Whats on havana dec 2015

dec

2015

Film Buffs in Cuba The Havana Jazz Plaza Festival Peter Turnley exihibits in Havana THE CINEMA

Havana Guide

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editorial Welcome to What’s On La Habana, December 2015.

This issue is dedicated to Cuban cinema in recognition of the island’s influence in the film culture of the American hemisphere. This is highlighted each year in the Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano to be held from Liudmila y Nelson -El viajeDecember 3-13, 2015, in Havana, with showings in other provincial capitals as well. A total of 444 films will be exhibited during the event, including 138 films in the feature, short, documentary, animated and first work categories, which will be competing for the Coral Prizes.

This month’s issue features a piece on three Cuban award-winning actresses whose brilliant acting careers are closely associated with the birth and growth of the new Cuban cinema: Daysi Granados, Eslinda Núñez and Mirta Ibarra.

The article on music in Cuban cinema focuses on the role of the Grupo de Experimentación Sonora, which led by the exceptional musician and composer Leo Brouwer, created a solid foundation for music production in the Cuban film industry. And Chronicles told in celluloid is a retrospective on the state of Cuban cinema and just what it means to the country.

Outside of the cinema, December is also jazz festival time. This year’s festival (Dec 17-21) will focus on the fusion of jazz genres, its indigenous roots in African, Latin American and Caribbean countries. The festival is an excellent opportunity to see world class jazz musicians jamming, improvising and generally thrilling jazz aficionados with the range and quality of talent.

In other articles in this month’s issue, check out the giant Rueda de Casino and their Guinness Record, Xico sculptures in Plaza de San Francisco, and Christmas in Cuba, then and now.

Peter Turnley, who is internationally renowned for his photography of the realities of the human condition, has a major show at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana, becoming the first American to exhibit in Cuba in this museum. .

Elsewhere on the island, the Parrandas de Remedios and the Charangas de Bejucal celebrate Christmas with music, dance, floats and fireworks in two of Cuba’s most traditional festivities whose roots go back to colonial times.

We wish you all a great holiday season and hope that 2016 is a year of health, happiness and prosperity for you all and for Cuba.

Abrazos!

The LaHabana.com Team

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december 2015

THE CINEMA

Chronicles of a country told in celluloid p7 Film Buffs in Cuba p10 Music in Cuban Cinema p12 Three Actresses for a new Cinema in Cuba p15

OTHER FEATURED ARTICLES

The Havana Jazz Plaza Festival p19 Xico sculptures in Plaza de San Francisco p23 Giant Rueda de casino: it’s more than just the record p26 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! p27 A Christmas Song p31 Peter Turnley p37

Havana Listings

Visual Arts p33 — Photography p36 — Dance p40 — Music p41 — Theatre p49 — For Kids p50

Havana Guide

Features - Restaurants - Bars & Clubs - Live Music Hotels - Private Accommodation p56

Cuban Directors. Titón, Santiago Alvarez, ...

Chronicles of a country told in celluloid

by Ricardo Alberto Pérez

For Cubans of my generation, going to the movies has always been a happy occasion. It has also been a rather spiritual way of cultivating friendships, making new friends and finding unexpected passions. Generally speaking, in one way or another, the inhabitants of this Island have spent the twentieth century showing their passion for the art of filmmaking.

Cinematography made its arrival in Cuba relatively early. It was brought from Mexico in 1897 by Gabriel Veyre who that same year presented the first public screening on the Paseo del Prado, near the Tacón Theater. Veyre also filmed one minute of the first movie ever made in Cuba, Simulacro de Incendio, a documentary about the firefighters of Havana.

Clearly, for both filmmakers and spectators, the cinema has meant much more than mere entertainment. Its language has been a very clear and efficient way of expressing and spreading our identity, our conflicts and our dreams as well as for also for remembering crucial moments in our history. Over the years, a mature audience

emerged, one that continued the love for film of earlier generations, and have watched the work of many filmmakers with lofty esthetic and conceptual aspirations.

In the Republican Period (1902 to 1959), the most important directors were Enrique Diaz Quesada and Ramón Peón García. The former dedicated his career to making historical films such as the outstanding Libertadores o guerrilleros (1914).I n 1930, Ramón Peón filmed La Virgen de la Caridad, making a huge impact with its strong religious content.

The short documentary El Mégano (1955), directed

by Julio García Espinosa with the collaboration of Alfredo Guevara, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and José Massip. seems to signal a point of departure towards more substantial films having serious esthetics and working with concerns of all kinds.

As we notice the names of the men involved in this production, we can see that all of them would become key figures within the cinematographic movement that was to be hatched just after the triumph of the Revolution.

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Alfredo Guevara

After 1959, renewal fever gripped the country and it was reflected in filmmaking. Just three months into 1959, the revolutionary government passed the first law in the area of culture: the creation of the ICAIC (Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry), under the guidance of Alfredo Guevara, In 1960, the Latin American Nnewsreel saw its first screening. It was directed by Santiago Alvarez, the greatest Cuban documentary filmmaker who reached a high point in his work with Now, a documentary on the death of the US civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.).

There was a time when the ICAIC Latin American Newsreel was as looked forward to in movie houses as the feature film that would be screened after it.

It had an inestimable and valuable influence on the development of the documentary genre.

and Las doce sillas, but his greatest production is Memorias del subdesarrollo, providing us with a lucid reflection on what was happening in Cuba at the time. It also divided our cinematographic art scene into a “before” and an “after.”

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea continued building a solid career in the years that followed with other outstanding films, including La última cena and Los sobrevivientes. In 1993, he hit a second high point with his Fresa y Chocolate (codirected with Juan Carlos Tabío), a film that makes the consistent evolution of his work and his adhesion to dialectics very clear. The film was nominated for an Oscar as Best Foreign Language Film in 1994.

In the early years of the Revolution, important filmmakers, such as Agnes Varda, Cesare Zavatini and Mikhail Kalatozov visited Cuba, drawn by curiosity and the enthusiastic fervor here. They made films on the Island, leaving an important mark on some of our fledgling directors.

At that time, a young filmmaker began his ascent: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, affectionately known as Titón. He arrived fresh from his training at the Cinema Institute of Rome, Italy, under the benevolent and visible influence of neorealism.

Among his early films were Historias de la Revolución

Fresa y Chocolate films

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Pineda Barnet, director

Fernando Perez, director

Titon’s contemporaries are such outstanding directors as Humberto Solas (Lucía), Julio García Espinosa (Las aventuras de Juan Quinquín) and Manuel Octavio Gómez (La primera carga al machete).

Post-Revolutionary Cuban cinema loyally chronicled and witnessed the different stages and transformations the country was going through.

It experienced a sort of mutational process in response to the political and social conditions of the time. During the 1970s-1980s, we were seeing many productions with distinctive ideological and historical content but also with remarkable artistic quality, as in two films directed by Enrique Pineda Barnet: Mella and Aquella larga noche.

With the arrival of the 1980s, Cuban cinema recovered its connections to a massive audiencebase thanks to a number of comedies that ironically poked fun at the behaviors of many Cubans.

Some of these titles were Se permuta, Los pájaros tirándole a la escopeta and Plaff. In 1989, Pineda Barnet surprised us once more with an excellent film, a musical called La bella del Alhambra, which introduced us to the amazing talent of its young leading lady, Beatriz Valdés.

This period also saw the production of Fernando Perez’s Clandestinos. In subsequent years, this

director would be responsible for a remarkable body of work that includes Madagascar, Suite Habana, La vida es silbar and José Martí, el ojo del canario.

By the 1990s, Cuban movies were saturated by a kind of ennui and dealt with the leitmotifs of emigration and the shortages earmarking the Special Period.

It was also a time when co-productions began to be increasingly made.

Now, in the twenty-first century, Cuban films are being enriched by a wave of independent productions, movies made mainly by young people but also by some of the more veteran directors.

Generally speaking, this is critical and innovative work, stimulated by the National Show of New Filmmakers. The best directors of this decade are Juan Carlos Cremata, Pável Giroud, Lester Hamlet and Esteban Insausti.

But we cannot truly end any commentary on the state of Cuban cinema today without underlining the crucial role played by institutions such as the International Film School of San Antonio de los Baños and the New Latin American Film Foundation, as well as events such as the Havana Festival of New Latin American Cinema, which is getting ready to run its 37th edition.

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Film Buffs in Cuba

Riviera Cinema

by Ricardo Alberto PÊrez One of the most pleasant memories from my childhood has to do with the inerasable magic of discovering the cinemas in Havana. As I grew up, the possibilities of finding new, unique auditoriums also grew and expanded. I refer to the end of the 1960s and into the 1970s, a time when Havana’s neighborhood movie houses were in their heyday.

Nowadays, most of them have disappeared or now perform other functions and we who remember those great years are overcome with profound nostalgia.

I was born on an island where the passion for movies dates back to the inception of the art form.

Havana became the Latin American capital which had the most cinemas. Those of us who were born later have inherited that taste of confusing our realities with those events occurring on the big screen.

The spread of the movies in Cuba has gone through different stages which have created diverse audiences. Some spectators not only admire films for their plots but they can go on in great detail about the musical scores, photography and, especially, the performances of the actors.

Each one has their favorite Cuban or international actors and actresses and they are able to defend their talents with a surprising array of opinions.

The great number of cinemas existing in the capital made it possible to create a varied and extensive circuit that was enjoyed by movie lovers.

There would be several premieres every week and festivals would also screen the best from all the different film genres.

It also became traditional to have weeks dedicated to the movies from other countries that have rich cinematographic traditions such as France, Italy, Spain or Germany. It was a perfect way for Cubans to keep up-to-date on all the recent productions.

At the same time, it was serious business to make sure that audiences were well-versed in the history of the cinema; that fact contributed greatly to forming a demanding audience.

For people living in Havana, going to the movies would be the best way to have an exceptional night out. Afterwards, there would be other options, like going to a restaurant, getting ice cream at Coppelia ice-cream parlor or going to a party, but the movie would dominate the evening. It was almost a mortal sin not to see a new movie on time, something left to the stragglers.

On weekends, attendance at the cinemas was more numerous partially because many youths and teenagers at that time were in residences at school during the week and from Friday to Sunday they would be back home. Those days would be reserved for having fun, and going to the movies was the preferred entertainment.

In fact, becoming a film buff and never giving that up is an experience that enriches your life. Many

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Yara Cinema

Cubans take advantage of the fact that it isn’t very expensive to go to the movies and over the years cinematographic productions have been treated very seriously in Cuba.

Nonetheless, we are rather unique film buffs.

First, the phenomenon is part of an effort to encourage the domestic film industry. And then the tremendous closeness to the best of Eastern European cinema (Soviet, Hungarian, Polish) and later the creation of the Festival for New Latin American Cinema of Havana represented another way of seeing and making movies. At the same time, this gave us the possibility of better understanding the continent on which we live in terms of its social, historical and cultural aspects.

On the other hand, the creation and consolidation of the Cinemateca de Cuba has contributed to guiding the tastes of our audiences towards products from other film industries. It has been

headed by prestigious intellectuals who have been anxious to promote salvaging and divulging the best of world cinema.

I am proud to be able to say that I have been going to the New Latin American Cinema Festival since it started in Havana. The emblematic Chaplin Theater, headquarters for the Cinemateca de Cuba, is one of the most familiar places in town for me.

Like many other film buffs, I have seen life becoming much more complicated lately and so sometimes we don’t have much time to go to the movies. New technologies have presented us with alternative ways to continue enjoying films and often we run out of GB on our storage systems.

Nevertheless, the magic world of the darkened theater and the silver screen is still enthralling and no matter how fast the pace of modern life is, the thrill of the cinema has not waned.

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Leo Brouwer

Music in Cuban Cinema

by Ricardo Alberto Pérez When we refer to the relationship between music and film in Cuba in over the last fifty years, we must embark on a complicated and fascinating journey. We have to penetrate into two of the most important cultural processes that have been underway in Cuban society during this time period.

The Cuban Institute for Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC in its Spanish-language acronym) was founded in the fervor of revolutionary triumph in 1959 and to a large extent has been the protagonist in this scenario.

singers of the ilk of Sergio Vitier, Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, Eduardo Ramos, Emiliano Salvador and Noel Nicola gathered together under Leo’s leadership and managed to absorb al that wisdom and achieved a miracle—they transformed into “cubanidad,” in other words, into aa genuine Cuban style.

In just one decade, the pioneers of the Cuban cinematographic industry came to understand the imperative need to encourage a phenomenon with sufficient creative depth and scope that would be able to bring a new sound to the films they wished to make and that would be a product equal in quality. For that reason, the ICAIC’s Grupo de Experimentación Sonora (Experimental Sound Group) was formed at the end of 1969. The exceptional musician and composer Leo Brouwer led the Group, attracting the best of Cuban music’s avant-garde in order to create a solid foundation for music production in the Cuban film industry.

