Watch LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS this NOVEMBER!

At long last we are happy to share LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS, a joyous story of family, music, and what can happen when borders can be crossed with audiences across the U.S. Watch this November 9-19th via the DocNYC film festival. 

Trailer and ticket info is here: http://bit.ly/DOCNYC-LHTB-tix

Moonrise over our September premiere at the Greenville Drive-in at the Woodstock Film Festival.

In September we premiered at a drive-in at  Woodstock Film Festival—our only live viewing so far given the odd times we are in—and brought home the Best Documentary Award. A nice way to launch. And we've been getting some lovely reviews. 

• "Expertly crafted and beautifully paced, like a great piece of music."                  

   —Joshua Bell / violinist
  

• “The compelling story of a family disrupted by geopolitics.”                                                 

   —Boston Globe

• “A remarkable film about a family ensnared in geopolitics.”                                     

     —San Francisco Chronicle.
  

• "A purely celebratory film that at the same time biopsies political expedience and nationalism; a film about love — for family, for art, for country — that is deeply layered with injustice as well as resilience."                                                  

    —Woodstock Film Festival Jury 

• “A deep eye-opener that elicits empathy and gratitude.”                                          

  — John Santos/ Latin Jazz Musician

Our first virtual screening, with surprise guests Joshua Bell and Larissa Martinez.

As we move toward our PBS broadcast next fall we are working with educators and music venues to make the film available virtually, while live performances are on hold. We welcome your thoughts, ideas, and introductions, and hope to be back with news of a theatrical release (virtual or otherwise) before next spring.

Write us at info@patchworksfilms.net or follow us on social media @hermanosbrothersfilm.info.

And for a preview of our fabulous soundtrack, check out:

Drum roll please...WORLD PREMIERE - LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS

"Expertly crafted and beautifully paced, like a great piece of music." - Joshua Bell

We are honored to announce the festival premieres of our new film —a lyrical story of family and music, demonstrating what can happen when walls come down and borders are crossed.

If you happen to be in the Hudson Valley on September 30th, join us for our WORLD PREMIERE at the Woodstock Film Festival. We'll have a live event (unusual for these times) at the Greenville Drive-in, complete with music from... a special guest!

New England and Oregon premieres are next, followed by our California premiere, and an opportunity to watch nationwide in November!

Join us on social media for info on upcoming screenings @hermanosbrothersfilm or check out https://www.hermanosbrothersfilm.info/screenings.

CLICK below for tickets and info.

Looking forward, the film will broadcast on PBS during Hispanic Heritage Month 2021.

VIRTUAL OPPORTUNITIES
For the time being, when live performances are fraught, we're delighted that we can still share the film and the music through virtual screenings, digital audience Q&As, virtual Master Classes tailored for your audiences, and Educational Residences with any combination of violinist Ilmar Gavilan, the Harlem Quartet, the filmmakers themselves, and where possible, pianist Aldo López-Gavilán.

We're seeking partners to organize and program screenings and events virtually (and we hope soon, live) at:

• Educational Institutions

• Music Venues 

• Organizations

• Music and Film Festivals  and more

Find details on the "Present/Host" page on our new website:  www.hermanosbrothersfilm.info.

Please introduce us to potential partners. Share our trailer. Send us your ideas. You can find us at info@patchworksfilms.net.

We're excited to hear from you!

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Made possible by an enthusiastic village — our Kickstarter donors (supporters from the start), our generous private donors, and our very important partners: ITVS, the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, Latino Public Broadcasting, the Fledgling Fund, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. We are indebted to the wise insight of many colleagues, advisors, and friends.  You know who you are. Thank you!

Our days in Cuba

A meeting of 2 masters of cinematography, our collaborators; a visit to EstudioSt, a local production company, breakfast on our terrace...

Another incredible week in Habana.
Concert 99 in Silvio Rodriguez' tour of Cuba's neighborhoods, this time in Regla, hit hard by the recent tornado.
The vote for the constitution.
Our students are editing their first short film.
And... I got the Dengue.

