late 1980´s, other recording companies are created in Cuba, such as ARTEX S.A., RTV Comercial, Pablo Milanes´ P.M. Record and Silvio Rodriguez´s Ojalá studios, while 3 foreign recording labels -Art Color, Caribe Productions and Magic Music- set up in Havana. The Cuban music industry activity had increased and it needed a space for music industry producers and executives to exchange, and to organize a festival or fair to establish balance among all Cuban and foreign recording companies, which by 1997 were six. Thus, the First International Fair CUBADISCO was created in 1997 and its award was delivered for the first time to winning participants in different competition categories. The Ebony Phonograph was established as the top symbol of the contest."

Cuban and Foreign intellectuals Set to Meet on African and Afro-Latin American Culture  4/16/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Cuban and foreign intellectuals meet from the 12th to the 16th this month in the city of Santiago de Cuba to discuss African and Afro-Cuban culture on the Island. In this, the 8th international scientific conference dedicated to the influence of the African continent on Cuba and the region, workshops will be carried out in the visual arts and music, along with exhibitions in the areas of cinema and dance. The event is being sponsored under the auspices of the Fernando Ortiz African Cultural Center of Santiago de Cuba, and attendance has already been confirmed by specialists from Great Britain, the United States, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. During the cultural exchange there are also developed conferences and round tables on history and the ethnology, linguistics and the African traditional popular culture."

U.S. blocks tour of Cuban band  4/16/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Their situation is slightly different than most Cuban bands," said Chris Goldsmith of the San Francisco-based Rosebud Agency, which booked the U.S. tour, "in that they are not a band that has played in Cuba and they´ve never received money from the Cuban government."

Cuba's Rastas: the religious, the philosophical and those making a fashion statement  4/11/2004 Jamaican Observer: "Long dreadlocks stuffed into trademark red, black, green and yellow tams (knitted caps), which sometimes carry a symbol of an Afro-Cuban religion or even a US flag, Bob Marley t-shirts and camouflage pants - that is the typical look of Cuba's young Rastafarians, a growing urban presence. The Rastas of this socialist island nation are mainly found in Havana and tend to be young Afro-Cuban men from poor neighbourhoods, who seem to carry Reggae music in their blood. "People don't look on us kindly," Yosvany Reyes, a 27-year-old craftsman, told IPS. "In Cuba, people don't know very much about what being a Rastafarian means. They generally think we're dirty drug addicts or bums who just wander around the streets not doing anything." "They think we're like rock 'n' rollers or rappers, people who just have a different look or have adopted different cultural codes. But being a Rastafarian is a way of thinking, a philosophy, another way of looking at life," he said… "It's true that evil can be found in many people. There are young people who adopt the Rastafarian symbols as a way to make a living. They know that young black men who look like us are a great attraction for the tourists," he said. Reyes complained that these "false" Rastafarians, who he said are often involved in prostitution and drug - including cocaine - rackets, are responsible for society's distorted image of the movement."

OMAR SOSA, MUCHOS MUNDOS, VIDA ÚNICA  4/11/2004 Jiribilla: "Sosa ha encontrado un asidero espiritual en su especulación creativa: el tejido de una africanía exuberante y visceral, que se ha difundido en el ámbito occidental no como un producto primitivo ni marginal, sino como expresión vital, rectora e imprescindible."

Rumba rhythm - Union City man makes documentary about Cuban tradition  4/11/2004 Union City Reporter, NJ: "Set to the sounds of Rumba beats reminiscent of its street corner glory days in old Havana, Union City-raised Juan Carlos Rojas captures this aspect of his Cuban heritage in a 20 minute documentary entitled Rumbo a la Rumba. Rumba's popularity in Cuba can be traced back as far as the late 19th century, resonating from the slums and alleyways of the urban areas of the old country. It was always considered to be the music of the lower classes and minorities, and was never accepted by high society. At some points public Rumba music and dancing were illegal in Cuba. Filmed and produced as a graduate thesis project at the New School University in New York City back in 2002, Rojas has had the opportunity to screen his film at a few different venues over the last two years. Most recently, it made an appearance at the African Diaspora Film Festival last weekend at the Jersey City Museum."