The basic essence of this project was to forge a deep, unstoppable path that would lead towards what was later identified as a fusion within the national musical experience. With research as a basic premise, musicians in the Group focused on specific problems such as the celebration of the contemporary, identity as memory and, especially, as a break from the influence of external sources so that they could create a truly local product.

All of this occurred in an era of astounding musical richness at the end of a decade that had seen the emergence of phenomena like the Beatles in England, Tropicália in Brazil, new songwriting styles in Latin America and Spain, the revelation in the West of Indian music in the person of Ravi Shankar and the clear consolidation of rock and jazz as genres of the future. Talented musicians and

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Edesio Alejandro photo Y. del Monte

Much to the satisfaction of these artists, time has proved that they were right. Most of their theoretic objectives were realized. Their work succeeded in getting rid of rhetoric and redundancies and their experience represents a spontaneous school that has trained most of the Cuban musicians who were later interested in composing for the movies.

Whenever you listen to some of the music that was written for the cinema by these musicians, you can confirm Leo Brouwer’s top aspiration: “The prime merit of music for the cinema is that it shouldn’t get in the way of the film.”

The most remarkable feature of the music for Cuban movies after the founding of ICAIC is its capacity for carrying out a sort of de-alienating operation resulting in an authentic product, able to confirm the Cuban identity and contribute more substance to the films themselves.

Music and film have mutually enriched each other. Music has been a determining factor for the evolution and consolidation of Cuban films and Cuban films have permitted Cuban music

One of the first Cuban filmmakers to see and completely understand the value of the work being done by the Grupo de Experimentación Sonora was the great documentary filmmaker Santiago Álvarez. He had the clear, spontaneous notion of inserting their soundtracks into his legendary Noticiero ICAIC Latinoamericano (ICAIC Latin American Newsreel) which was a genuine jewel that lives on in the memories of many Cubans because of the ingenious way it had of capturing the symptoms of a decisive era for the future of our country. His long documentary features were also very popular. Later other directors of fiction films such as Sara Gómez, Sergio Giral, Manuel Herrera and Octavio Cortázar showed the same faith as Santiago Álvarez in Leo Brouwer’s troupe.

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Pablo Milanes feat Tesis de menta

to grow towards new horizons, become truly “contemporary” and immerse itself into that wealth of sound that comes from fusing genres.

Our most important directors have often used music as a special “actor.” In one case, filmmaker Enrique Pineda Barnet, who directed La Bella del Alhambra and other important films, expressed: “If music is to be placed anywhere in the cinematographic corpus, I would say it is the feeling of each film.” It is also important to stress that there are some Cuban films in which the music is an essential protagonist, for example, Jorge Luis Sánchez’s El Beny, Manuel Herrera’s Zafiros, locura azul and Pineda Barnet’s La Bella del Alhambra.

These are all films that play an important role in revealing key moments in Cuban music.

players in this story: Chucho Valdés, José María Vitier, Juan Piñera and the innovative and prolific Edesio Alejandro, who is considered a veritable specialist when it comes to producing music for the movies, especially connected to the work of director Fernando Pérez. At the present time, a group of young composers, some who are involved in electronic music, continue to contribute to this ample dialogue between the two languages.

These days the bond between music and film has become an important instrument allowing us to relive the different periods through which Cuban society has passed in almost six decades. The two languages go hand in hand to provide testimony to the way we are. So phenomena such as Irakere, Los Van Van, Buenavista Social Club and Habana Abierta have had a strong presence in the movies.

Much the same way, over the decades, other musicians and composers have been very important

Silvio Rodrigue, photo Ivan Soca

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Three Actresses for a new Cinema in Cuba

Daysi Granados Eslinda Núñez

Mirta Ibarra

by Ricardo Alberto Pérez There are three Cuban actresses who are closely associated with the birth and growth of a new Cuban cinema tied in with the foundation of the Cuban Institute for Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) and part of the post-1959 Revolutionary Period. With their brilliant acting careers, these women have accompanied and enriched 57 years of creative work. I an speaking of Daysi Granados, Eslinda Núñez and Mirta Ibarra.

The three actresses are contemporaries. Their beginnings in film overlap in time and circumstances. In other words, they are daughters of the same phenomenon.

For all faithful fans of Cuban movies, these three names have become permanent symbols.

Daysi Granados’ first film was La decisión (1964) directed by José Massip and Eslinda Nuñez debuted with El otro Cristóbal (1963) by the French director Armand Gatti.

As for Mirta Ibarra, she started her film career a bit later because she started out in theatre in 1967 and then moved on to movies with her first role in La última cena (1976) directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea. Each of these actresses’ lives describes a different story, but they all meet at one common point.

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Daysi Granados She is called “the face of Cuban movies.” Daysi Granados is a fascinating actress who immediately captivated audiences with her sensuality and the discipline with which she gave life and credibility to every one of her characters. Her participation in Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s much lauded Cuban film Memorias del Subdesarrollo (1968) marked a decisive moment in the launching of her professional career. With the utmost virtuosity, she played the part of a young working-class girl who was trying to manipulate a middle-class mature man into marrying her.

Later, Daysi Granados took on difficult challenges, such as her leading role in Humberto Salas’ Cecilia in 1981 where she had the task of interpreting a character that is vividly remembered in popular Cuban culture for being the heroine Cecilia Valdes in Cirilo Valverde’s classic novel.

This period piece had been preceded two years earlier by Pastor Vega’s Retrato de Teresa (1979) in which she played a very contemporary Cuban woman, bearing all the weight of the conflicts that implied having to deal with fierce discriminating machismo. Because of her undeniable ability to step above and beyond her limits, she gained the trust of many directors.

During the 1980s, she became famous for representing women dealing with the problems in contemporary Cuban society. In Habanera (1984), also directed by Pastor Vega, she interpreted a psychiatrist. She matured skillfully into roles in Juan Carlos Tabío’s Plaff (1988) and Pastor Vega’s Las Profecias de Amanda (1999) and she received numerous awards inside and outside of Cuba, including the 2007 Cuban National Cinema Award.

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Eslinda Nuñez As a teenager, I discovered a disturbing mystery named Eslinda Nuñez on the big screen. Her bewitching personality has stayed intact after all these years. Whenever I return to the images in Humberto Solás’ Lucía (1968), I become aware of this again and again as I watch her breathe intensity into each one of her appearances.

Even though she had already made quite an impact in Armand Gatti’s (France) El otro Cristóbal and in Vladimir Čech’s (Czechoslavakia) Para quién baila La Habana, there is no doubt that it was in Lucia that her acting genius is most intense, quickly gaining the admiration of film critics and audiences alike. That same year she co-starred with Daysi in Memorias del Subdesarrollo. In 1969

she starred in Manuel Octavio Gómez’s La primera carga al machete and in 1972 Solás called upon her once again to be part of the cast for Un día de Noviembre.

In No hay sábado sin sol (1979), directed by Manuel Herrera, she gave a fresh performance that delighted film buffs throughout Cuba. It showed us the mature actress she had become thanks to years of apprenticeship and we admired the grace she had attained. The 1980s saw her outstanding presence in Amada (1983) and Capablanca (1986), again directed by Herrera and Solás, respectively.

After receiving many national and international awards, in 2011 Eslinda received the Cuban National Cinema Award.

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Mirta Ibarra After appearing in La última cena, Mirta Ibarra attained her true splendor as a film actress in the 1980s. She passed through Juan Carlos Tabío’s Se Permuta in 1983 and turned in a very convincing performance in Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s Hasta cierto punto (1984). It seems that she found her particular signature in this film, something that would accompany her for the rest of her career.

The 1990s definitely established her star firmly among the best in Cuba in films like Mayra Vilasís’ Mujer Transparente (1990) and Gerardo Chijona’s Adorables Mentiras (1991). She received awards for this second film in Cuba and abroad.

The year 1993 marked yet another important moment in her film history: Fresa y Chocolate. She received the Best Supporting Actress award at the International Festival for New Latin American Cinema in Havana and at the International Film Festival of Gramado, Brasil.

During the 21st century, Mirta has continued to reaffirm her incredible versatility not only as an actress but also as director and author. Besides receiving a number of acting awards, in 1996 Mirta received the Distinction of National Culture that is awarded by the Council of State of Cuba.

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the

Havana

Jazz Plaza festiva December 17-20 highlights

by Juliet Barclay photo Ivan Soca

Some cities seem to simply fit to jazz.

Tropical, sultry and with an attitude Havana fits the bill. Havana is music.

From first thing in the morning till last thing at night, it pours out of houses, bars and cafes; echoes down narrow alleys; reverberates from balconies; blares from radios; booms from cars and wafts round squares. Jazz in Havana is popular, cosmopolitan with many fathers. Freed from commercial pressure, artists improvise, play, explore. The result can be simply magnificent, although nothing is guaranteed!

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Havana is music. From first thing in the morning till last thing at night it pours out of houses, bars and cafes, echoes down narrow alleys, reverberates from balconies, blares from radios, booms from cars and wafts round squares. ‘Where can we hear some real Cuban music?’ incoming innocents ask their taxi driver as they head from the airport into the city. ‘Where can we not hear it?’ might be a more appropriate enquiry.

Jazz is one of the city’s most popular musical forms and the Havana jazz sound is unique, the result of centuries of musical mixture to which Africa and Spain contributed the main ingredients and China, France, Italy, Mexico, Argentina and the United States added the seasoning. The sophisticated, cosmopolitan result attracts aficionados from all over the world--both to perform and to listen—and the resulting cross-cultural fertilization enlarges the virtuous circle of continually-evolving creative development.

The Havana International Jazz Festival first took place in 1979. Over the years it has become one of the most important dates in jazz-lovers’ diaries.

During the festival, fans flock to major concerts at the Amadeo Roldán, Nacional and Mella Theatres, but it’s the intimate events in Havana’s clubs that really get the juices flowing. The most extraordinary leaps of musical telepathy seem to

occur in smoky, rum-soaked Vedado hangouts like La Zorra y el Cuervo, the Jazz Café and Café Jazz Miramar.

Jazz in Cuba dates back further than most people realize. Slavery was abolished on the island in 1886 and many freed black Cubans immigrated to New Orleans, while the American intervention of 1898 in the Cuban independence wars heralded the start of a prolonged US presence in Cuba.

Conditions were thus perfect for mutual musical exchange. The musicians that had moved to New Orleans took with them the rhythms and style that were already considered Cuban and incorporated them into the nascent jazz form, as did musicians returning to the States from Cuban holidays.

The high point of this musical evolution was the spark which ignited between Cuban drummer Luciano (Chano) Pozo—eventually shot in a bar in Harlem—and American jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Their sound was the first appearance of what later came to be known as “Latin jazz”—and that was just the beginning. Now Cuban musicians are foremost amongst the world’s jazz performers.

Prior to the Revolution popular musicians were largely self-taught; from the early 1060s onwards, most members of popular bands have been music school graduates to whom virtuoso performances are almost second nature.

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Over the years the lineup at the Jazz Festival has included Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Haden, Roy Hargrove, Steve Coleman, Richie Cole, Max Roach, Carmen McRae, Leon Thomas, Teté Montoliu, Airto Moreira, Tania María, Dave Valentin, Michel Legrand and Ivan Lins. The celebrated British saxophonist, Ronnie Scott, promoted Cuban jazz from his famous Frith Street club throughout his professional life. However, it is Cuban musicians who have been the driving force behind the Festival.

Whether they favor pure jazz or fusion, the list of participants includes important names: Armando Romeu; Chucho Valdés, Gonzalo Ruvalcaba; Bobby Carcassés; Los Van Van; Ernán López-Nussa; NG La Banda; Orlando Valle… and the waves of impressive young musicians emerging from Cuban schools has resulted in the establishment of the JoJazz (Joven Jazz = Young Jazz) Festival which takes place prior to the main event as a competition for young musicians.

If you’re in Havana from December 17-20, do a circuit of the Vedado clubs and you’ll more than likely spot an international jazz great appearing incognito at the bar, hidden behind a cocktail. And keep a sharp lookout for a black giant with a sleepy gaze, leisurely performing musical miracles at the piano--it will be six-time Grammy winner Chucho Valdes. As the organizer of the International Jazz Festival, he, more than anyone else, knows that if it ain’t got that swing, it ain’t Havana.

Jazz Plaza 2015 Highlights One of Havana’s most famous music events, the Jazz Festival is a display of the link between Cuban rhythm and jazz, which goes back to the late 19th century when newly freed slaves immigrated to New Orleans. Started in 1979 pretty much as a local event at the Casa de la Cultura de Plaza, the festival has grown in size and scope with venues that include several large theatres and nightclubs. International stars such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Haden, Steve Coleman, Michel Legrand, Ivan Lins and Ronnie Scott are just a few names in the list of past participants, who, together with Cubans Chucho Valdés, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Bobby Carcassés and Ernán LópezNussa, to mention just a few, attract fans from all over the world.