After all of your wonderful healing wishes, I have a new diagnosis- -a water-borne bacterial infection acquired from our blissful trip to the waterfall last month. It acts a lot like Dengue until it doesn't. The good news- -bacterial can be fought with antibiotics; 2 days into antibiotics and I am approaching myself. Hoping to get back to my students Friday. In the meantime Marcia has been killing it.

Bay Area: Los Hermanos in concert for the first time as a duo. Aldo López-Gavilán and Ilmar Gavilán in Concert at Jarvis Conservatory. Highly recommended music that will whet your appetite for the documentary to come.

To learn more about our upcoming Cuban stories, visit @patchworksfilms on Facebook and Twitter, follow along on this blog, or sign up on our homepage for an infrequent email newsletter (we promise not too to write too often).

Questions? Email us at info@patchworksfilms.net

Warmly,

Cuba: The adventure begins

We are so excited ! In route to Havana with NYU Tisch School of the Arts students!

Day 1 in Cuba:
Flew with our excellent NYU students.
Met our 3 excellent Cuban students.
Editing system arrived safely.
Moved into our apartment.
Survived Habana' s first tornado in nearly 40 years.

Malecón, after the storm

Went with some of our NYU students to the opening of Inocencia, a Cuban feature. Had a good talk with director Alejandro Gil at a Cafe after the screening.

Ready for first day of school.
We are also restructuring our doc, Los Hermanos/The Brothers. Cuba is very inspiring!

Take a look at our Habana-based office in our Home in Naroca, the building in Thomas Guitiérrez Alea's classic film, Memorias de Subdesarrollo.

Havana students take an excellent 3-day intensive with Scott Bankert from NYU Tisch.

Took a break from Havana for a day of appreciation for the natural beauty of the island...

A beautiful concert with conductor Guido López-Gávilan, father of Ilmar Gavilan and Aldo Lopez Gavilan. Bach, "Cubanchero," (also featured in our film Los Hermanos/The Brothers), and an inventive piece by Guido, including cello-tapping and unusual and wonderful bowing sounds. Followed by a nice talk with Silvio Rodriguez about Guido's music, Silvio's upcoming concert, and Oakland.

Hard at work....

This view!

Warmly,

Just Released - Cuban Music Film Trailer & More

Sharing Some Good News…

In these challenging times, we are happy to share our progress. LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS, the latest in our slate of Cuba films, has grown from a short film in the series “Evolution Cuba” to a feature-length documentary. Our story of two virtuoso Cuban-born brothers separated by geopolitics yet united by music has the wind at its back.

We finished a new trailer which introduces Aldo and Ilmar López-Gavilán and their stories. Please check it out and let us know what you think. You can follow the film's progress on Facebook too.

CLICK HERE to watch our new 2-minute trailer.

Aldo and Ilmar are working on their first joint CD, and just this week we wrapped production by capturing their first recording session ever on film — luscious music composed by Aldo and performed by both brothers with verve and heart.

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We fell in love with the López-Gavilán family and their extraordinary music, but it’s not just us. The project is buoyed  by funding from the extremely competitive Independent Television Service and Latino Public Broadcasting, as well as generous support from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, and recently the National Endowment for the Arts.

We were honored to be chosen to pitch at this year’s DocNYC Film festival.

In other news, we're delighted to have finished the short film about photographer Ivan Soca Pascual, formerly called THE LENS, now renamed IT'S ONLY ROCK N' ROLL. If you are a Kickstarter donor who signed up for a DVD reward, it is on its way. We thank you for your patience and belief in this insightful perspective on the Rolling Stones historic visit to Cuba.

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Next spring our work finishing LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS will be facilitated by the opportunity to teach at NYU’s documentary film program in Havana.  Needless to say we are more than thrilled and are ending the year ever so grateful for the ongoing support of our friends, fellow filmmakers, family, and community.

Happy Holidays and best wishes for the new year.

Warmly,

Our new headshot courtesy of Ivan Soca Pascual.

Back in Production!

THE LENS — finishing post-production this month.

