Tribute to Brazilian Musician Gismonti in Havana

The National Culture Distinction, an award conferred by the Republic of Cuba, was imposed on Brazilian musician Egberto Gismonti, confirmed on Friday the Office of Leo Brouwer.

"Only in Gismonti, the great Brazilian spirit of Camargo Guarnieri or Heitor Villalobos from the first half of the twentieth century, is kept alive. That is why I consider this award very fair", stated Brouwer, referring to the South American pianist, guitarist, flutist and cellist.

Brouwer, an internationally renowned composer and author of The Eternal Spiral, expressed satisfaction over the presence of the composer and performer in the second edition of the Chamber Music Festival that bears his name.

During a concert in Guarnieri’s honor, he receivde from Ciro Benemelis, president of Cubadisco, the Honor Award for life achievement in discography, awarded by that international fair.

In that night's concert, on the lower basilica of San Francisco de Asis, La Habana Vieja, Victor Pellegrini, Marcelo de la Puebla, Miguel Trápaga and Ali Jorge Arango along with the String Quartet of Havana premiered in Cuba "Gismontiana", for four guitars and orchestra, by Brouwer, in the 2010 version.

Raúl Paz to Tour Asia

The Cuban singer and composer Raul Paz will travel to Asia late this month to promote his latest CD Havanization, as part of an international tour extended to Europe and Latin America until mid-2011.

The singer told he would perform in Japan and Indonesia first, and then in Paris, where he will close the first part of his tour with a concert on December 7, together with Spanish singer Rosario Flores as guest.

The Spanish singer accompanies him on a version of the song for which the CD is named, and which the musician describes as a cocktail of nueva trova, son, and rhythm and blues.

Havanization will be launched in Cuba in January, and later promoted in Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, among other countries.

Paz is one of the most outstanding figures of technopop, rock, trova, pop, and Cuban fusion, and has eight discs, including "Mulata," "Cuba libre," and "Revolucion."

Cuba Premiered Argentinean Documentary on Che

The documentary "Che, A new Man", by Argentinean filmmaker Tristan Bauer was premiered at 330 Cuban films and video halls, presenting a human, live portrait, with new profiles.

In about one and a half hour, the film deals with the life of the guerrilla, his political thinking, his family relations, an his love for literature and arts, based on a comprehensive historic research the director made for 12 years.

"I knew it was a challenge, but I had to try to transmit the concept of a man who studies, immersed in a deep theoretic reflection on a par with action," Bauer told press.

The documentary was co-produced by the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC), the Center on Che Guevara's Studies, Argentina' National Film and Audiovisual Institute, the National University of San Martin, the Spanish Television, and Golem Distribution Label.

It was screened on the occasion of the 43rd death anniversary of Ernesto Guevara in Bolivia.

It is an audiovisual material of incalculable value, a portrait enriched with substantial contributions by the Center bearing his name, and unexposed images granted by ICAIC.

Wynton Marsalis and JLCO Shone with their Cuban colleagues in Havana

The Cuban audience received famous US trumpet player Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with a standing ovation at Mella Theater this week. Stunned by the virtuosity of the US jazz musicians and the warmth with which they played, Cubans packed the well known Havana theater to welcome the renowned band and follow tunes and pieces that are part of the history of jazz, such as Things to come, Sanctified blue, I left my baby standing in the back door crying.

This was the first of four concerts that Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra have been holding on October 5, 6, 7 and 9 at Havana´s Mella Theater. Marsalis and the band have been joined by renowned Cuban pianist and jazz musician Chucho Valdes, who has maintained a close and friendly relationship with the US performer for quite a long time.

During their stay in the Cuban capital, Marsalis and his colleagues deliver a key lecture to professors and students on October 9 in the same theater, and they are visiting arts schools in Havana.

Marsalis was also presented with Cuba’s International CubaDisco Award in recognition of his brilliant career as a musician and defender of trumpet and jazz. The US musician received the award at the Cuban Music Institute, where musicians from the island led by trumpet player Jasek Manzano gathered for a jam session in his honor.

The visitors were also delighted with the performance of the Cuban Jazz Band conducted by maestro Joaquin Butan which played works by internationally recognized composers like Chucho Valdes. During the event, Marsallis was presented with a painting by Geyser Manzano, Yasek Manzano’s brother.