This year, the festival will focus on genres influencing jazz. It will also cover the fusion of jazz genres, its indigenous roots in African, Latin American and Caribbean countries, and the more contemporary musical expressions, without forgetting standards and classics. Important Cuban musicians like Chucho Valdés, and international musicians, like ZZTOP guitarist Billy Gibbons, will be part of a spectacular program, including the new FeriaJazz at the Pabellón Cuba, featuring young Cuban jazz musicians jamming away with international visitors.

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Program Jazz Plaza 2015 Casa de la Cultura de Plaza / 8:30pm December 17

Lázaro Valdés & Son Jazz, Zule Guerra (Cuba), Camila Celin & Ehren Hanson (U.S.), Banda de Jerry Medina (Puerto Rico)

December 18

Bellita y su Jazz Tumbatá, Ruy López-Nussa y la Academia (Cuba), Triple Ace (Austria) Laranah Jazz Ensemble (U.S.), Mongorama (U.S.-México-Cuba)

December 19

Alejandro Falcón (Cuba), Timo Volbrecht (Germany), Órgano Trío (Argentina)

December 20

Kelvin Barreto & Afrocuba de Matanzas, Real Project (Cuba), Super Nova Jazz Trío (Argentina), Camila Celin & Ehren Hanson (U.S.)

Pabellón Cuba / 5 pm December 17

Delvis Ponce, Maracujazz (Cuba), Timo Volbrecht (Germany), Estrella Acosta & Esquina 25 (Holland)

December 18

Alejandro Meroño, William Roblejo (Cuba), Grupo Daniel Puente Encina (Italy-Cuba), Doug Cameron (U.S.), Orquesta SKaracas (Venezuela)

December 19

Aryan Varona y Claroscuro, Leyanis y Jessie Valdés (Cuba), Grupo Kriyolio (Islas Guadalupe), Grupo Pink Freud (Poland); Laranah Jazz Ensemble (U.S.); Kelvin Barreto (Cuba), Mongorama (U.S.-México-Cuba)

December 20

5pm / Jerry Medina & his Bnad (Puerto Rico)

Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht / 8:30pm

Teatro Mella / 8:30pm

December 17

Bobby Carcassés, Yissy García (Cuba), Miguel D’ Armas Quartet (Cuba-U.S.)

December 17

Opening gala with Ernán LópezNussa (Cuba), The Preservation Hall Jazz Band (U.S.)

December 18

Michel Herrera, Harold LópezNussa, David Sánchez (Cuba), Doug Cameron (U.S.)

December 18

César López y Habana Ensemble, Pancho Amat, Maracas (Cuba), Steve Turre & Brian Lynch (U.S.)

December 19

Héctor Quintana, Aldo LópezGavilán (Cuba), Arthur O’ Farrill (U.S.)

December 19

Kenny G (U.S.), Roberto Fonseca and guests (Cuba)

December 20

5pm / Carlos Miyares (Cuba), Francisco Mela (Cuba- U.S.), Rafael Paseiro (Cuba-Francia)

December 20

5 pm / Chucho Valdés (Cuba)

Fábrica de Arte Cubano / 10 pm December 17

ZZ-Top (U.S.)

December 18

Jazz Organ Trio

December 20

Kenny G (U.S.)

Teatro Raquel Revuelta / 8:30pm December 18

Dayren Yanisel Santamaría (CubaU.S.), Grupo Kriyolio

December 19

Dúo Conde (Spain-Cuba), Grupo Manouche (Australia)

December 20

5pm / Michel y su grupo de Latin Jazz (Colombia), Mezcla (Cuba)

Jardines del teatro Mella / 6 pm December 17

Jazz Organ Trio

December 18

Real Project (Cuba), Grupo Bestiaplaneta (Argentina)

December 19

Zule Guerra (Cuba), Supernova Jazz Trío (Argentina)

December 20

Kelvin Barreto (Cuba), Mongorama (U.S.-México-Cuba)

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Xico sculptures

in Plaza de San Francisco de Asis

by Ricardo Alberto PĂŠrez photos Y. del Monte

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These days when Habaneros are celebrating the 496th birthday of their city (November 16), sixteen singular sculptures arrived at the San Francisco de Asís Square. They have been inspired by a charismatic dog known as Xoloitzcuintle in Mexico, and it is said that this small animal has been around in Central America and mainly in Mexico for over 1,300 years. Affectionately known by its diminutive of “Xico,” this character symbolizes friendship and cultural exchanges among peoples.

Surrounded by myths and legends giving it a strong symbolic content, this small dog forms the basis for the 1.80-meter tall sculptures executed by artists from Cuba and Latin America. Xico is the synthesis of a long, profound history dealing with the identities of Pre-Hispanic nations, entailing the grace of individual talents and the dreams of a group. Such an endeavor that brings together identical objects in order to obtain essential differences can be interpreted as a hymn to diversity and the comprehension of appearances that are different from what they represent.

The creators of this project still have the idea that Havana is the same as it was in Colonial times: the Key to the New World. Our city is a special home for this journey, guided by a delicate, hairless canine that has acquired the luster of both ancient

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and contemporary times. Xico has been primarily identified as an animal that helps its master to overcome any difficulty that may cross his path.

Expressing the legend in words, we have the saying: “Xico lights the fires of your heart.”

Renowned artists from Cuba, Mexico, Panama and Colombia have granted independent life to their own creations. Some of the most outstanding versions of this dog are signed by Eduardo Roca (Choco), Ángel Ramírez and Carlos Guzmán. Their painted Xicos carry new universes under their skin and they question the breadth of everything that is human.

I would also like to emphasize the contribution of the female spirit, bringing a special sensitivity to the way messages are transmitted and how details have been conceived, adding extra touches of seduction to the pieces. Among the female participants I really enjoyed the work of Leticia Gutiérrez Rosas from Mexico.

Xico, that faithful guardian of so many endeavors, has been welcomed in cities such as Brussels, Sao Paulo, San Luis de Potosí, Mexico City, Veracruz, New York, Shanghai and Santiago de Chile and now it is here on our Havana cobblestones so that we can enjoy it.

Exhibitions of this sort, set up in attractive public spaces, can be interpreted as participating in the protection of the environment, especially of animal species whose populations have alarmingly diminished. The Xoloitzcuintle is certainly no exception.

Fortunately this noble Mexican dog is also being represented in chocolate and as a cartoon character. All over the world its image has become a source of fun for children from different cultures.

Just a few months ago, San Francisco de Asís Square was the temporary home for a band of bears that bore the distinguishing features of more than one hundred different countries. And now we have these stellar but humble dogs to confirm the suspicion that this city square, which is normally animated with pigeons and thousands of international and Cuban visitors every day, is the ideal stage to keep on welcoming creative initiatives that enrich urban landscapes and the everyday lives of its citizens.

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Giant Rueda de casino: it’s more than just the record

by Ricardo Alberto Pérez In the afternoon and evening last November 25th, nearly a thousand casino dancers came together on the esplanade of the Malecon that is known as the Piragua, to set a new Guinness World Record.

The goal was to have the largest Rueda de casino in the world and to dance continuously for the longest period of time.

For us Cubans who have lived through most of the last fifty years on the Island, regardless of what our favorite kind of music is, in one way or another casino dancing and its fickle “ruedas” are part of all our biographies.

In the days when material things were out of our reach and also didn’t interest us that much, dancing became one of the most consistent dreams we possessed. In the midst of a huge array of different poplar dances, casino prevailed. It has the reputation of contributing spiritual values both to the groups and to the individuals taking part in it.

Being a leader or “casinero mayor” came to represent an important status in those days. It meant that you had the grace and style to captivate multitudes. There used to be a TV program called Para Bailar which was a tremendous promoter of the popular dance and Cuban people loved it.

There are quite a few persons who lived through the different experiences that are a part of our unique Cuban social process who found that the ruedas de casino provided the ideal way to let loose their expressive freedom and, consequently, their creativity.

This dance has been closely associated with an important part of popular Cuban music over the last decades. I would dare say that the influences have gone both ways. Some musicians initiated styles and manners of dancing and other musicians started composing specifically for the demands of dancers.

For all of these reasons, last November 25th at La Piragua symbolized revisiting part of the past that should never disappear; it has directly influenced the way we are.

Even though they weren’t able to have all the people they needed – only 964 participants - they were able to surpass the previous record for time.

Just about 15 minutes were added on to that old record.

Many visitors from other countries and some of us Cubans ended up getting together under the light of the full moon in the gardens of the legendary Hotel Nacional to enjoy a semi-aerial view of the giant rueda de casino. The predominant color was red and the synchronized movements seemed to be telling an attractive story about bodies and their hopes and dreams.

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

by Victoria Alcalá

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Every time Christmas comes around, I can’t help remembering when I was five or six years old, sitting on the floor of my house with my cousins, cracking walnuts and hazelnuts by unappealable order of my father, and the delicious smell of sour oranges, garlic and spices coming out from the kitchen every time somebody opened the oven door to check the turkey or leg of pork that was being cooked slowly, mixed with the sweet aroma of the syrup that my grandmother prepared for the “buñuelos”.1 The voices of Barbarito Diez or Elvis Presley on the record player were muffled by the hullabaloo made by uncles and aunts, who cheered by the many “mojitos” that my dad would prepare, bustled around the dinner table dressing huge bowls of salad, cutting up nougats decorated with marzipan and dried figs, placing the linen tablecloths and napkins and the china dinner service used only on special occasions, and taking out from mahogany cabinets the fine glassware that was rarely used and the silverware that had previously been polished.

So many years have passed since then. The custom of celebrating Christmas Eve practically disappeared in Cuba in the mid-1960s, only to reappear strongly in the past two or three decades.

But the linen tablecloths were transformed into dresses; the silverware was sold to meet more urgent needs; many family members are no longer with us; walnuts and hazelnuts are purchased without the shell; the old record players were replaced by tape recorders and CD and DVD players; and instead of listening to Barbarito and The King, the young people now listen to a wide

range of both international and Cuban music. The joy that surrounds the Christmas season has once more brightened Cuban homes, and families get together during the festivities. Believers or not, the holiday spirit ends up infecting everybody.

Christmas trees begin to appear in many homes since early December and at my house, in particular, putting up and trimming the tree takes on an almost ceremonial character. The decision of what decorations to put on the tree becomes a complex operation since my son insists on buying a new decoration each year, which increases our reserves from year to year.

The next step in a Cuban Christmas celebration involves the menu for the 24th and 25th of December and January the 1st, what friends are to be invited and purchases to be made, including new clothes and gifts for the children. Savings and remittances from relatives or friends who live abroad are spent without giving much thought to what will happen beyond the festivities. After all, as Scarlett O’Hara would say, “Tomorrow is another day.”

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The more farsighted start shopping early in December for chicken, turkey or pork for the special dinners of the 24th and 31st of December.

The cooking in itself is an event during the festivities and is an excellent excuse for reuniting families. The pork--or chicken or turkey—is usually marinated with crushed garlic, sour oranges, oregano and cumin the day before and roasted on the special day. This year, I plan to substitute fresh orange and pineapple juice for the sour oranges, and chicken breasts for the pork. The rest of the menu includes white rice and black beans, or “moros y cristianos,” which is rice cooked together with previously softened black beans and salt,

garlic, onions, pimiento, oregano, cumin and a bay leaf; boiled cassava served with a sauce made of garlic, salt and sour orange juice; “tostones;” 2 and a large salad of tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, radishes, etc. These meals are usually accompanied by beer or red wine. Cider or champagne is usually reserved for drinking a toast at midnight for the New Year. According to how much each family can afford, dinner is completed with classical desserts, such as buñuelos, bread pudding or custards, and imported nougat, grapes and apples. Some families accompany these special dinners with music and dancing that go on till the small hours of the morning, while for other families it is a quiet and intimate affair.

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It is customary to congratulate friends, colleagues and relatives who are far away during the days prior to Christmas. The beautiful postcards that we used to receive by mail have been replaced by postcards that can be downloaded free from the Internet although some prefer to personalize their Christmas and New Year messages and create their own postcards with family pictures, or rural or urban views. Gifts are almost always for the little ones--clothes or treats on the 25th and toys on the Epiphany on January 6, which closes the cycle of festivities.

With the new times, certain rituals have changed.

Midnight Mass, for instance, which was reserved for practicing Catholics, is being attended now by many people of faith, who believe in God but who do not go to church on a regular basis; you might even find non-believers in church that day.