Hello Evolution Cuba supporters,

We want to share our excitement.  We have locked picture on THE LENS and will be recording music and doing final sound and picture work in Havana later this month.  Thanks for your patience, those of you who are waiting for your DVDs. They should be available this spring along with news of our premiere.

Bigger news is that we've been greenlit to finish LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS, the short that has grown into a feature documentary. Funding details to be announced in the new year.  Right this moment Ken is filming in NY with our American violinist brother. On Sat. he flies to Havana where we'll film the reunion of the brothers in Cuba, their first recording together ever, along with a family concert that will be on Cuban TV.

For some fun photos, follow Ken's posts on Facebook.

Happy Holidays all. Here's to some light in this challenging time.

Cuba May '17 - Change Comes Slowly

Ken and I are just back from a week in Havana--our first trip in 6 months. We were planning our final shoot for LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS, a tale of two Cuban brothers long separated by geopolitics but united by music. It is the centerpiece of EVOLUTION CUBA: Stories of Art & Change, our series tracking Cuba's transformation through the lens of art.

The general consensus among our friends and colleagues is that, except for the privileged few connected to the booming tourist industry, not that much has changed for the average Cuban. There is more internet, a few hundred hotspots around the country instead of 12.  Now too, people who get their hands on a router can access slow internet at home with something akin to telephone cards.  Some food is harder to come by, since resources are diverted to the deluge of tourists, and the first 5-star hotel just opened in Havana. Nonetheless the vibrant, distinctly Cuban cultural scene unfolds.

We'll see what the future holds as  Trump unveils his new Cuba policy on Friday .

Here are a few memorable images from our travels.

This random wall reminded Ken of Diebenkorn, Marcia of Paul Klee.

Our casa particular (Cuba's version of AirBnB, around since the 90s) in the Vedado district of Habana. Marvelous colors and a balcony to watch the tropical storms passing through almost every afternoon.

The beautiful University of Habana campus.

We happened to be in Havana for the 50th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Peppers and were lucky to catch this tribute  at Havana's Parque John Lennon, featuring, among others, David Blanco (who we know from our Cuban tour with Havana Curveball) and his brother Ernesto, and X Alfonso, the visionary behind the awesome Fábrica de Arte Cubano.

Our night at La Fábrica ranged from a delightful harp duo to improvisational theater to the excellent Harold and Ruy López-Nussa and their extraordinary stand-up bassist, Gaston Joya.

And some knock out art:

Other highlights include celebrating our field producer Claudia Bueno's thesis film defense, and the opening of our sound recordist Javier Figueroa's new 5.1 audio studio.  If all goes well, we'll be there finishing LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS within the year.

Casineros take notice: WHEEL OF LIFE is here!

This way of dancing runs in my blood, through my veins... There is nothing like dancing in this world, it is the greatest thing there is." -- Joaquin Roche “El Oso” Rodríguez

When we first met El Oso (the Bear), one of the founders of Cuban Salsa -- Casino de Rueda, we knew he would light up the screen! Now you can meet him too, in our latest short, Wheel of Life.

Close to 70 years old and still on the dance floor, Oso's charisma and fancy footwork broke new ground for black dancers after the revolution, and helped launch a dance phenomenon around the world. In Wheel of Life, Oso guides us through his Havana, regaling us with tales of his youth ... tales from a time when Havana’s exclusive clubs were white only, forcing him and his circle of friends to dance on the streets. After rock n’ roll and the revolution intervene, Oso and his crew choreograph a new history still danced across the globe today.

We're happy to offer a special preview of Wheel of Life, available to stream right now through Dec. 15th! And, if you'd like your own DVD (or imagine its the perfect gift for a friend), we're offering a special pre-release copy for the holiday season.

For details, visit the  Wheel of Life web page. 

And to learn more about our upcoming Cuban stories, visit @patchworksfilms on Facebook and Twitter, follow along on this blog, or sign up on our homepage for an infrequent email newsletter (we promise not too to write too often).

Questions? Email us at info@patchworksfilms.net.

Enjoy & happy holidays.
 

Marcia Jarmel & Ken Schneider
PatchWorks Films

"

Cuba Vive

The crew at Fuster's.