Wynton Marsalis is a legend; since the times of Miles Davis no other trumpet player had ever given such a comprehensive performance so successfully acknowledged by the world of jazz. In New York, Marsalis was a member of the Jazz Messengers and the Herbie Hancock quartet in the 1980’s.

Described as an almighty musician, Wynton Marsalis also has deep passion for classical music and sound experimentation, has become a cultural promoter, social activist and educator.

One of the projects largely developed by Marsalis at the Lincoln Center since 1995 focuses on the preservation of jazz roots, the recognition of its trends, the public’s preference for jazz and new talents that emerge today, by means of concerts, contests, lectures, internships or audiovisual productions.

The International Biennial of Graphic Humor Announced for March

Havana’s municipality of San Antonio de los Baños will the venue for the 17th International Biennial of Graphic Humor to take place March 27-29, 2011.

Director of the Museum of Humor Art, Isel Chacon, said next year’s contest invites cartoonists from all over the world to “think and draw for tomorrow,” as the event’s theme will be opposition to war and the five Cuban antiterrorist fighters who are imprisoned in the US.

The Biennial’s jury will be made of comic writers who will chose the winners in the categories of general humor, political satire, comic strips, personal caricature and humorous photography. The jury will also grant the Eduardo Abela Prize, which is the highest award of the contest, in honor to Cuban humorist Eduardo Abela (1889-1965) presidirá el concurso, auspiciado por la Unión de Periodistas de Cuba y el Museo del Humor de San Antonio de los Baños, señaló la directiva.

For the first time, the Biennial will award the “Tomy” Online Prize, in memory of Cuban cartoonist Tomas Rodríguez Zayas, who recently passed away. The Prize will be awarded to the work that better expresses the meaning of the economical, financial, and commercial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba.

All the information about the Biennial has been posted at www.cubaperiodistas.cu, according to Javier Sanzo, the designer of the website.

Marsalis Says Cuban Visit Is an Honour

U.S. jazz musician, trumpet player and artistic director of the Jazz Lincoln Center Orchestra of New York (JLCO), Wynton Marsalis, described as an honour his visit to Cuba and said that we are one big family and one single generation.

In a press conference, accompanied by his friend, Cuban pianist and composer Chucho Valdes, as well as singer Omara Portuondo, Marsalis defined his stay in the capital as being in a jam session. We all unite as one, he stated.

Considered one of the most outstanding Jazz figures in the last 20 years, Marsalis extolled the tradition of Cuban musicians, who have enriched Jazz from its early times and termed his trip to Cuba a very personal experience.

Referring to the work of JLCO, he said its members have the premise to build a bridge to create one single way and build a big family from one generation to another. Our slogan is to be united in Swing.

In opinion of the group's musical director, Puerto Rican Carlos Henriquez, the objective of this visit is to take again the bridge already built by Chano Pozo and Dizzy Gillespie. We have to continue this story until the world is over, be united.

Marsalis recorded the song "Esta tarde vi llover," by Armando Manzanero, in Havana on Sunday with Cuban singer Omara Portunondo and pianist Chucho Valdés.

"It was a magical afternoon, during which Valdés and I each remembered our fathers," Marsalis told reporters.

The three artists got together Sunday afternoon in the studios of Valdés, founder of the legendary Cuban band Irakere.

Marsalis arrived in Cuba on Saturday to perform concerts in the capital with his band, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. He also plans to tour art schools and give workshops and a master class.

The concerts will be held October 5-9 at the Mella Theater in Havana, according to announcements. They will also tour schools and offer workshops to young students.

Cuban-Venezuelan Trovatours Meeting in Havana

About 20 Cuban and Venezuelan trovatours are meeting since Saturday in Havana in a binational meeting devoted to trova music, organized by the Canto de Todos project, coordinated by the Paraguayan Ricardo Flecha.

Venezuelan Alejandro Ali Primera, Pinky and Amaranta Perez and Cubans Vicente Feliu, Charly Salgado and Raul Verdecia, among others also participate, seeking to continue bringing together several generations of songwriters in Iberoamerica.

The singers are performing at schools and universities as the school for arts teachers in Matanzas, 98 km from the capital, and the Agricultural University Mayabeque.

The meeting's main objective is communication and fraternization between the singers from both countries and will end on October 10 with a big concert honouring the Argentinian-Cuban Ernesto Che Guevara.