One custom that has survived throughout time is throwing a bucket of water onto the street on the 31st of December to “throw out” all the bad things accumulated during the year that is coming to an end and “clean” the way for the approaching year. Other beliefs include wearing white on that day for good luck and girls looking for husbands should light a red candle exactly at midnight. It

you see anybody walking around with a suitcase that means that they hope to travel during the coming year.

The holidays however are not restricted to the 24th or the 31st. Festivities begin in mid-December in workplaces, and on the pretext of annual balance, achieved goals, etc, etc, etc, workers prepare parties with the inevitable pork and “caldosa” —which has replaced the traditional “ajiaco,” a stew that accepts any type of meat and vegetables—as well as rum and beer that help loosen up and have a good time.

1 Buñuelos: A popular Cuban dessert made especially for Christmas, which is prepared with mashed boiled cassava to which a pinch of salt, flour and beaten whole eggs is added. The mixture is kneaded and shaped into the form of a number eight, deep fried in hot vegetable oil and served with anise or cinnamon-scented syrup 2 Tostones: Green plantains cut into pieces and fried over medium heat. The fried plantains are drained and smashed flat and fried again quickly over very hot heat.

They are served sprinkled with salt.

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A Christmas Song

By Aimara Fernández

Photo by Ana Lorena Gamboa

It feels like spring and yet it is winter in the Cuban countryside, which grows more beautiful bathed in the colors of the sunset. No one talks about Santa, and there are no evergreens covered with snow. But Christmas in the campo (countryside) is as close as Cuba gets to a traditional Christmas.

The morning of December 24 sees the pig marinated in sour orange juice and covered with fresh guava leaves. The roast begins early in the morning, spreading an aroma that pervades every corner of the backyard where the pig is cooked in an open fire over charcoal or wood. Smells of rice, black beans, tamales, fried plantains, cassava with criollo sauce made from crushed garlic and lemon juice emanate from the kitchen. Vegetables are plentiful here and large salads of tomato, lettuce, cucumber and radishes are prepared. The children run around the large table waiting for the rice custard, bread pudding, peanut nougat, grated coconut and guava shells cooked in syrup.

The sound of repeated toasts to health--‘Salud’-and good fortune punctuate the day. And don’t forget the consumption of “saoco,” (coconut milk and rum).

Christmas for Cubans remains an intimate affair, for family celebrations and reunions.

As New Year’s Eve approaches, the ambience changes and the scene is set for another feast: a more social party with more friends. A party for everyone, from great grandparents to the youngest child. Grandma may talk about the famous almond nougats that arrived at Havana’s port straight from the city of Alicante, but she’ll also get up and dance. The kids stay up and maybe dance too. I still remember my grandfather telling me a condensed version of his life story every New Year’s Eve. These are the memories that he bestows on me and I in turn look to instill in my children.

In the city, the celebration is more urban. The menu includes chicken, turkey or pork cooked in an oven. Traditional desserts go hand in hand with almond nougats imported from Spain, and the saoco is replaced with red and sparkling wines.

Music is omnipresent and the toasts of “Felicidades” ring out. Whether in the city or the countryside,

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At midnight, a 12-gun salute is fired from the Cabaña Fortress greeting the New Year. The streets are suddenly filled with water but it isn’t raining--the people are throwing buckets of water out onto the street from balconies, rooftops, porches and doorways to get rid of all the bad and let the good come in. Others, who hope to travel, walk around the block carrying suitcases. The twelve grapes symbolizing the twelve months are eaten and a toast to health and prosperity is made with sparkling wine. Another year has passed. Viva Cuba. Viva la familia.

are the memories that he bestows on me and I in turn look to instill in my children.

At midnight, a 12-gun salute is fired from the Cabaña Fortress greeting the New Year. The streets are suddenly filled with water but it isn’t raining–the people are throwing buckets of water out onto the street from balconies, rooftops, porches and doorways to get rid of all the bad and let the good come in. Others, who hope to travel, walk around the block carrying suitcases. The twelve grapes symbolizing the twelve months are eaten and a toast to health and prosperity is made with sparkling wine. Another year has passed. Viva Cuba. Viva la familia.

Photo by Juan Carlos Alom

Photo by Juan Carlos Alom

Leo Brouwer, Oct 2, 2013

Photo by Yadira Montero

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Visual Arts

photos by Alex Mene Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Cubano

Contaminación

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Cubano Through February 14

El eco del último disparo, focuses on the changes occurred in the artistic production between the 19th and 20th centuries Curator Delia María López points out classical composition, the representation of historic events and basic elements of academic art.

Arte Continua

Casa Carmen Montilla

Throughout Anclados en el territorio is a December group show by Alejandro Campins,

Elizabet Cerviño, Susana Pilar Delahante, Carlos Garaicoa, Reynier Leyva Novo and José Yaque inaugurating the new Cuban gallery Galería Continua, which is making new use of the emblematic Chinatown Águila de Oro cinema.

Reencuentro. After being absent from the Cuban exhibition scene for 14 years, Irene Sierra Carreño will be showing 21 paintings and 3 drawings displaying lyricism marked by symbols that relate to Cuban and Caribbean identity

Castillo de La Punta Throughout Cubo azul. After newly inaugurating December the institution, Rachel Valdés’

Biblioteca Rubén Martínez Villena Through December 20

Opens December 18

Don´t Play with History, an exhibition by Hander Lara Figueroa, which alludes to two historical moments translated into visual codes to define them at their minimum, abstract expression.

Cubo azul installation forms part of the permanent exhibition; it was a success at the “Detrás del Muro” show during the 12th Biennale of Havana.

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photos by Ana Lorena Factoria Habana

Factoría Habana Through January 15

Signos. Arte e industria y viceversa, which has been conceived as an installation that brings together objects, texts, artefacts, photos, ceramics, graphic works, video and printed materials, aims at emphasizing creative experiences in which a balanced fusion between art, design and industry, and elements of the urban and architectural environment takes place through the works of Carlos José Alfonzo, Juan Carlos Alom, Félix Beltrán, Alberto J. Carol, Gonzalo Córdoba, María Victoria Caignet, EMPROVA, Cirenaica Moreira, Miguel Díaz, Felipe Dulzaides, Leandro Feal, Mario Gallardo, Mario García Joya (Mayito), Carmelo González, Roberto Gottardi, Arturo Infante y Renier Quert, Nicolás Guillén Landrián, Roberto Matta, Ernesto Oroza, Amelia Peláez, Manuel Piña, René Portocarrero, Idelfonso Ramos, Leyden Rodríguez, Mariano Rodríguez, Humberto Solás y Héctor Veitía, Lesbia Vent Dumois, as well as the projects Ediciones en Colores, TELARTE, Arte en la Fábrica, Arte en la Carretera and Arte en el Muro.

Casa de Artes y Tradiciones Chinas December 10, 17 & 24. 9am

Taller de alambrería artística, workshop on the use of wire in art, with Filiberto González.

Registration is now open.

December 10 & 17, 2pm; 12 & 19, 10am

Taller de pintura tradicional china. Workshop on Chinese traditional painting, with artist Alexis González. Registration is now open.

December 8, 15, 22 & 29, 9am

Taller de papier maché, Paper Mache workshop with Jorge Luis Gilfolés. Registration is now open.

Casa del ALBA Cultural

Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam Through January 1

Folia Continua, for the 25th anniversary of “Galería Continua,” th show includes the creations of Pistolletto, Daniel Buren, Carlos Garaicoa, among others, some of which were made especially for the Wifredo Lam Center.

Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura Opens December 11

La Vasija 2015 is an exhibition of vessels, tiles, panels and murals presented in competition. They praise the origins of ceramics, whose origin lay in vessels, but these contemporary artists give them a whole new twist.

Throughout Intercambio Climático, by artist December Arístides Hernández (Ares).

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Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas y Diseño Through December 6

Galería Artis

Atrapados en su propio juego, paintings by Rolando Fernández Álvarez, drawn by the New Historicism, the mythical, the oneiric and the pleasure of mixing the figurative with the abstraction.

Eco is a show bringing together work by Ricardo Rafael Villares, one of the most interesting figures of the young Cuban vanguard.

Galería Galiano Through January 4

Galería Carmen Montilla Through December 20

Through January 8

Cruces infinitos with the painters Enrique Ávila (Cuba) and Antonino Parrilla (Spain).

Paciencia is Adislén Reyes’ oneman show, prize-winner at Post-it 2. The jury praised the printmaking technique proposed, with the continuous use of iconography and the masterful use of photographic techniques.

Galería Collage Habana Through January 29

Registros shows the work of Santiago Rodríguez Olazábal, part of the Elena Velázquez collection.

Curator Corina Matamoros has said: “Solely the imaginary Caribbean could spawn something like these. So far from the orthodox, the universal, the pure, the clear-cut. So close to the local, the diverse, mobility, mixture, fluidity. Things that are infinitely and forever reconfigured. Like the African spirit in Cuban art, it is intimate and mysterious.”

Throughout Post devoto, group show December contemporary religious art.

Verbum II Iván Capote’s one-man show: Capote is a subtle minimalist who always forces us to use our intellect. .

Galería Taller Gorría Throughout Asamblea is the group show of ten December Cuban visual artists; it inaugurates

this new gallery belonging to actor/painter Jorge Perugorria.

Galería Víctor Manuel Gramos, with pieces by metalsmith Raúl Valladares.

of Galería Villa Manuela Through December 13

Museo de la Danza Throughout Seda y acero by Jesús Lara Sotelo December exhibits twelve pieces in enameled

clay and mixed techniques…a hymn to sensuality and erotic form.

Pabellón Cuba Nelson Domínguez’s show, together with some guests, dedicated to the Jazz Plaza Festival.

Palacio de Lombillo Through January 10

Through January 15

December 11-February

Hostal Los Frailes

Through December 14

Galería Habana

Resurgir, by artist Roniel Llerena Andrade, gathers 11 oil paintings of various formats, which combine, in one sole image, the female face and Havana architecture.

La inmunidad de lo ingenuo is the two-man show by Glenda León and Diana Fonseca

Plaza de San Francisco Through December 13

Travesías de XICO por América Latina brings together sixteen, 1.8-meter pieces by Latin American artists such as Eduardo Roca (Choco), Carlos Guzmán, Ángel Ramírez, Darlyn Delgado, Víctor Mora, Lyzbeth Labañino, Mariana García Botello, Sandra de Huelbes/Karen Rivero, Francisco Gordillo, Héctor López, Rafael Pantoja (Frank Mysterio), Cisco Merel, Andrés Orjuela, Rolando de Sedas (Rolo), Leticia Gutiérrez Rojas, ISHA JUDD (Fundación Educando por la Paz), Cristina Pineda, Luis Enrique Gómez and Pablo Álvarez Carreto.

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photography

Museo Castillo de la Real Fuerza (exteriores) Throughout December

La última frontera is a group show with 50 large-scale photographs of the seabed around the Cuban archipelago.

Alianza Francesa. Sede Sartre Through December 18

BiDisTorciones by Ihos Plasencia and Lourdes Bermúdez

Edificio de Arte Cubano.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Through February 15

Casa de Asia Through December 13

Dual, the show by artists Laura Capote and Duwane Coates reveals her precise use of the double exposure technique.

Cámaras e imágenes fotográficas, a show of cameras and photos put on by the Photographic Gallery of the Historic Photographic Library of the Office of the City Historian.

Through January 24

Acento en el ojo gives us memorable scenes from Cuban theater, captured by the lens of Ernst Rudin.

Sala de la Diversidad.

Through December 6

Museo de Arte Colonial Through December 13

Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht

Moments of the Human Condition by the well-known US photographer Peter Turnley: his photos have appeared 43 times on the cover of Newsweek and he has published seven books. The show is organized in four sections: Heart of America, A Love Letter to Paris, In Times of War and Peace, and Cuba ~ A Grace of Spirit.

Fotografiando mi Habana collects images of the city and its people, the result of workshops salvaging the ancient processes carried out by the Historical Photographic Archives of the Office of the Historian.

Edificio Jerusalén. Centro de Negocios Miramar

Iberia by Spanish photographer Herminio Muñiz recreates the contrasting landscapes of the Iberian peninsula, from the most sumptuous to the most desolate locations.

Throughout Vacío interior, by Yinet Pereira December Díaz.

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Peter Turnley

“I have a deep love for the people of Cuba. Throughout a lifetime of world travel, rarely have I been to a place where I’ve witnessed so much grace, spirit, dignity, and wonderful humanity. I have traveled regularly to Cuba since 1989. During recent years, I have made dozens of trips to Cuba.

The people of Cuba have taught and demonstrated to me so many beautiful lessons of how life can be lived well. This book is a visual tribute with love to the grace of spirit of the people of Cuba.”