This place continues to fascinate. Our lunch conversations are lively, as some of us are 50-somethings, some in their 60s, and others in their 20s, with totally different orientations vis-a-vis the future. Claudia and Ana, our excellent 25-year old producers have a different knowledge of history, as they were born during Cuba's "Special period," a time of deprivation catalyzed by the dissolution of the Soviet Union. They are practical and forward-thinking—and they value the revolution and its luminaries. All of our crew is willing to talk about race, and gay and trans is no big deal for them.

Ken and Claudia

Before leaving for Cuba I had a good conversation with a potential funder, who told me that his trip to Cuba 5 years ago was profoundly depressing. He saw that Cubans have the joie de vivre but this was overcome by what he experienced as a desperation engendered by the lack of opportunity and dictatorship. I took a deep breath and reminded him that Cuba is an island with nuance flying everywhere. They don't vote; two brothers have held power since independence. Our version of human rights and freedom of speech, differs from theirs. Movement is limited. Many of these things bother me. Yet Cuba has a 99% literacy and high school graduation rate.  There are limited opportunities for computer programmers, architects, entrepreneurs. And no gun violence. And their national newspaper is a party organ. But no cartels. It doesn't look like Mexico, Honduras, or Columbia during the 90s. And talented people still leave, via boat or a long trek through South America, worried that if the US embargo is lifted, legal immigration tomorrow will become even harder than illegal immigration today. 

How to synthesize this into a tidy package? I can't, which is why I always take a deep breath when a friend tells me Cuba is a totalitarian state or a paradise. It's just.....Cuba. 

When Life Gives You Lemons

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." So said our kids' pre-school teachers, and today life gave us lemons. We had our two crack crews ready to roll when an incredible storm moved in. My entire shot list for the next two days had to be re-tooled, causing a bit of a challenge. My charge from Lincoln Center was to return to the States with footage of Havana's color- hard to do when you mainly see gray, the wing is whipping, and most people stay inside. My footage was intended to be used as a mini-scenes in between musical pieces for the broadcast of the concert of US and Cuban musicians, as part of PBS "Live at Lincoln Center." We broke up our grim crew breakfast with war stories and laughs. We decided, of course, rain being part of the landscape here, we would shoot beautiful images of rain- dripping from cars, cascading from building, interrupted by yellow umbrellas, wet streets reflecting headlights, pairs of people laughing as they unsuccessfully huddle beneath an umbrella, stepping in puddles. 

Old cars, new Havana.

Over the course of the two-day shoot we had enough breaks in the weather to film: the Malecón, Havana's dramatic sea wall, enriched by the storm; images of colorful buildings and windows to intercut with the beautiful backdrop constructed for the Lincoln Center concert in New York; Cubans, young and old, crowding around one of the island's few public wi-fi hotspots, posting to social media and calling relatives abroad; the classy old cars in the emerging new Havana; the indoor art and craft market; and the gorgeous, if inconvenient, rain. All told we got what we came for. Another eye-opening experience in Havana.

Havana's dramatic sea wall.

Havana, We Meet Again

It's my tenth time here, but the first as part of an entourage. I am here with a group from Lincoln Center, and my charge is to film a set of Cuban musicians preparing for a trip to New York, where they will play on the same stage as Joshua Bell,  one of the finest violinists of his generation. The Cubans' journey was seeded this past April, when Joshua, Dave Matthews, Smokey Robinson and Usher journeyed with President Obama's delegation of artists to Havana. They jammed with Cuban musicians and when Joshua returned, he began planning a collaboration which he hoped would take place in New York. Six months later, the date has arrived—Joshua will be joined onstage at Lincoln Center by the same artists he met in Havana last April. 

The musicians include Aldo Lopez-Gavilán, one of the subjects of our film, TWO BROTHERS, his wife Daiana Garcia, one of the island's finest young conductors, and the singer-songwriter Carlos Varela. Last night we filmed the final rehearsal of Daiana's Chamber Orchestra of Havana, nearly all-female, in the beautiful courtyard of Cocina de Lilliam, a family-run restaurant in Havana's Playa neighborhood. It was great to see Daiana up close; her energy is high, she brings Cuban rhythms and inflections to her work, and she has assembled an ensemble that reflects the island's variety of skin tones. 

