We also got some songs from the chanteuse that Gilles discovered after she pushed a demo tape into his hand – Danay, a beautiful young woman with a voice to match. In her faltering English she talked to us about love and friendship – I think the entire audience was captivated. With a strong group of other musicians in support we got an amazing journey through the streets of Havana this evening – a really unique experience, not least because the normally staid Barbican audience were up and dancing in the aisles!
By the way, if you think that you know nothing about the music that comes out of this place you’re probably wrong – many artists take inspiration from Cuban music, probably the most notable example of which is ‘Tropical Brainstorm‘, Kirsty MacColl’s last album, which she wrote after a trip to Cuba and which features many artists from the country playing in their typical musical styles. If you really want to understand what current Cuban music sounds like you can go one better though, and pick up Gilles Peterson’s album that features the artists we saw this evening and more – ‘Gilles Peterson presents Havana Cultura Remixed‘.
About Pete Stean