Peter Turnley Peter Turnley is renowned for his photography of the realities of the human condition. His photographs have been featured on the cover of Newsweek 43 times and are published frequently in the world’s most prestigious publications. He has worked in over 90 countries and has witnessed most major stories of international geo-political and historic significance in the last thirty years.

His photographs draw attention to the plight of those who suffer great hardships or injustice. He also affirms with his vision the many aspects of life that are beautiful, poetic, just and inspirational.

Peter Turnley es conocido por su fotografía de la realidad de la condición humana. Sus fotografías han aparecido en la portada de Newsweek 43 veces y se publican con frecuencia en las publicaciones más prestigiosas del mundo. Ha trabajado en más de 90 países y ha sido testigo de la mayoría de las historias de importancia en materia geopolítica e histórica a nivel internacional en los últimos treinta años. Sus fotografías llaman la atención sobre la difícil situación de quienes sufren grandes dificultades o injusticias. También afirma con su visión los muchos aspectos de la vida que son hermosos, poéticos, justos e inspiradores.

Turnley’s photographs have been published the world over and have won many international awards including the Overseas Press Club Award for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad, numerous awards and citations from World Press

Photo, and the University of Missouri’s Pictures of the Year competition.

Las fotografías de Turnley se han publicado en todo el mundo y han ganado muchos premios internacionales, entre ellos el Overseas Press Club Award for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad (premio de la prensa), numerosos premios y menciones de World Press Photo y el concurso Pictures of the Year de la Universidad de Missouri.

Peter Turnley also teaches photography workshops on street photography and the photo-essay in Paris, Cuba, New York, Mumbai, Venice, Sicily, and Lisbon.

Peter Turnley también imparte talleres de fotografía en París, Cuba, Nueva York, Bombay, Venecia, Sicilia y Lisboa sobre la fotografía documental y el ensayo fotográfico.

He presently lives in both New York and Paris, and has previously published six books of his work: French Kiss—A Love Letter to Paris, Beijing Spring, Moments of Revolution, In Times of War and Peace, Parisians, and McClellan Street.

Actualmente vive entre Nueva York y París, y ha publicado seis libros con su obra anteriores a este: Beso francés: una carta de amor a París, Primavera de Pekín, Momentos de la Revolución, En tiempos de la guerra y la paz, Parisinos y Calle McClellan.

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Peter Turnley’s Exhibit at Havana’s Fine Arts Museum

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Grace and spirit are two great words, not only because of the intensity of their meanings, but because of the impact produced by their sounds.

Both these words are combined within the title that outstanding American photographer Peter Turnley gave his book on this island: Cuba—A Grace of Spirit. He is visiting us again today, thus becoming the first photographer from the United States to ever exhibit his work at Havana’s Fine Arts Museum.

The exhibit consists of four segments: Heart of America, A Love Letter to Paris, In Times of War and Peace, and Cuba—A Grace of Spirit.

Moments of Human Condition is the title of this exhibit that brings the Cuban people closer to the different aspects of life in places that can be both so different and so alike.

Turnley’s photographs have been published the world over and have won many international awards including the Overseas Press Club Award for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad, numerous awards and citations from World Press

One of the greatest merits of the exhibit’s curatorial work lies in its ability to show the two faces and intentions of an artist with consistency and balance, that is, his reporting skills with strong anthropological traits that grant his pictures a place in the collective memory.

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dance Encuentro de Jóvenes Coreógrafos

December 4-6, 8:30pm; Dec. 29, 5:30pm Sala Las Carolinas Event organized by the Danza Teatro-Retazos Company in support of and to boost the creativity of young choreographers providing them with a space for exchanging experiences, generating and spreading their work, which given their esthetic and human value nay enrich the Cuban stage.

The Organizing Committee will select the best choreographies which will be presented to them public during this month.

Caminos

December 5, 8:30pm; Dec. 6, 5:30pm Teatro Martí A selection of the music and dances of previous performances by the Ecos flamenco company.

Un día de mi Habana December, 8:30pm; Dec. 6, 5:30pm Teatro Mella

Show by the Ban Rará Company, which dramatizes the music, song and dance of the immigrant Haitian groups who settled in Guantánamo and Santiago de Cuba provinces, and uses elements of Yoruba origin, peasant dances and varieties of son

Ciudad de Guantanamo

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MUSIC

Contemporary Fusion

Los Ángeles Photo Alex Mene

The contemporary fusion and electronic music scene has expanded recently as new bars and clubs have opened party promoters have organized events in parks and public spaces.

Good live music venues include Bertolt Brecht (Wed: Interactivo, Sunday: Déjá-vu) and El Sauce (check out the Sunday afternoon Máquina de la Melancolía) as well as the newly opened Fábrica de Arte Cubano which has concerts most nights Thursday through Sunday as well as impromptu smaller performances inside.

In Havana’s burgeoning entertainment district along First Avenue from the Karl Marx theatre to the aquarium you are spoilt for choice with the always popular Don Cangreco featuring good live music (Kelvis Ochoas and David Torrens alternate Fridays), Las Piedras (insanely busy from 3am) and El Palio and Melem bar—both featuring different singers and acts in smaller more intimate venues.

Olga Tañón in Concert December 12, 8:30pm Tribuna Antiimperialista

The popular artist (who will be giving a concert in Santiago de Cuba on December 5 prior to Havana) will be joined by prominent Cuban musicians, including Descemer Bueno, Pancho Amat, César López, Evaristo Denis and Qva Libre, as well as music and dance students. The concert will be broadcast live by Cuban Television via satellite, and will be recorded on DVD and CD. At a press conference, Olga Tanón said: “These concerts, for me, are a gift of life from God. The love, warmth, respect and fellowship that the Cuban people have given me for many, many years, is immense. It is my desire and duty to return my love through my voice, presence and support.”

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Balneario Universitario El Coral Fridays & Saturdays

1pm-1am

Submarino Amarillo / 2 pm

Electronic music with rapping, DJing, Vjing, Dj-producers, breakdancing and graffiti writing, among other urban art expressions.

Vieja Escuela

Fresa y Chocolate Fridays

Pura Birria

10 pm

Café Concert El Sauce / 5 pm Sundays

Saturdays

La Máquina de la Melancolía, with Frank Delgado and Luis Alberto García

Havana Hard Rock / 6 pm Every other Friday

Soul Train, a show of soul music

Sat & Sun

Rock cover bands

Tercera y 8 Mondays

Baby Lores

11 pm Le Select Barbaram Pepito’s Bar / 5 pm

Sundays

5pm

Tuesdays

Vendaval

Thursdays

Los Francos

Sundays

Discoteca Onda Retro

Diablo Tun Tun

Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht / 11 pm December 2

10 pm

David Blanco

9 pm

5 pm Gens

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.

Edificio de Arte Cubano

Tenor Bernardo Lichilín and DJ Eddy Sánchez

December 3

Percuba Ensamble

Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional / 5 pm

Salón Rosado de La Tropical Fridays

Proyecto Lizzy

11 pm

Gato Tuerto Saturdays

Fridays

Saturdays

Viento Solar

Wednesdays Interactivo Saturdays

Los Ángeles

Electronic music with Sarao,

Tuesdays

Raúl Paz

Wednesdays Qva Libre Thursdays

Discotemba

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Photo by Alex Mene

Photo Alex Mene

Salsa / Timba Casa de la Música de Miramar Mondays

Casa de la Música Habana

5 pm Will Campa 11 pm Sur Caribe

Tuesdays

11 pm Pedrito Calvo

Fridays

5 pm El Niño y La Verdad 11 pm NG La Banda

Sundays

5 pm Bamboleo

Salón Rojo del Hotel Capri Sundays

11 pm Juan Guillermo

Mondays

5 pm Havana Show

Tuesdays

11 pm Havana Show

Wednesdays

5 pm NG La Banda

Thursdays

5 pm Pupy y los que Son Son

Saturdays

5 pm Yaser y Nueve Milímetros

Sundays

11 pm Tumbao Habana

Jardines del 1830 Fridays

Azúcar Negra

10 pm Café Cantante. Teatro Nacional Mondays

11 pm Manana Club

Tercera y 8 Wednesdays Alain Daniel

11 pm Salón Rosado de la Tropical Sundays

4 pm Manana Club

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MUSIC JAZZ

Jazz Café

Calle 88A No. 306 e/ 3ra y 3ra A, Miramar. +53 (07) 209-2719

Mellow, sophisticated and freezing due to extreme air conditioning, the Jazz Café is not only an excellent place to hear some of Cuba’s top jazz musicians, but the open-plan design also provides for a good bar atmosphere if you want to chat.

Less intimate than La Zorra y el Cuervo – located opposite Melia Cohiba Hotel.

December 9

7pm / Luz de La Habana

Café Jazz Miramar Shows: 11 pm - 2am

This new jazz club has quickly established itself as one of the very best places to hear some of Cuba’s best musicians jamming. Forget about smoke filled lounges, this is clean, bright—take the fags outside.

While it is difficult to get the exact schedule and in any case expect a high level of improvisation when it is good it is very good. A full house is something of a mixed house since on occasion you will feel like holding up your own silence please sign!

Nonetheless it gets the thumbs up from us.

Asociación Cubana de Derechos de Autor Musical December 17

6 pm

Alexis Bosch (pianist) and Proyecto Jazz Cubano.

UNEAC December 10

5 pm

Peña La Esquina del Jazz hosted by showman Bobby Carcassés.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte December 5

5pm/ Yadasny Portillo (pianist and composer)

December 17

7pm/ Marialis & Pachequito Pacheco (pianist)

December 19

7pm/ Harold López Nussa (pianist) & David Sánchez (saxophonist)

December 24

7pm/ Roberto Fonseca (pianist)

December 26

7pm/ Carlos Miyares (saxophonist) & Cuban Quintet

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MUSIC Bolero, folklore, son & trova Asociación Yoruba de Cuba Saturdays

Diablo Tun Tun

Los Ibellis (Folkloric group)

4 pm

Thursdays

5 pm / Trova

Sundays

5 pm / Orly Núñez 11 pm / Soneros de la Juventud

Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional Saturdays

Waldo Mendoza

El Jelengue de Areíto 5

5pm

Tuesdays

Entre Amigos, with Cubana

Thursdays

Conjunto Arsenio Rodríguez

Fridays

Rumberos de Cuba

Sundays

Rumba

Café Teatro Bertolt Brecht / 9 pm Thursdays26 December

Conjunto Chappottín

Wednesdays Trova

Café Concert El Sauce / 9 pm Fridays

pm

Rafael Espín and guests

4 pm

Hotel Telégrafo Fridays

Ivette Cepeda.

9:30 pm

Casa de África

8 pm 3pm

Gala performance Eduardo Sosa by the group Azúcar Morena dedicated to the orisha Changó,

November513 December

Annie Garcés Cheketé with Síntesis

November44 December

4 pm 6 pm 3

Obiní Batá

December 17

Gala performance by the group Azúcar Morena dedicated to the orisha Babalú Ayé.

Bolero Night

9 pm

Fridays

Peña Tres Tazas with trovador Silvio Alejandro

Saturdays

Peña Participo with trovador Juan Carlos Pérez

Fresa y Chocolate

Casona de Línea Sundays

Saturdays

Pabellón Cuba 4pm

November12 December 20 Cheketé, Trovador with Gerardo the Alfonso folkloric group

4 pm

Hurón Azul, UNEAC

Trova

8 pm

Saturdays

7pm / Leo Vera

Saturdays

5:30pm / Leidis Díaz

Centro Iberoamericano de la Décima

Casa del Alba December 4

8pm / Eduardo Sosa

December 5

3pm / Duo Ad Libitum

December 10

4pm / Annie Garcés

December 27

5pm / El Jardín de la Gorda with trovadors from every generation.

Delirio Habanero 10

pm

Thursdays

Abel Maceo y Buena Vida

Saturdays

Sonyku

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.

Edificio de Arte Cubano December 11-12

7pm / Haydée Milanés

Museo de Artes Decorativas 5pm December 2

Argelia Fragoso

Hueco de 21 y G December 4

6pm / DCoraSon

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classical MUSIC

Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís December 10

Works by cuban composer Esteban Salas (1725-1803).

6 pm December 12

Performance by the Música Eterna Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Guido López-Gavilán.

6 pm December 19

6 pm

The Camerata Romeu, conducted by maestra Zenaida Romeu, will play a selection of waltzes

by Chopin.

Biblioteca Nacional José Martí Saturdays

Concerts by chamber soloists and ensembles.

4 pm Sala Covarrubias. Teatro Nacional Sundays

Concerts by the Nationl Symphony Orchestra.

11 am Centro Hispano-Americano de Cultura

5 pm

Pianist Gabriel Chorens, clarinetist Vicente Monterrey, sopranos Conchita Franqui, Alioska Jiménez and bass Marcos Lima will perform works by Massenet, Verdi, Gershwin and Moniusko.