Daiana Garcia, one of the island’s finest young conductors.

Our crew meeting took place over dinner at another restaurant, and included some of my oldest Cuban pals, many of whom are notable filmmakers and artists. Two visionary cinematographers—Roberto Chile, who filmed Fidel Castro on nearly 70 international trips, meeting every foreign leader from Mandela to Khadafi (he loved the former, didn’t trust the latter), Rafael Solis, who works in both documentary and fiction; Figa, our excellent sound recordist who just converted his childhood bedroom into one of Cuba’s first 5.1 studios, Ivan Soca, photographer and subject of our film, THE LENS, Claudia Maria Bueno, our favorite local producer, and Javier Rojas, our driver and dear friend. It’s a dream team, and we spent dinner catching up on our families’ news and planning the next day’s shoot.

The Cuban crew.

Evolution Cuba Hits Detroit

Andrew Black, filming Evolution Cuba: TWO BROTHERS in Detroit.

Aldo Lopez-Gavilán and Ilmar Gavilán, subjects of our film, TWO BROTHERS, continued their first ever U.S. tour in Detroit. Ilmar knew Detroit, as many years ago he won the Sphinx competition for classical players of color. Sphinx, in their efforts to integrate the world of classical music in the U.S., nurtured the Harlem Quartet, Ilmar’s group, which includes Melissa White, and African-American violinist, Jaime Amador, a Puerto Rican violist, and Felix Umansky, a Russian-Jewish cellist. But Aldo, joining the Quartet on this tour, had never heard of Detroit, and was shocked and delighted when we went to the Henry Ford Museum. Aldo had no idea that all of those sexy old American cars in Cuba were designed and built in Detroit. He was like a kid in a candy shop in the museum, ogling at the cars he knew from the 50s, as well as the Model Ts and a locomotive from the 1880s.

Ilmar thought he knew Detroit—he knew what most of us think we know—the narrative of a “failed city,” gutted by offshoring of factories, poverty, crime, white flight, etc. But then we went to the Heidelberg Project, a community art project started by the artist Tyrene Guyton in 1986. He took a block of burnt-out buildings and created something remarkable, which has evolved into a series of sculptures made from the flotsam and jetsam of modern life. Shoes, toys, discarded plastic and the like become the palette for a canvas of color and form, including a polka-dot house and brightly colored fences and gates. Ilmar and Aldo were blown away. Ilmar Face-timed his family to show them what he was seeing and experiencing, and told the camera that he never imagined this was possible. In Havana, yes—but in America, he had not seen this. They both spoke of the indomitable human desire to create beauty out of any materials available, regardless of how much or how little we have. The Havana-Detroit connection: cars, music...and art, in any form.

The Havana-Detroit connection: Ilmar and Aldo.

What Happens in Vegas...

Ilmar Gavilan, Aldo Lopez Gavilan, Ken Schneider

I caught up with Aldo and Ilmar, on tour in the U.S. for the first time (due to the loosening of U.S. restrictions on Cubans) in a downtown Vegas hotel. I filmed their concert with Ilmar’s Harlem Quartet at the Troesh Theater, part of Vegas’ new performance center intended for locals, away from the strip. After the show, hot and desperate for a cold drink, we shared cocktails and hit the boulevard, braving the crowds, taking the elevated tram, and descending into the lobby of the Bellagio, a Technicolor show somewhere between Candyland and Christmas. Walking through a world of chocolate fountains, talking trees and high-end shops, we arrived at the famed fountain and enjoyed the show. Ilmar loved it, in all of its tackiness; When Aldo asked me what people actually do here, I explained about the gambling, the weddings, the shows, the ability to drink alcohol on the street and buy absolutely anything one can afford. He mused that this is a city where people find many ways to waste money. I agreed.

Harlem Quartet

It was fascinating to see Vegas through their eyes—the immigrant who loves his adopted country and the brother who remained in Cuba, appreciates the generosity of American audiences, and is still skeptical of our various offerings. As I’ve often felt, there is nuance flying everywhere in their stories.