Danzón eterno  4/3/2004 Jibilla: "Tradición y renovación de un género cubano que registra un reconocimiento internacional impensado en estos primeros años del siglo XXI. El hecho de que el danzón se haya recuperado como modelo vivo, y no como arqueología musical o mera referencia histórica, es importante para la salud del panorama sonoro de la Isla."

Bis Music and Cubadisco 2004  4/2/2004 Cubarte Newsletter 

Two Cuban Rap Groups Present Video against Drugs  4/2/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Cuban Rap has been one of the most spectacular phenomena in Ibero-American music, since with little less than 10 years in the scene, Cuban hip-hoppers earned a Grammy Award (Orishas, for the album Emigrante), and nomination Equis Alfonso for Equis-Moré."

Havana Rhytms. Happy to be in St. Kitts  3/30/2004 Cubarte Newsletter 

Cuba's Cocodrilo Community Multimedia Centre Hosts ICT Training Course  3/30/2004 Noticias: "Just over two years ago UNESCO established "Cocodrilo", a community multimedia centre in a remote community on the Isle of Youth in Cuba within the framework of the project "Multimedia for Caribbean Communities". Community members now completed a workshop in ICT applications, as the UNESCO Bureau in Kingston reports. During the week of 14-17 March 2004, members of the small community of 300 people, who are making their living from fishing, turtle preservation and forestry attended a three-day specialized training workshop in ICT applications for communities, organized by UNESCO in collaboration with VILCOMM International, a Jamaican training consultant company at the Palacio de Computación in Nueva Gerona, and Radio Cocodrilo."

La nueva Casa del Jazz Cubano - SU MÁS PODEROSA RAZÓN  3/29/2004 Jiribilla: "Desde anoche el jazz latino tiene casa para desbordarse. A unos pocos metros de la desembocadura del Almendares, Río Club ha sido rebautizado como Irakere, La Casa del Jazz Cubano. La sola determinación causa entusiasmo a los amantes de este tipo de música de gran demanda universal, pero saber que el maestro Chucho Valdés será cada viernes el anfitrión del lugar, provoca la mayor alegría."

Herbie Hancock at jam session in Havana  3/27/2004 Short News 

Afropop Worldwide (New York) -Interview with Nelson Valdés-  3/26/2004 Cubarte Newsletter 

Anthropologists Seek Descendents of Disappeared North American Tribe in Cuba  3/26/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "According to information collected by the researcher, the members of Calusa tribe, also called "The fierce ones" that disappeared from Florida three centuries ago, escaped to Cuba in the early 18th century, after other tribes and the Spaniards invaded their region. Most of them died of typhus fever three months after arriving in Cuba. Records at a church in Guanabacoa, Havana, reveal that a Calusa woman survived and had daughters in 1729 and 1731, said Worth. Anthropologists believe the Calusa people, who lived on Pine Island on the west-central coast of the Florida peninsula-, were the most evolved and powerful tribe when the Spaniards arrived to Florida in 16th century."

Festival of Danzon, Cuban National Dance, Starts in Havana  3/26/2004 Cubarte Newsletter: "Artists such as Chucho Valdes, Ernan Lopez-Nussa and the Camerata Romeu will also join the celebration of Danzon in Cuba, taking place for the first time in Havana, sponsored by the Cuban Union of Writers and Artists and Rumbos Travel Agency. The Danzon was created in the western province of Matanzas from Cuban dances which had their antecedents in French contredanse."