December 19

Ébanos de La Habana in concert.

December 5

5 pm

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Iglesia de Paula / 7 pm December 11

The organist Moisés Santiesteban will play works from different eras and styles for Advent and Christmas.

December 18

The Ars Longa Early Music Ensemble will play pieces by European Baroque composers.

Casa del ALBA Cultural December 4

4pm Concert with the Academia de Canto Mariana de Gonitch, and the Mexican singer, dancer and castanet player Sonia Amelio.

December 6

5pm Concert with Ensamble de Vientos Nueva Camerata

December 13

5pm En Confluencia, conducted by guitarists Eduardo and Galy Martín.

Oratorio San Felipe Neri December 3

7pm Clarinet recital by Arístides Porto and guests.

December 12

4pm The sopranos María Eugenia Barrios and Ivette Betancourt, accompanied by pianist Claudia Santana, have announced the program Te amaré, a tribute to Silvio Rodríguez and his songs.

December 17

7pm Recital by the soprano Johana Simón.

December 19

4pm Performance by the Solistas de La Habana Orchestra, conducted by Iván Valiente.

December 23

7pm The ISA Symphony Orchestra and soloists Víctor Díaz and Harold Merino will play Mozart’s concertos No. 21 and No. 23 for piano and orchestra.

Sala Gonzalo Roig. Palacio del Teatro Lírico Nacional December 27

7pm Cuerda Dominical, with guitarist Luis Manuel Molina.

Sala Ignacio Cervantes / 6 pm December 4

The Hubay ensemble will play traditional Hungarian gypsy and popular music.

December 6

The pianist Cecilio Tieles has announced a program made up of works by Cuban composers José María Vitier and Yalil Guerra, among others.

December 11

Songs and romances composed by Ernesto Lecuona in the voices of soloists from the Teatro Lírico Nacional.

December 13

Concert Del soul al jazz (From Soul to Jazz).

December 20

The Promúsica duo (Alfredo Muñoz, violin, and María Victoria del Collado, piano) have prepared a program made up of works by, Brahms and Mendelssohn.

Museo de la Revolución December 9

4pm Concert by the Coro Nacional.

Teatro Martí December 19 & 20

6pm For the first time in Cuba, the concert version of the musical Les Miserables (music

by Claude-Michel Schönberg and original French lyrics by Alain Boublil) will be performed by soloists accompanied by the Cuban Radio and Television Orchestra and Chorus, and the Vocal Leo Chorus, under the general direction of Alfonso Menéndez.

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Theatre

Teatro Trianón Photo Alex Mene

El mago de Oz

Teatro El Público / Production: Carlos Díaz Fridays & Saturdays 8:30pm; Sundays 5pm Teatro Trianón Through a re-appropriation of Lyman Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, Rogelio Orizando returns to the theme of relations between Cubans living on the island and immigrants, who are reconciled through the worship of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre.

Mecánica

Asere

Play written by award-winning Abel González Melo, which based on Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, turns the conflict around while it deals with an aspect of that is scarcely dealt with on the Cuban stage: the world of the nouveau riche

The drama of a Cuban baseball player who leaves the country to pursue his dream of playing in the Major Leagues.

Argos Teatro / Production: Carlos Celdrán Fridays & Saturdays 8:30pm; Sundays 5pm Argos Teatro

Teatro Cimarrón / Production: Alberto Curbelo Fridays & Saturdays 8:30pm; Sundays 5pm Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht

El deseo

Compañía Hubert de Blanck / Production: Orietta Medina Fridays & Saturdays 8:30pm; Sundays 5pm Sala Hubert de Blanck A play by Mexican playwright Víctor Hugo Rascón Banda about the conflicts of the relationship between a middle-aged woman and a young man, in which cultural differences overpower sex and passion.

Aladino

Anfiteatro de La Habana Saturdays and Sundays, 9pm Aladino, musical based on Casey Nicholaw’s Broadway hit, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin. The magical world of the One Thousand and One Nights enacted with the usual imagination, good taste and professionalism of Alfonso Menéndez and his company.

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For kids

Clowns Jaquelín and Dimas December 6, 11am

BB Compañía December 20, 11am

Proyecto Cascabel

Clown Colorín

December 27, 11am

December 13, 11am

Grupo de Teatro Infantil Abril December 12, 11am Casa del ALBA

La calle de los fantasmas Teatro El Arca December 4-6, 11-12, 3pm Teatro de Títeres El Arca

Fantasías

Saturdays and Sundays, starting December 19, 3pm Cine Yara Magic and illusionism, aerial cloth, lassos and whips, jugglers, balancing with spades and knives, and the always faithful clowns Tico and Giobi, will delight both kids an adults.

Havaneando

Ghost Street, emblematic play of Latin American puppet theater, by Javier Villafañe, adapted and directed by Miriam Sánchez.

Saturdays and Sundays, 4pm & 7pm Carpa Trompoloco The Compañía Havana presents a selection of the circus numbers presented during the summer season.

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EVENTS IN HAVANA

Festival Internacional de Coros December 2-6 Dolores Concert Hall, cultural centers, streets and parks in Santiago de Cuba Escorted by the country’s highest mountains and the sea, Santiago de Cuba, the most Caribbean of all Cuban cities, has remained true to a legacy that goes back to the 18th century when the priest Esteban Salas, a native of Havana, composed Christmas carols, hymns and shepherds’ plays (pastorelas) for his cathedral. These religious compositions are the first known written musical documents in Cuba.

Santiago’s choral tradition is fueled by choirs founded by Spanish immig rants and their descendants, and reaffirmed by the continuing work of Maestro Electo Silva, who in 1961 founded the National Choir Festival. Eventually, thanks to the participation of choirs from different countries, the festival, which is held every two years, became international.

An intensive program of morning and evening concerts in theatres, schools, factories, hospitals and public squares will characterize the five days of the festival. The most awaited concert, however, is the one held during the closing ceremony in which all the participating singers perform at Santiago de Cuba’s principal plaza.

Honoring this tradition, in 1961 Electo Silva, who has been for decades director of Orfeón Santiago, organized the First Choir Festival. Throughout the years, choral groups from different countries have also participated in the festival together with their Cuban counterparts, winners at prestigious international competitions. An intensive program of concerts in theatres, schools, factories, hospitals and public squares characterizes these days in which audiences can enjoy the best of the repertoires of choral music.

XVIII Feria Internacional de Artesanía FIART December 3-20, Pabexpo, Havana

Held as a way of expressing the identity and cultural diversity of different countries, the International Craft Fair has promoted arts and crafts attracting thousands of visitors each year. Lectures, exhibits, fashion shows, sales and the crafts themselves offer an opportunity for interaction and exchange between artists and the public. In past years, the original treatment of contemporary design has been remarkable in handicrafts, which, without losing their ancestral nature, exhibit an undisputable touch of modernity, whether applied to textiles, fibres, leather, precious and semiprecious stones, metals, clay, or any other material ready to be fashioned and beautified through the sensitivity of craft artists.

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EVENTS IN HAVANA

Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano December 3-13 Havana and other provinces Since December 3, 1979, Havana has been the venue of the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, which has served as a launch pad for Latin American cinematography and become one of the leading film festivals in the region. Awards are given in categories that include animation, documentary, fiction, first work, unpublished script and poster, as well as direction, screenplay, actor, actress, art direction, photography, music, film editing and sound. Numerous professional workshops and seminars also take place during the festival, plus much awaited screenings of international contemporary cinema.

The organizers have announced that 444 films (341 from Latin America and 103 from other regions) will be exhibited during the event. Out of this total, 138 films (feature, shorts, documentary, animated and first works) will be competing for the Coral Prizes.

The event will open with El Clan, an Argentinean film directed by Pablo Trapero. The jury will be presided by actress Geraldine Chaplin, who will receive the Best Performance Award granted to her during the 2014 festival.

Actors Ethan Hawke, Tim Robbins and Benicio del Toro, producer Christine Vachon and Sundance and HBO executives will be representing the US. More information at www.habanafilmfestival.com

Paulina: Argentina, Brazil, France, 2015, Fiction, 103´, HD, Color El Clan: Argentina, Spain, 2015, Fiction, 108´, HD, Color Eva no duerme: Argentina, France, Spain, 2015, Fiction, 85´, HD, Color La luz incidente: Argentina, France, Uruguay, 2015, Fiction, 95´, HD, B/N Que horas ela volta?: Brazil, 2015, Fiction, 111´, HD, Color Ausência: Brazil, Chile, France, 2014, Fiction, 87´, 35 mm, Color Campo Grande: Brazil, France, 2015, Fiction, 108´, HD, Color Boi Neon: Brazil, Uruguay, Holland, 2015, Fiction, 101´, HD, Color El club: Chile, 2015, Fiction, 98´, HD, Color El Bosque de Karadima: Chile, Argentina, 2015, Fiction, 97´, HD, Color La memoria del agua: Chile, Spain, Argentina, Germany, 2015, Fiction, 88´, HD, Color

Que viva la música: Colombia, Mexico, 2014, Fiction, 102´, HD, Color El abrazo de la serpiente: Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, 2015, Fiction, 125´, HD, B/N-Color Cuba libre: Cuba, 2015, Fiction, 120´, DIGITAL, Color La obra del siglo: Cuba, Argentina, Germany, Switzerland, 2015, Fiction, 100´, HD, B/N-Color Vuelos prohibidos: Cuba, France, 2014, Fiction, 100´, HD, Color La cosa humana: Cuba, Peru, 2015, Fiction, 85´, HD, Color El acompañante: Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, France, Panama, 2015, Fiction, 104´, HD, Color Un monstruo de mil cabezas: Mexico, 2015, Fiction, 75´, HD, Color Te prometo anarquía: Mexico, Germany, 2015, Fiction, 88´, HD, Color Yo: México, Canada, Switzerland, Dominican Republic, 2015, Fiction, 80´, HD, Color Las elegidas: Mexico, France, 2015, Fiction, 105´, HD, Color

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Around Cuba Parrandas de Remedios December 24 Remedios, Villa Clara Province

Legend has it that during the 1820s, a young priest officiating in Remedios— the eighth town founded by the Spaniards in Cuba—decided to have a group of children make a noise with whatever they had to hand in an effort to awaken lazy parishioners to attend mass in the chilly mornings of 24th December. From then on, neighbours would go out into the streets on the nights prior to Christmas for music and merrymaking. From 1871, a competition or “parranda” between two neighbourhoods—El Carmen and San Salvador—took place, each with its own hymn, colours, kites and lanterns. In 1875, complicated floats lit by flares and fireworks were paraded by each side at the town’s Plaza de Armas (town square).

To this day, the two neighbourhoods continue with a rivalry characterized by the beauty and originality of these floats, as well as by the amazing pyrotechnics that from 9 pm on 24th December to dawn on 25th December, illuminate the city sky. Both sides keep their floats secret from each other during the course of the year with even members of the same family on either side of the fence sworn to secrecy against each other. Although these festivities have spread to other nearby localities of Guayos and Camajuaní, the Parrandas de Remedios are the oldest and most well known on the island.

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Around Cuba

Charangas de Bejucal December 24-26 & January 1 Bejucal, Mayabeque Province Like many other festivals of this type in Cuba, the charangas (popular son-influenced Cuban music that began in the 1940s emphasizing flute, violin and piano orchestra) are related to Christmas celebrations, when white Catholics and black slaves would take to the streets with their musical instruments to pay tribute to their deities. Eventually, they divided into two groups: La Musicanga, which gathered the criollos (freed blacks and slaves); and Los Malayos (representing the Spaniards). Thanks to the fusion of cultures that characterizes Cuban identity, racial and class differences were lost with time, and belonging to one or another side was simply determined by each person’s preference. Rivalry between both sides today - now named La Ceiba de Plata and La Espina de Oro - consists in the ability to construct the most colorful and striking floats. The traditional music of the orchestra Los Tambores de Bejucal accompanies this festivity now attended not only by the inhabitants of the town, 20 km south of Havana, but by hundreds of visitors who enjoy the fantasy and creativity of designers, engineers, painters, musicians, choreographers, and dancers whose talent guarantees the vitality of one of the oldest popular celebrations in Cuba.

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Havana’s best places to eat

La Guarida

El Atelier

5

Bella Ciao

5

Café Bohemia

5

Café Laurent

4+

Experimental fusion

Homely Italian

Café

Spanish/Mediterranean

Interesting décor, interesting menu.

Great service, good prices. A real home from home.

Bohemian feel. Great sandwiches, salads & juices

Attractive penthouse restaurant with breezy terrace.