NEW EVOLUTION CUBA TRAILER & MORE...

Filming the TWO BROTHERS, with Aldo & Ilmar López Gavilán this summer.

Just a quick note to share our brand new trailer for the EVOLUTION CUBA series. You can find it here: https://vimeo.com/176115749. Let us know what you think, and please share with others who might be interested in what we're doing.

We're excited that the series has been invited to participate in IFP's Independent Film Week, a competitive market in New York this September. It's a little like speed dating with festivals, broadcasters, distributors, commissioning editors, and other allies who can help us bring the films home. 

We're still fundraising--most immediately to support the rest of our filming of THE BROTHERS story this fall. We have a rough cut of our first film, THE LENS, and about 60% of the second film shot. Check out our prospectus for details of the status of each of our stories: http://bit.ly/EVOLUTION-CUBA-LOOKBOOK. We welcome introductions to folks who might want to be involved with the project.

In the meantime we're continuing to tell stories of our progress on our blog. Follow along if you are curious: http://www.patchworksfilms.net/blog/.

And we are putting the finishing touches to our long-awaited short WHEEL of LIFE. It should be making its way in the world this fall.

Ken and I are deeply grateful for all the support and cheerleading that has moved the project to this point. 

Adelante.

Marcia

Mixing sound for WHEEL OF LIFE with the remarkably talented Will Storkson.

June 27, 2016 - A Hot & Productive Day

Day 2 - June 27, 2016

This trip we encountered lots of trouble with the internet (witness the date of this post). Our usual strategy—a hook up via a laptop entrepreneur offering Connectify at our local park, or an internet card near the government routers on La Rampa—failed. So here we are back in the U.S. posting about June 27th.  Our friend, Ilmar Gavilán, featured in THE BROTHERS, explained that the unpredictability of life in Cuba accounts for their musicians' excellent improvisational skills. Life itself is an improvisation. We're trying to perfect ours.

In the morning we met with Angela Salazar, a friend’s sister who works for Witness For Peace, documenting human rights issues throughout Latin America.  She spoke of the trade-offs of the economic shift here, more incremental than a sea change, which offers more opportunity to some but trouble for many. Those who can become cuentapropistas, self employed, have the possibility to earn more, and those who can generate tourist dollars jump to a higher level of privilege and access. But rising prices have a negative effect on those closer to the bottom. There are a record number of tourists this year, and many on the island will experience both the positive (more money) and the negative (more inequality, the selling of the culture).

Connor Gorry, one of the few U.S. citizens who lives here and has a business (the excellent cafe/free library/community center, Cuba Libro), tells us that some of her artist friends are shading their work in the direction of tourists’ preferences. A music repertoire or a painting that appeals to travelers will bring in more cash. Whether this will have a long-term effect on the art here, or simply be a subsidy for creative work remains to be seen.

Lovely to see Oso and Orguidia from WHEEL OF LIFE again--this time with our 20-year-old, Mica along, serving as production assistant.

Joy is still the order of the day here. We had an excellent visit with some of our past collaborators, spending Father’s Day dinner with our driver Javier’s family, followed by a visit to the classic outdoor dance spot, the 1830, where we shook it up a bit with El Oso and his partner Orgjuidia, featured in our recent short film, LA RUEDA DE LA VIDA/THE WHEEL OF LIFE.

Father's Day with our driver Javier Rojas and his dad, Modesto, who drove for us on our first Cuban shoot for HAVANA CURVEBALL, back in 2011.

Marilyn Monroe & José Marti grace the same wall in the hip and provocative Fábrica del Arte Cubano in Havana.

