Cuba: While The Politicians Argued, The Musicians Jammed

June 6, 20192:17 PM ET

Felix Contreras

Cuba! While The Politicians Argued, The Musicians Jammed!

29:20

Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/495717683/496074516" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Cuban music of all kinds is the soundtrack for Havana's coastal beauty.

Felix Contreras/NPR
The studios at the record company EGREM are named for a Taino (indigenous Caribbean) word indicating a performance or ceremony.

Felix Contreras/NPR
Here, I'm enjoying a moment playing conga with the spirits of my Cuban musical heroes in EGREM's historic Studio 101.

Felix Contreras/NPR
EGREM's master tape vault contains historic recordings from almost 70 years of Cuban music.

Felix Contreras/NPR
The barstools at the small cafe next to the EGREM offices and studios have a familiar shape.

Felix Contreras/NPR
Here's a random street scene — it's refreshing to see kids actually doing things and not absorbed in electronic devices.

Felix Contreras/NPR
British classic rock was coming from the balcony with the laundry near this corner in the borough of Centro Habana.

Felix Contreras/NPR
A classical wind ensemble practices at its leader's home, the music wafting throughout the Vedado neighborhood.

Felix Contreras/NPR
Percussionist Yissy Garcia works on new tracks for her band Bandancha in her estudio casero.

Felix Contreras/NPR
DJ Jigüe works in his studio.

Felix Contreras/NPR
Even the smallest neighborhood bookseller can count on a very educated and well-read Cuban populace.

Felix Contreras/NPR
Tour buses full of tourists are now part of the flow of traffic in Havana.

Felix Contreras/NPR
Only very serious players should dare to even consider taking a seat at this table.

Felix Contreras/NPR

1 of 13

Editor's note: On June 4, the Trump administration made changes to U.S. policies that make it harder for Americans to visit Cuba. It was another decision that rolled back some of the more liberal visitation policies of the Obama administration.

As pundits, politicians and the travel industry try to unpack this latest twist in a six-decade political standoff between the U.S. and Cuba, Alt.Latino would like to revisit a show about the musical relationship between the two countries. It originally ran Sept. 30, 2016, but we thought the historical lessons learned from the show give us cultural context to a political feud that's still very much a going concern. So let's go to Havana...

"Go before it changes!"

I can't tell you how many times I have heard that charge since the thaw in relations between the U.S. and Cuba, which has prompted so many people to visit the island nation.

No doubt there will be quite a few changes in the coming years, especially economic ones. How it will all shake out is anyone's guess. But what hasn't changed is the close relationship that exists between the music of our two countries, which goes back at least to the 19th century. Spanish speakers use the phrase primos hermanos to refer to the relationship between familial first cousins, and that seems an appropriate description for the give-and-take that has been going on between the U.S. and Cuba, too.

During a recent visit to Havana, I sat down in cafes and home studios with Cuban musicians to trace that history in words and music. The politicians in both countries could learn a few things from those who make music about bridging gaps, finding common ground and even celebrating differences — because those are the kinds of skills needed to get a group of people together to play music.

And why not use those skills in geopolitics, right?