Festival of Danzon, Cuban National Dance, to Start in Havana  3/22/2004 Prensa Latina: "The First Festival of Danzon Havana, to start here March 25 in this city, on the 125th anniversary of the dance that became Cuban national dance, the organizers announced here. The festival, through March 28, will join groups which are milestones in the history of the music genre in Cuba such as Aragon Orchestra, América Orchestra and Melodias del 40 Orchestra, including other."

Aniversario 40 de la EGREM - MEMORIA SONORA DE LA NACIÓN  3/20/2004 Jiribilla 

EL ROMPEHIELOS DE LA DISCOGRAFÍA CUBANA  3/20/2004 Jiribilla: "Según críticos y especialistas, Cuba es uno de los países latinoamericanos que más ritmos ha aportado a la música (son, bolero, cha-cha-cha...) Se reconoce además que parte de las raíces del jazz latino salieron de esta Isla."

Los fabulosos años 50  3/20/2004 Jiribilla: "A partir del año 1951 los estudios de grabaciones de la calle San Miguel conocen de la producción de un nuevo sello discográfico: Puchito. La primera grabación con música popular cubana realizada por este sello fue el bolero titulado Copas y amigos, registrado al cantante Joseíto Fernández."

TODO MÚSICA  3/20/2004 Jiribilla: ""Una ojeada rápida por la historia discográfica cubana permite darte cuenta de que los catálogos siempre se han movido. Invariablemente aparece la competencia con mejores ofertas. Pasó en los últimos años del siglo XX con Manolito Simonet, David Calzado y con muchos más". Entrevista con José Manuel García, presidente de la EGREM."

Illustration by Mendive for #1 of Lettres de Cuba  3/20/2004 Lettres de Cuba: Mendive has a page under Arts on AfroCubaWeb.

Tumba Francesa  3/20/2004 Lettres de Cuba: "Avec le Carnaval de Barranquilla (Colombie), la conception sociale de la communauté bolivienne des Kallawaya, dans la région andine, les traditions autochtones mexicaines dédiées aux morts et les expressions orales et graphiques des tribus Wajapi, au Brésil, l’UNESCO a honoré la Tumba francesa «La Caridad de Santiago de Cuba», du quartier Los Hoyos, du titre de Chef-d’Oeuvre du Patrimoine oral et immatériel de l’Humanité."

Salsa-ing against wind and tide  3/18/2004 Granma: "Caribe Girls, an all-women band that has dared to take on Cuban timba • Known throughout the region, in Europe and even in Japan • Will their new CD win over Cuba?"

Rooted in African slave culture, Cuba's drums mark daily life  3/7/2004 AP 

Africa to Cuba to Berkeley: Riding the Rhythm  2/28/2004 Berkeley Daily Planet: "The musicians however, never forgot their island roots, and the show at La Peña is meant to showcase both sides of the 90-mile gulf between the two countries. Sandy Perez, for example, who is only 33 years old and dresses in baggy jeans and a baseball cap, is well-known as one of the most talented Cuban folklore musicians from Matanzas. That is one of several provinces which have helped preserve the Afro-Cuban roots of the folklore music."

Artists gain a measure of freedom in Cuba  2/20/2004 Newhouse 

The Swing of a Black Planet  2/18/2004 Village Voice: "The Middle Passage—that terrible, triangular trade of black, brown, and beige men, women, and children of Africa—dispersed an infinite variety of gods, dances, instruments, chants, and musical forms to the New World. In the United States, Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic those far-flung sounds became the soundtracks of our civilization: jazz, Latin jazz, rumba, tango, samba, bomba y plena, and meringue. Though they all spring from the same sub-Saharan source, these complex and often confounding genres test any musician who tries to blend them into a unifying whole. But since the latter half of the '90s, and at the beginning of this century, the Cuban-born, Spain-based pianist-composer Omar Sosa has met that challenge."