An evening at the Fábrica de Arte Cubano is always energetic and fascinating. Many of the paintings are excellent and the current show includes several of our favorite Cuban artists, Zaida del Rio, Mabel Poblet, and the photographers Ludmila & Nelson. We also saw an alt music band from the Dominican Republic. While visiting with friends Inti Herrera, a filmmaker who is responsible for the Fábrica’s audiovisual everything, and David and Ernesto Blanco, popular rock musicians, Jon Bon Jovi strolled in. Cuba has become the place where celebrities want to be seen and photographed. This concerns us—while people we spoke to felt happy that Cuba could host The Rolling Stones, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and Major Laser earlier this year, they grimaced when we asked about the Kardashians, or the filming of Fast and Furious 8 and The Transformers. They were impressed by the scope of the production but not the quality of the acting (ditto here). The director of The Transformers had never been here before, spent less than 24 hours on the island, did not connect with locals, and offered nothing but a wad of money to the country.

Aldo López-Gavilán after this passionate performance of Rachmaninoff's Concerto #3 in Havana.

On the positive side, and there is always much to be positive about when here, we are planning our first shoot with Aldo López-Gavilán, one of our favorite pianists anywhere. Aldo’s father Guido is one of the best conductors you’ve never heard of; his wife Daiana is also a conductor, and this week he is coaching his star student Rodrigo Ameneiro in a competition, composing a score for a new piece by a modern dance choreographer, preparing for a trip abroad, and allowing us to film two days with him and his family. Oh, and ten days ago he played Rachmaninoff's 3rd Concerto to a full house.  It is 45 minutes of tickling, slapping and pounding the keys without stopping—one of the most technically challenging compositions in the Western canon, with complicated fingering, tempo changes, chord progressions, and dynamics.  We learned later that despite Aldo's virtuosity, the piano was slightly out of tune, a challenge in this resource-strapped country. Thanks to the help of our awesome Cuban Line Producer, Claudia Maria Bueno, we have footage of the event, as she gathered our crew and filmed the performance in the Jose Marti Theater in Old Havana.

Our camera rolls tomorrow. Adelante!

We Are Back in Havana!

We had an excellent landing in Havana—the first return trip for Mica since he came here in 2011 to deliver baseball gear to the Martin Luther King Center. Our casa  particular [predates Air B n B by a few decades] is in Central Havana, a few blocks from the sea and a short ride to Old Havana in a maquina, a recycled, rebuilt, reanimated American car from the 50s that functions like an affordable Uber pool, plying certain routes in the city.

Ivan Soca, subject of the first film in our series, Evolution Cuba, scooped us up in Aquitania, his car, named after the region bordering Spain and France where the first troubadours sang. Los trovadores are a central theme of Ivan’s work—musicians who write and sing songs of the people, from the people, and for the people. They are storytellers and the soul of their pueblo, of their people.

Fuster

Silvio Rodriguez

Ivan took us to Jaimanitas, on the outskirts of Havana where the artist Fuster has transformed the area into a Gaudi-like mosaic of beauty and imagination. But tonight we were here to witness a free neighborhood concert by Silvio Rodriguez, a Cuban troubadour famous throughout Latin America. Using his own resources, Silvio invites guest artists to perform with him throughout the island, converting a street into a concert venue, free for all. This was the 75th in the series; Ivan has photographed all of them save for the two performed in Spain and Chile. No T-shirts for sale, no vendors, just a makeshift stage raised a few feet above the street, and the music. After a brief afternoon deluge Frank Delgado, another trovador with a sharp sense of humor took the stage and wowed us. A short set later, Silvio sat down and sang songs that the entire country seems to know—elders, pierced, tattooed and gender nonconforming college students, local workers, and young families, sway, cheer, and sing. Silvio has been writing and singing trovas for 50 years, and while many in the U.S. don’t know his voice, he is one of Latin America’s greatest bards.

View from the rooftop

Ivan knows not only the neighborhood, but he knows the rooftops to climb for the best plano general—the wide shot. He knocked on a few doors, introduced himself, and we were invited up.

Not bad for our first half day in Cuba.

The Finishing Touches - WHEEL OF LIFE

An excellent day recording music for WHEEL OF LIFE with the awesome team. Greg Landau, producing. Saúl Sierra, bass. Marco Diaz, arrangments, keyboards, horns. Carlos Caro, lyrics, percussion. Felix Samuels, vocals Camilo Landau, mixing. We're in the home stretch.