Chucho Valdés at the 25th Jazz Plaza Festival, Havana, Cuba.
February is upon us, which means in Havana it is time for the International Jazz Plaza Festival. Cuban jazz has a long tradition, with musicians such as Chano Pozo and Mario Bauzá leading the charge for what would later be called in the U.S. Afro-Cuban jazz, though the genre really took off in the 1980’s. I think this is due in part to the Jazz Festival, which began in 1963 in the Teatro Payret, and in 1979 the organization of the festival changed hands to the Casa de la Cultura.
At the festival you can hear a variety of musicians, from Chucho Valdés to new voices such as the young vibraphonist Tamara Castañeda. Some of the festival venues include the Hotel Presidente and the Havana Riviera, poolside at the Hotel Nacional, the Zorra y el Cuervo nightclub, the Jazz Café, the Chico O’Farrill bar, and the Karl Marx, Amadeo Roldán, Nacional and Mella Theaters.
Chucho Valdes and Irakere have played the fesitval, along with the following musicians: Emiliano Salvador and his band, Gonzalito Rubalcaba, Ramón Valle, Bobby Carcasés and his Afrojazz, NG la Banda, Guillermo Barreto, Orlando Cachaito López, and Frank Emilio, among many others. Past performers have included Dizzy Gillespie, Ronnie Scot, Michel Legrand , Arturo O' Farrill Jr., Rey Hargrove, Tania María, Charlie Haden and his orchestra, Barbara Dane, Bobby Sanabria, Dave Valentín, Flora Purín, and many more.
If you’re a lover of jazz, the International Jazz Festival in Havana is a can’t miss event.
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