El baile del büey cansa’o by Juan Formell and directed by Camilo Moreira
The lockdown in Cuba has been as disruptive as anywhere else, in fact even more extreme than most places.
The impact – skyrocketing food prices, the devastation of small businesses serving tourists, and yes hunger – has been severe.
Even before the lockdowns, times were economically tough in Cuba, Depression-level with cash and opportunities to make money very limited.
I can’t imagine how bad it is now, though I am getting reports.
Particularly sad to me has been the decimation of opportunities for young musicians and students to continue their educations.
For example, the country’s National High School of Music (ENA) has been shut down and all the kids sent home. ENA is a residential school in Havana that recruits the best young musicians from around the country.
Working with Camilo Moreira, a long-time friend of jazz on the Tube and ENA’s’ jazz band director, we’re creating distance education and performance opportunities for the kids.
This was Camilo’s first experiment, using Whatsapp. To accomplish this we bought Internet connections for all the participating students. Camilo is the wizard who is making it all happen. I have no idea of how he’s pulling it off.
This is the kind of thing you support when you support Jazz on the Tube.
Thank you to all our supporters whose support literally made this project possible.
We’d like to do more. Details: How to support Jazz on the Tube.
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
P.S. You can learn more about Camilo Moreira here
Ella Fitzgerald