En route to Santiago: recalling yesterday's "Good Cuban Living"
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Roasting on an old French propeller plane en route to Santiago. I actually prefer Santiago to Havana - it’s cleaner, simpler, and much less touristy. Yesterday was full of good, Cuban living. In the morning we played with a group of young musicians, led by Joaquin Pozo, whom we ran into accidentally the day before on the Callejon Hamel. His band was very good, and, fortunately for me, his pianist spoke great English. After three hours together, I felt like I had maybe gained a little insight into the Cuban polyrhythms. After lunch back at the hotel, I went shopping around Habana Vieja. We had a wonderful conversation with two women working in a shop - one was 18 and the other was around 70. They talked about their perception of rich Americans; we remarked that, unlike some, we are aware of our good fortune and even though we have more money, America is much more expensive. Anyway, it’s always nice to sit down and have a nice conversation and cultural exchange. My Spanish is still improving; it will become more comfortable in Santiago, where very few people speak conversational English.
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Listen to Joaquin's Pozo's band, performing an original composition by Pozo. Listen for the 6/8 feel in congas and bass. |
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Here's a clip of me playing with Pozo's band. As you can see from the picture, the meeting of the two bands drew quite a crowd! |
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