Alice Walker debuts Spanish version of book in Cuba  2/17/2004 Black America Web 

Cuban musicians' tales bring this history to life  2/5/2004 IndyStar 

Culture and Controversy at the Havana Book Fair, by Ana J. Faya  2/1/2004 Focal Point: "At the same time, this year’s Cuban Collection included a rather wide spectrum of books, such as Mi vida saxual (My Sax Life), an autobiography by the New-York based Cuban saxophone and clarinet player Paquito D’Rivera, books by Pedro Pérez Sarduy, who lives in London, books by Félix Contreras, and last year’s Plaza Mayor Award winner, Gregorio Ortega, both of whom live inside the island."

CON EL CIELO EN LAS MANOS  1/22/2004 Jiribilla: interview with the recent holder of the National Theatre Prize, afrocuban Hilda Oates.

Trabuco Latino: Cuban music with tropical flavor  1/22/2004 Radio Angulo: "Founded on March 13th,1993 Trabuco Latino is a Cuban traditional musical band, settled in Santa Lucía, Rafael Freyre municipality on the North coast of Holguin province in the Western part of Cuba. It is the result of the genuine Cuban traditional music and it develops rhythms of the biggest island of the Antilles, playing besides Son, cha cha cha, mambo, and some other Latin music like merengue, cumbia, bachata, among others, which proves the versatility of its members."

Eliades Ochoa, ganador de una Grammy, parte para Europa  1/18/2004 Cultura: "Elíades Ochoa, ganador de un Grammy por Buena Vista Social Club y nominado en tres ocasiones más, se prepara para viajar a Europa con el fin de actuar en plazas donde es muy solicitado como Italia y España."

Vive la cultura afrocubana  1/18/2004 Guerrillero: "Una experiencia única e irrepetible resulta la tarde del domingo en el patio de la UNEAC cuando la rumba nos recuerda que llevamos una mezcla de africano y español… Concebido, quizás sin pensarlo, para un sector poblacional determinado de la sociedad pinareña, pudiera tenerse la errada idea de que es un sitio sólo para personas de la raza negra, pero en la práctica no es así. Aquí asisten todos aquellos que llevan la rumba en la sangre, aunque no es menos cierto que el factor africano fue determinante en la conformación de la actual identidad sociocultural de Cuba, y por ende está presente en las tardes rumberas."

La música cubana en el tiempo  1/17/2004 Cultura: "¿Quién era Rubén González Fontanills?"

Antonio Machín, el vuelo de un "Angelito Negro"  1/17/2004 Vanguardia: "Su universo musical se enriquecía con el paso de los años. Sin embargo nunca se acogió a las nuevas tendencias de moda por aquellos tiempos. Nada ni nadie, ni representantes ni arreglos comerciales le hicieron cambiar ese estilo propio, esa línea melódica y originalidad de las canciones, por lo que conservó el sello cubano y latino que lo hiciera universal y del que se enorgulleció cada momento de su vida. Se estableció en la tierra del padre, mas nunca olvidó su origen sagüero."

Varadero’s International Song Festival returns  1/16/2004 Granma: "The festival – set for the first two weeks in November, traditionally a low-season month in terms of tourism – "will increase the flow of visitors" to this, Cuba’s principal tourist resort, reports the DPA agency… This international festival, initiated in the late 1960s and celebrated annually until 1986, has seen performances by Elena Burke, Omara Portuondo, Farah María, Alfredo Rodríguez, Orquesta Aragón and Los Van Van."

Evidence That in Castro's Cuba, at Least the Music Is Irrepressible  1/16/2004 NYT: "Mr. Keys — a prolific documentary filmmaker and concert producer, many of whose films have musical subjects — conceived the movie when he was invited to Havana to teach a master class, and the movie jumps back and forth between the Cuban capital and New York. In its impulse to educate, it could be described as a basic course: Afro-Cuban Music 101."