Calle 5 e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado (+53) 7-836-2025

Calle 19 y 72, Playa (+53) 7-206-1406

Calle San Ignacio #364, Habana Vieja

Calle M #257, e/ 19 y 21, Vedado (+53) 7-831-2090

Casa Miglis

El Chanchullero

La California

5

La Casa

5

5

5

Cuban-Creole/International

Contemporary fusion

Swedish-Cuban fusion

Spanish/Mediterranean

Beautiful C19 colonial building.

Great fresh pastas.

VIP service. The Robaina family place. Thurs Sushi night.

Oasis of good food & taste in Centro Habana

Fabulous value hole in the wall tapas. Trendy.

Calle Crespo #55 e/ San Lázaro y Refugio, Centro Habana (+53) 7-863 7510

Calle 30 #865 e/ 26 y 41, Nuevo Vedado (+53) 7-881-7000

Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana (+53) 7-864-1486

Teniente Rey #457 bajos, Plaza del Cristo, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-872-8227

El Cocinero

Corte Príncipe

Il Divino

5

5+

4+

D. Eutimia

5+

International

Italian

International

Cuban/Creole

Industrial chic alfresco rooftop with a buzzing atmosphere

Sergio’s place. Simple décor, spectacular food.

Set in huge gardens outside town. Great for the kids.

Absolutely charming. Excellent Cuban/creole food.

Calle 26, e/ 11 y 13, Vedado. (+53) 7-832-2355

Calle 9na esq. a 74, Miramar (+53) 5-255-9091

Calle Raquel, #50 e/ Esperanza y Lindero, Arroyo Naranjo (+53) 7-643-7734

Callejón del Chorro #60C, Plaza de la Catedral, Habana Vieja (+53) 7 861 1332

Iván Chef

El Litoral

La Fontana

4

Habana Mia 7

5

5+

5+

International

International gourmet

Spanish

International

Consistently good food, attentive service. Old school.

Endless summer nights.

Excellent food and service.

Brilliantly creative and rich food.

Watch the world go by at the Malecón’s best restaurant.

Calle 46 #305 esq. a 3ra, Miramar (+53) 7-202-8337

Paseo #7 altos e/ 1ra y 3ra.

Vedado (+53) 7-830-2287

Aguacate #9 esq. a Chacón, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-863-9697

Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado (+53) 7-830-2201

Nautilus

5

Nazdarovie

5+

Nero Di Seppia

5

Opera

5

French/Mediterranean

Soviet

ITALIAN

INTERNATIONAL

Imaginative, tasty and innovative menu.

Well designed Soviet décor, excellent food & good service.

Calle 84 #1116 e/ 11 y 13. Playa (+53) 5-237-3894

Malecon #25, 3rd floor e Prado y Carcel, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-2947

SThe new location for Havana’s best pizza chef, Walter. Same food, great locale.

Homely & intimate environment. Quality food. By reservation.

Calle 6 #122 e/ 1ra y 3ra, Miramar (+53) 5-478-7871

Calle 5ta #204 e/ E y F, Vedado (+53) 5-263-1632 (+53) 8-31-2255

Otra Manera

5

Río Mar

5

San Cristóbal

5

304 O’Reilly

5

international

International

Cuban/Creole

international

Beautiful modern decor.

Interesting menu and good service.

Contemporary décor. Great sea-view. Good food.

Deservedly popular.Consistently great food. Kitsch décor.

Chic, stylish. Superb gin & tonic. Best in Old Havana.

Ave. 3raA y Final #11, La Puntilla, Miramar (+53) 7-209-4838

San Rafael #469 e/ Lealtad y Campanario, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-9109

O’Reilly #304‬ e/ Habana y Aguiar,La Habana Vieja (+53) 5-264-4725

Starbien

VIP Havana

Calle #35 e/ 20 y 41, Playa. (+53) 7-203-8315

Santy

5+

5+

5

El Templete

5-

Sushi/Oriental

Spanish/Mediterranean

Spanish

Spanish/Mediterranean

Authentic fisherman’s shack servicing world-class sushi.

Fabulous food and great service in the heart of Vedado.

Jordi’s place. Fabulous modern open-plan space.

Overlooking harbor. Good quality but expensive.

Calle 240A #3023 esq. a 3ra C, Jaimanitas (+53) 5-286-7039

Calle 29 #205 e/ B y C, Vedado (+53) 7-830-0711

Calle 9na #454 e/ E y F, Vedado (+53) 7-832-0178

Ave. del Puerto #12 esq. a Narciso López, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-8807 contents

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La Guarida

5+

TOP PICK

Style of food

Contemporary fusion

Cost Expensive

www.laguarida.com

Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Authentic, charming and intimate atmosphere in Cuba’s best known restaurant. Great food, professional. Classy.

Don’t Miss Uma Thurman, Beyoncé or the Queen of Spain if they happen to be dining next to you.

Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y Escobar, Centro Habana. (+53) 7-866-9047

El Litoral

5+

TOP PICK

Style of food

International

Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Quality décor, good service and great food. Best new place recently opened.

Don’t Miss Drinking a cocktail at sunset watching the world go by on the Malecón Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado. (+53) 7-830-2201

Nazdarovie

5+

TOP PICK

Style of food

Soviet

Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Getting a flavor of Cuban-Soviet history along with babuska’s traditional dishes in a classy locale.

Don’t miss Vodka sundowners on the gorgeous terrace overlooking the malecon.

Malecon #25 3rd floor e/ Prado y Carcel, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-2947

Santy

5+

TOP PICK

Style of food

Sushi

Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Fabulous sushi, wonderful ambience overlooking fishing boats heading out to sea.

World class.

Don’t miss Getting a reservation here.

Calle 240A #3023 esq. 3raC, Jaimanitas (+53) 5-286-7039 contents

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Café Bohemia

5+

TOP PICK

Style of food Traditional Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for perfect for taking a break from long walks and seeking shelter from the stifling Cuban.

Don’t miss location in the cool inner courtyard of the colonial building.

Ground floor of the Palacio de la Casa del Conde de Lombillo, Calle San Ignacio #364 (+53) 5- 403-1 568, (+53) 7-836-6567 www.havanabohemia.com

Iván Chef Justo

5+

TOP PICK

Style of food

Spanish

Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Spectacular innovative food. Light and airy place where it always seems to feel like Springtime.

Don’t Miss The lightly spiced grilled mahimahi served with organic tomato relish.

Try the suckling pig and stay for the cuatro leches.

Aguacate #9, Esq. Chacón, Habana Vieja. (+53) 7-863-9697 / (+53) 5-343-8540

Casa Miglis

5

TOP PICK

Style of food

Swedish-Cuban fusion

Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for The beautifully designed interior, warm ambience and Miglis’s personality create the feeling of an oasis in Central Havana.

Don’t Miss Chatting with Mr Miglis.

The Skaargan prawns, beef Chilli and lingonberries.

Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana (+53) 7-864-1486

www.casamiglis.com

Habana Mía 7

5

TOP PICK

Style of food

International gourmet

Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Stylish and fresh décor give a Mediterranean feel for long endless summer nights. Excellent food and service.

Don’t miss Watching the world go by on the lovely terrace overlooking the ocean.

Paseo #7 altos e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado (+53) 7-830-2287

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La California

5

TOP PICK

Style of food

Cuban-Creole/International

Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Beautiful C19 colonial building.

Popular place with quality food and great service. Love the fresh pastas.

Dont’t Miss The interesting history of the neighbourhood, where Chano Pozo (legendary Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist) hung out.

Calle Crespo #55 e/ San Lázaro y Refugio, Centro Habana (+53) 7-863-7510

Atelier

5

TOP PICK

Style of food

Experimental fusion

Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Interesting menu, beautiful building with great décor and service.

Don’t miss Dinner on the breezy terrace during summer.

Calle 5ta e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado (+53) 7-836-2025

atelierdedecuba@yahoo.es

La Casa

5

TOP PICK

Style of food

International/sushi

Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Warm hospitality and openness from the four generations of the Robaina family. Quality food.

Don’t miss Thursday night sushi night.

The Piña Colada.

Calle 30 #865 e/ 26 y 41, Nuevo Vedado. (+53) 7-881-7000

alerobaina@restaurantelacasacuba.com

Otramanera

5

TOP PICK

Style of food

International

Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Beautiful modern décor and good food.

Don’t miss Pork rack of ribs in honey. Sweet & sour sauce and grilled pineapple Calle 35 #1810 e/ 20 y 41, Playa (+53) 7-203-8315 otramaneralahabana@gmail.com reservas@otramaneralahabana.com contents

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Sloppy Joe’s

Havana’s best Bars & Clubs Traditional Bars El Floridita

4+

Hemingway’s daiquiri bar.

Touristy but always full of life.

Great cocktails.

Obispo #557 esq. a Monserrate, Habana Vieja

(+53) 7-867-1299

5

1950s Traditionals

GUEST PERFORMERS INCLUDE BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB MEMBERS Sociedad Rosalía de Castro, Egido 504 e/ Monte y Dragones, Old Havana (+53) 5-270-5271

Sloppy Joe’s Bar

4+

Cervecería Antiguo Almacén Madera y el Tabaco

Recently (beautifully) renovated. Full of history.

Popular. Lacks a little ‘grime’. Ánimas esq. a Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-7157

5+ de

la

Microbrewery located overlooking the restored docks Simply brilliant.

Avenida del Puerto y San Ignacio, La Habana Vieja

Contemporary Bars El Cocinero

5+

Fabulous rooftop setting, great service, cool vibe.

Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (+53) 7-832-2355

Espacios

5-

Laid back contemporary bar with a real buzz in the back beer-garden.

TaBARish

5

A comfortable place to chat / hang out with your friends.

Great service.

Calle 10 #510, e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar

Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro) (+53) 5-329-6325 www.facebook.com/fabrica. deartecubano

(+53) 7-202-9188

Contemporary bars/clubs Don Cangrejo

4+

Love it/hate it—this is the oldest Friday night party place and is still going strong.

Outdoor by the sea.

Ave. 1ra e/ 16 & 18, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3837

5

Packed night after night with a young dressed-up clientele wanting to party. Don’t go looking for Buena Vista Social Club!

4

Bohemian attracting a hip Cuban crowd. Excellent DJ’s keep the place jumping.

El Gato Tuerto

4+

Late night place to hear fabulous bolero singers. Can get smoky.

Calle 17 e/ E y F, Vedado, La Habana (+53) 7-832-0433

Up & Down

5

From the team that brought you Sangri-La. Attracting a young party crowd, very popular. Take a coat.

Calle O e/ 17 y 19, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2224

El Tocororo

Sangri-La

5

For the cool kids. Basement bar/club which gets packed at weekends.

Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 7-264-8343

Calle 3ra y B, Vedado

Calle 39 esq. 50, Playa (+53) 5 -294-3572

Other

Sarao’s Bar

Bolabana

5+

X Alfonso’s new cultural center.

Great concerts, funky young scene.

Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma.

(+53) 7-836-3031

Fábrica de Arte

4+

Expat favorite hangout. Small indoor bar with live music and eclectic clientele.

Calle 18 e/ 3ra y 5ta, Miramar

Bertolt Brecht

5

Think MTV Unplugged. Hip, funky and unique with an artsy Cuban crowd.

Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354

Gay-friendly Cabaret Las Vegas

4

Can get dark and smoky but great drag show (11pm) from Divino—one of Cuba’s most accomplished drag acts.

Infanta #104 e/ 25 y 27, Vedado. (+53) 7-870-7939

El Sauce

5-

Mellow outdoor club.

Avenida 9na #12015, e/ Calles 120 y 130, Miramar.

(07) 204-6428

Fashion Bar Havana

A superb example of queer class meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic floor show.

San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1676

5

Café Bar Madrigal

4

Pop décor, fancy cocktails, and the staff’s supercilious attitude, this is a gathering spot for all types of folks.

Calle 17 #809 e/ 2 y 4, Vedado (+53) 7-831-2433

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Bertolt Brecht

5

TOP PICK

Contemporary Bar/clubs Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Hanging out with hip & funky Cubans who like their live music.

Don’t Miss Interactivo playing on a Wednesday evening.

Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354

Espacios

5-

TOP PICK

Contemporary Bar Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Laid back lounge atmosphere in the garden area which often has live music.

Good turnover of people.

Don’t Miss Ray Fernandez, Tony Avila, Yasek Mazano playing live sets in the garden.

Calle 10 #510 e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar (+53) 7-202-2921

Sangri-La

5+

TOP PICK

Contemporary Bar/CLUB Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Hanging out with the cool kids on the Havana Farundula in the most popular bar/club.

Don’t Miss The best gin and tonic in Havana.

Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 5-264-8343

Bolabana

5

TOP PICK

CONTEMPORARY Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Trendy new location near Salón Rosado de la Tropical Don’t Miss Hipsters meet the Havana Farándula Calle 39 esq. 50, Playa

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Sloppy Joe’s Bar

4+

CA TOP PICK

Style Bar / Traditional Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Immense original bar lovingly restored. Good service, History.

Worst for Not quite grimy. Too clean. Ánimas, esq. Zulueta La Habana Vieja, (07) 866-7157

Fábrica de Arte

5+

TOP PICK

Contemporary Bar Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for X Alfonso’s superb new cultural center has something for everyone Don’t Miss Artists who exhibit work should demonstrate ongoing creativity and a commitment for social transformation.

Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)

Fashion Bar Havana

5

TOP PICK

Gay-friendly Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for A superb example of queer class meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic floor show.

Don’t Miss The staff performing after 11pm San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1676

TaBARish

5

TOP PICK

Contemporary Bar/CLUB Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for A comfortable place to chat / hang out with your friends. Great service.

Don’t Miss The homemade Russian soup – just like Matushka makes it.

Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma. (+53) 7-202-9188

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Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís

Havana’s best live music venues

Concert venues Karl Marx Theatre

5

World class musicians perform prestigious concerts in Cuba’s best equipped venue.

Calle 1ra esq. a 10, Miramar (+53) 7-203-0801

Jazz Café Jazz Miramar

4+

Salsa/Timba

4

Attracts the best Cuban musicians. Recently renovated with an excellent new sound system.

Ave. Paseo esq. a 39, Plaza de la Revolución (+53) 7-878-4273

Contemporary

5

Think MTV Unplugged when musicians play. Hip, funky and unique with an artsy Cuban crowd.

Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354

Trova & traditional Barbaram Pepito’s Bar

4+

Some of the best Cuban Nueva Trova musicians perform in this small and intimate environment.

Calle 26 esq. a Ave. del Zoológico. Nuevo Vedado (+53) 7-881-1808

A truly beautiful church, which regularly hosts fabulous classical music concerts.

Fábrica de Arte

5

X Alfonso’s new cultural center.

Great concerts inside (small and funky) and outside (large and popular!).

Oficios y Amargura, Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, Habana Vieja

Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)

Jazz Café

La Zorra y el Cuervo

4

Galerías de Paseo Ave. 1ra e/ Paseo y A, Vedado

Cine Teatro Miramar 10:30pm – 2am Ave. 5ta esq. a 94, Miramar

Café Teatro Bertolt Brecht

5

A staple of Havana’s jazz scene, the best jazz players perform here. Somewhat cold atmosphere-wise.

Clean, modern and atmospheric. Where Cuba’s best musicians jam and improvise.

Café Cantante Mi Habana

Basílica San Francisco de Asís

Casa de la Música

Intimate and atmospheric, this basement jazz club, which you enter through a red telephone box, is Cuba’s most famous.

Calle 23 e/ N y O, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2402

4

Casa de la Música

Centro Habana

Miramar

A little rough around the edges but spacious. For better or worse, this is ground zero for the best in Cuban salsa.

Smaller and more up-market than its newer twin in Centro Habana. An institution in the Havana salsa scene.

Galiano e/ Neptuno y Concordia, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-8296/4165

Calle 20 esq. a 35, Miramar (+53) 7-204-0447

Don Cangrejo

4+

Love it/hate it—this is the oldest Friday night party place and is still going strong.

Outdoor by the sea.

Ave. 1ra e/ 16 y 18, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3837

Gato Tuerto

4+

Late night place to hear fabulous bolero singers. Can get smoky.

Calle O entre 17 y 19, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2224

5

El Sauce

4

Recently renovated, one of Cuba’s most prestigious venues for a multitude of events.

Paseo y 39, Plaza de la Revolución.

Privé Lounge

5+

Small and intimate lounge club with great acoustics and beautiful decor. Jazz groups play Sunday night.

Calle 88A #306 e/ 3ra y 3raA, Miramar (+53) 7-209-2719

Salón Rosado de la Tropical

5

Ave. 41 esq. a 46, Playa Times: varies wildly (+53) 7-203-5322

5-

Ave. 9na #12015 e/ 120 y 130, Playa (+53) 7-204-6428

Teatro de Bellas Artes

4+

Small intimate venue inside Cuba’s most prestigious arts museum. Modern.

Trocadero e/ Zulueta y Monserrate, Habana Vieja.

5

The 1950s traditionals, a project created over 10 years ago, pays tribute to the Golden Era of Cuban music: the 1950s.

Sociedad Rosalia de Castro, Egido #504 e/ Monte y Dragones, Havana Vieja (+53) 7-861-7761

5

Teatro Nacional

The legendary beer garden where Arsenio tore it up. Look for a salsa/timba gig on a Sat night and a Sun matinee.

Great outdoor concert venue to hear the best in contemporary & Nueva Trova live in concert.

Tradicionales de los 50

Sala Covarrubias

4+ Salón 1930 ‘Compay Segundo’ Buena Vista Social Club style set in the grand Hotel Nacional.

Hotel Nacional Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado (+53) 7-835-3896

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Havana’s Best Hotels

Hotel Nacional de Cuba

Simply the best…

Iberostar Parque Central

5+

Santa Isabel

5+

Luxurious historic mansion facing Plaza de Armas

Luxury hotel overlooking Parque Central

5+

Stunning view from roof-top pool. Beautiful décor.

Narciso López, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8201

Neptuno e/ Prado y Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-6627

Saratoga

Terral

5

Wonderful ocean front location. Newly renovated.

Paseo del Prado #603 esq. a Dragones, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8201

Malecón esq. a Lealtad, Centro Habana (+53) 7-862-8061

Boutique Hotels in Old Havana Florida

5

Beautifully restored colonial house.

5

Cuban baroque meets modern minimalist

Obispo #252, esq. a Cuba, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-862-4127

Oficios #152 esq. a Amargura, Habana Vieja

Business Hotels Meliá Cohíba

Palacio del Marqués...

5

Oasis of polished marble and professional calm.

Meliá Habana

5

Attractive design & extensive facilities.

Ave Paseo e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado (+53) 7- 833-3636

4

A must for Hemingway aficionados

Mercure Sevilla

4

Trocadero #55 entre Prado y Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8560

On the banks of the Río Almendares.

Calle 28-A e/ 49-A y 49-B, Reparto Kohly, Playa (+53) 7-204-9232

3

Deauville

Lack of pretension, great location.

Galiano e/ Sán Lázaro y Malecón, Centro Habana (+53) 7-866-8812

4+

Hotel Nacional

Saint John’s

Lively disco, tiny quirky pool.

Popular.

Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (+53) 7-833-3740

H10 Habana Panorama

4+

Cascades of glass. Good wi-fi.

Modern.

Ave. 3ra. y 70, Miramar (+53) 7 204-0100

5

Riviera

3

Spectacular views over wavelashed Malecón

Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado (+53) 7-835 3896

3

5

Mercaderes #202, esq. a Lamparilla (+53) 7-862-9293

Eclectic art-deco architecture.

Gorgeous gardens.

Economical/Budget Hotels Bosque

Occidental Miramar

Conde de Villanueva

Delightfully small and intimate.

For cigar lovers.

Oficios #53 esq. a Obrapía, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1037

Ave. 5ta. e/ 70 y 72, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3583

Stunning views from the roof garden restaurant.

Calle Obispo #153 esq. a Mercaderes, Habana Vieja (+53) 7- 860-9529

5+

Immensely charming, great value.

Good value, large spacious modern rooms.

Ave. 3ra y 70, Miramar (+53) 5-204-8500

For a sense of history Ambos Mundos

Hostal Valencia

Paseo y Malecón, Vedado (+53) 7-836-4051

3

Vedado

3

Good budget option with a bit of a buzz Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (+53) 7-836-4072 contents

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Havana’s best private places to stay

Casa Escorial

For Help reserving any Private Accommodation (Casas Particulares) in Cuba please contact sales.cu@cubatravelnetwork.com

Mid range - Casa Particular (B&B) 1932

Miramar 301

4

Visually stunning, historically fascinating. Welcoming.

5

5

Beautiful colonial townhouse with great location.

Luxury House

4 bedrooms private luxury villa with swimming pool

Campanario #63 e/ San Lázaro y Laguna, Centro Habana (+53) 7-863-6203

Habana

Julio y Elsa

5

Cluttered bohemian feel.

Hospitable.

Calle Habana #209, e/ Empedrado, y Tejadillo, Habana Vieja. (+53) 7-861-0253

Consulado #162 e/ Colón y Trocadero, Centro Habana (+53) 7-861-8027

Casa Escorial

Hostal Guanabo

Up-scale B&Bs (Boutique hostals) Cañaveral House

But undoubtedly the most beautiful about private homes in Cuba

5 Vitrales

39A street, #4402, between 44 y 46, Playa, La Habana Cuba (+53) 295-5700 http://www.cubaguesthouse. com/canaveral.home. html?lang=en

5

Hospitable, attractive and reliable boutique B&B with 9 bedrooms.

5+

Attractive accomodations with a panoramic view of Plaza Vieja Mercaderes # 315 apt 3 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja (+53) 5-268 6881; 5-278 6148 maylu21@hotmail.com

Habana #106 e/ Cuarteles y Chacón, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-2607

5

Beautiful 4 bedroom seafront villa in sleepy Guanabo.

Excellent food.

Calle 480 #1A04 e/ 1ra y 3ra, Guanabo (+53) 7-799-0004

Apartment rentals Bohemia Boutique Apartments

5+

5+

Beautifully designed and spacious 3 bedroom apartment. Spanish colonial interiors with cheerful, arty accents.

Gorgeous 1-bedroom apartment beautifully decorated apartment overlooking Plaza Vieja.

Luxury Houses

5

Rent Room elegant and wellequipped. Beautiful wild garden and great pool.

Calle 17 #1101 e/ 14 y 16, Vedado (+34) 677525361 (+53) 7-832-1927 (+53) 5-360-0456

Casablanca

Tropicana Penthouse

5

5

Morro-Cabaña Park. House #29 (+53) 5-294-5397 www.havanacasablanca.com

Michael and María Elena

This leafy oasis in western Havana has an attractive mosaic tiled pool and three modern bedrooms.

Calle 66 #4507 e/ 45 y Final, Playa (+53) 7-209-0084

5

Lamparilla #62 altos e/ Mercaderes y San Ignacio, Habana Vieja (+53) 5-829-6524

Galiano #60 Penthouse Apt.10 e/ San Lázaro y Trocadero (+53) 5-254-5240 www.tropicanapenthouse.com

Elegant well-equipped villa formerly owned by Fulgencio Batista. Beautiful wild garden.

Suite Havana

Elegant 2-bedroom apartment in restored colonial building.

Quality loft style décor.

A luxurious penthouse with huge roof terrace and breathtaking 360 degree views of Havana and the ocean.

Concordia #151 apto. 8 esq. a San Nicolás, Centro Habana (+53) 5-254-5240 www.casaconcordia.net

San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja Habana Vieja (+53) 5- 403-1 568 (+53) 7-836-6567 www.havanabohemia.com

Villasol

Casa Concordia

5

Residencia Mariby

5

A sprawling vanilla-hued mansion with 6 rooms decorated with colonial-era lamps, tiles and Louis XV furniture Vedado. (+53) 5-370-5559 contents

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Casa Escorial

5+

TOP PICK

Facilities Rooms Ambience Value Best for Attractive accomodations with a panoramic view of Plaza Vieja Don’t Miss The smell of fresh made coffee from the café below.

Mercaderes # 315 apt 3 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja (+53) 5-268 6881; 5-278-6148 maylu21@hotmail.com

Bohemia Boutique Apartments Blue

5+

TOP PICK

Facilities Rooms Ambience Value Best for i1 internal balcony, 1 spacious bedroom on the mezzanine with air conditioning.

Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished, plenty of light and very well ventilated.

San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja bohemia.plazavieja@gmail.com (+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567 www.havanabohemia.com

Bohemia Boutique Apartments Red

5+

TOP PICK

Facilities Rooms Ambience Value Best for 3 small balconies (facing the Patio of the Palace), 1 spacious bedroom with air conditioning Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished, plenty of light and very well ventilated.

San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja bohemia.plazavieja@gmail.com (+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567 www.havanabohemia.com

Cañaveral House

5+

TOP PICK

Facilities Rooms Ambience Value Best for Large elegant villa away from downtown Havana. Great for families or groups of friends.

Don’t Miss Basking in the sun as you stretch out on the lawn of the beautifully kept garden.

39A street, #4402, between 44 y 46, Playa, La Habana Cuba (+53) 295-5700 http://www.cubaguesthouse.com/canaveral.home. html?lang=en contents

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Thank You

Wishes to thank all of the following entities for their support and involvement with What’s On Havana.

Center for Cuban Studies / Cuban Art Space