Day 7

            Today was very busy. In the morning, we visited a Farmer’s Market in a small neighborhood near our hotel. The different vendors were selling fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, and rice.

            Everything looked very fresh, however the meat did not look appealing; it was sold from a table at the front of the vendor’s hut. There was no refrigeration that I could see:

            Unlike most other places that we have traveled, this market only took the Cuban peso (not the Cuban Convertible Pesos or CUC that we have been using on the entire trip). This might be a good time to explain these currencies more in depth:

Cuba’s economy operates utilizing two monetary systems, the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) and the Cuban Peso. The exchange rate varies, but is something along the lines of 1 CUC is equal to 25 Pesos. The Cuban Peso is the currency that Cuban workers are paid in by the government, yet Cuban hospitality and tourism workers receive tips in CUC’s (from tourists). Most retail businesses operate using CUC’s, but Farmer’s Markets and utility bills are all paid for in the Cuban Peso.

            After our trip to the Farmer’s Market, we visited the Museum of Fine Arts that showcased Cuban artists. This museum was directly across the street from the Museum of the Revolution, which is housed in the former Presidential Palace. 

            This was the home of all Cuban presidents from about 1920 until 1959. In front of the Museum of the Revolution, there is a glass enclosure that houses a boat that took Fidel Castro from Mexico to Cuba during the revolution, as well as some other military vehicles that were utilized during the revolution. There was an armed guard posted in the front of this glass enclosure. I would have taken a picture of him in front of the structure, but I was instructed not too (it is illegal for anyone to take photos in government buildings or of military personnel in Cuba).

            When we entered the Museum of Fine Arts, I was blown away. The museum itself was breathtaking, with huge ceilings, and open-air sections that created a wonderful atmosphere. It was very hot in parts of this building, and I was very thankful that the galleries themselves were air-conditioned. We were very lucky that our tour guide, Meylin, had an extensive knowledge of the artwork in the museum. She explained a great deal about each one of the painters and their work. The artwork was extremely expressive and some of it was very political in nature (there was a fair amount of work from post-1959 artists). I was shocked to see artwork portraying messages that were anti-government, protesting and poking fun at the revolution, and expressing disdain for the complex and strained relationship with the United States. Meylin (our tour guide) told us that artists are given freedom of expression in Cuba and that the government feels very strongly about this artistic freedom. Just a side note: Unfortunately, I have no photos from inside the museum because cameras were prohibited.

            After our visit to the museum, we went to lunch at Floridita, which is a bar and restaurant in Old Havana. This is one of the establishments that Ernest Hemingway used to frequent every day when he lived in Cuba to have a daiquiri. Lunch was tasty and the daiquiris were good as well (we all had one to experience what Hemingway experienced while at Floridita. There was a wonderful musical group performing traditional Cuban music towards the front of the restaurant; I spent a good deal of time listening to their music.

            After lunch, we went to the jazz club La Zorra y el Cuervo to listen to a private concert that was arranged by Insight Cuba (the company who operated our tour). The concert featured a saxophone player, Michel Herrera Alvarez, and his group. Their performance was incredible. The musicians’ virtuosity and technical prowess was world-class. We were given a brief description of Cuban Jazz and how it has emerged on the island over the past 100 years or so. The band performed a Blues in the style of American straight-ahead jazz and then in the style of Afro-Cuban rhythms; it was a great scholarly comparison. Towards the end of the performance, I was able to sit-in (along with Tom, a bass player on the Insight Cuba tour as well) with the group and perform Have You Met Miss Jones (an American Jazz Standard). What fun! We all had a great time. The drummer and I got along well and interacted with each other’s playing immensely. The saxophone player played with virtuosic prowess comparable to those of Charlie Parker. Incredible!

            After our private performance, we traveled to a neighborhood Community project for senior citizens. This center was a place where senior citizens can come together to dance to jazz music. The neighborhood where this building is located is where the great Cuban pianist, Chucho Valdés grew up. 

            The dancers at this community project where extremely talented and very spry for their age (70-85 years old). The room where they danced was very small, but that didn’t seem to bother them. They danced from their hearts and looked as if they were having more fun that can be described with words. Naturally, they wouldn’t just let us stand there and watch, so we all danced with them. I’m not a great dancer, but this experience definitely inspired me to take dance lessons when I get home. We bid these folks a fond farewell, and boarded our bus again to return to the hotel. As soon as we returned to the hotel, I took a shower to refresh myself after the morning that we had! I relaxed for a few minutes and then joined a few members of our group for a drink in the hotel lobby. As a side note-> What incredible espresso in Cuba! The Cuban coffee is very strong, but has a great flavor. Coffee just isn’t that good in the USA (or rather its much harder to find!).

            Next on our agenda for the day: dinner and a 1950’s style cabaret show in the hotel. Dinner was pretty tasty, but the cabaret show was just ok. The music was well played, but it was mostly American popular music from the 1940’s and 1950’s, with the occasional Cuban song (El Manisero, etc.).

Considering I was in Cuba, I didn’t necessarily want to hear this sort of American music. I stayed for a about 30 minutes and then decided to leave. I remembered that Roberto Fonseca (who we saw perform the other night) was across the street at Jazz Café and thought it would be a good idea to check it out. I went over there with two other members of our group (Lee & Elaine) and we had an incredible time. The music was wonderful and full of energy and virtuosity. Whew!

            A very strange thing happened while at Jazz Café. When we sat down at our table, I started to look around and notice the other people sitting at the tables around us. The majority of the people looked like high school students. Upon closer examination, based on the clothing that they were wearing, they looked like American high school students. Our table was next to a table of adults, and I asked them if they could shed some light on this. The woman was very friendly and she told me that the teenagers sitting in the section near us were in fact American high school students. They were from Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California. They were the school’s jazz ensemble and were in Cuba for a week-long cultural exchange trip where they were performing and studying at La ENA (National School of Music), which is the main Music Conservatory for High School Students in Cuba. I couldn’t believe it! I’ve been trying to find a way to visit the conservatories for a week, and had no luck because of the examinations at the schools.

            I continued to speak to the woman next to me (who turned out to be the jazz band director from Berkeley) and told her a bit about myself and why I was in Cuba. I shared with her how I was attempting to visit one of the conservatories, but had no luck because of exams. I figured I had nothing to lose if I asked to join her and her students the next morning on their tour and introduction to the school (they had arrived in Havana the day before and hadn’t set foot in the conservatory as of yet). She went over to another table and asked their tour operator if it would be possible for me to tag a long, and he said it wouldn’t be a problem. I had him write down all of the information I needed for the next day, and thanked him very much for his friendliness and willingness to help me out. He told me to meet him and the group at the conservatory at 9:30AM the next morning and he went back to this table. Wow….Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Just think if I didn’t decide to go to this concert? Just think if I had liked the Cabaret show? I might not have had this opportunity dropped in front of me. I can’t say I always believe in fate, but in this particular instance, I have to say that I do!

            Well, tomorrow I’ll be off to visit the conservatory in the morning and then meet up with my tour group for lunch. This is really exciting! Nothing like finally getting to a music conservatory on my last full day in Havana….I can’t wait for tomorrow!