Promoción, artes plásticas y exposiciones (I)  1/15/2004 El Habanero: "El recién concluido año fue fructífero para la promoción de las artes plásticas en La Habana y varias son las muestras que, de una forma u otra, interactuaron con el público habanero; por solo citar algunas de ellas, mencionaré las que fueron organizadas en colaboración con instituciones como la Fototeca de Cuba, el Taller Experimental de Gráfica, y otras instituciones que se dedican a la divulgación del arte en nuestro país, además de las que se concibieron con artistas que no radican en la provincia, algunos de ellos con reconocimiento en el área nacional e internacional."

Premian Concurso Nicolás Guillén  1/10/2004 Ahora: "Con el cuaderno Posguerras, el joven poeta holguinero Michael Hernández Miranda recibió una primera y única mención honorífica, en la sexta edición del Concurso Internacional de Poesía Nicolás Guillén. El jurado, integrado por la cubana Odette Alonso, el mexicano Jorge Souza y el venezolano Jorge Gómez, valoró 247 poemarios para otorgar el primer premio al dominicano José Acosta, por El evangelio según la muerte. Además confirió otras dos menciones a los cubanos Arlén Regueiro y Alejandro González."

Presenta nueva revista Fundación Martha Jean-Claude  1/10/2004 Tribuna de la Habana: Martha was a famous Haitian actor who lived in Cuba - "El primer número de la revista Bouyon de la fundación cultural Martha Jean-Claude fue presentado en la sede de la Unión de Escritores de Cuba (UNEAC)con la asistencia de Harold Gramatges, Premio Nacional de Música y Jean-Marie Vaval, secretario de la embajada de Haití en la isla. La publicación cuyo nombre significa ajiaco, en español, tendrá un carácter trimestral y el objetivo de difundir la cultura de Haití por el Caribe. En este primer número, que consta de 10000 ejemplares, aparecen materiales de Harold Gramatges, Nancy Morejón, de la importante cantante que le da nombre a la fundación y de otras personalidades de ese país caribeño, acerca de temas como la independencia haitiana, el créole y el vaudou. En el acto de presentación intervinieron Harolt Gramatges quien hizo anécdotas de su presencia en Haití y Richard Mirabal Jean- Claude presidente de la fundación y director de la revista, quien agradeció a Cuba la impresión de los ejemplares en los talleres de Publicitur."

Tras las huellas de Guillén  1/9/2004 Tribuna de la Habana: ""Ante la coincidencia del coloquio con varios acontecimientos de gran relevancia en el orden histórico, político y cultural, hemos conseguido un peso mayor a la reflexión de la trascendencia de esos eventos en relación con la música y las artes plásticas", afirmó Nicolás Guillén (nieto),presidente de la Fundación que auspicia el evento. En el temario del coloquio -dijo- está previsto más de un tema dedicado a la cultura haitiana, lo cual entraña la feliz aspiración de la presencia de sus intelectuales y artistas, así como de latinoamericanos y europeos."

IV Coloquio y Festival Nicolás Guillén  1/5/2004 Tribuna de la Habana: "Como homenaje al bicentenario de la Revolución haitiana, los 200 años del nacimiento de José María Heredia y los centenarios de Alejo Carpentier y Pablo Neruda, la fundación que lleva el nombre de nuestro Poeta Nacional convoca al IV Coloquio y Festival de Música y Poesía Nicolás Guillén, el cual sesionará en la capital cubana del 5 al 10 de julio próximo."

El Patio de la Rumba Vive la cultura afrocubana  1/2/2004 Guerrillero: "El patio de la UNEAC, demuestra con su actuación dominical que la rumba cubana no padece de crisis, que sigue siendo una manifestación de raigambre popular, y sobre todo, que los pinareños con Alberto Javiqué como director artístico, continuarán dándole vida para que ella nos abra los caminos."

Declarada vanguardia nacional la orquesta Original de Manzanillo  1/2/2004 La Demajagua 

Sonó un changüí especial  1/2/2004 Venceremos 

Un changüí bien toca’o  1/2/2004 Venceremos 

Segundo Statue Unveiled In Cuba  1/1/2004 Billboard