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Has Hollywood lost touch with American values? CUBA'S ROBERTO GOMEZ HAD a single night free on his first trip to San Francisco, part of a short performance visit in his role as lead guitarist for singer- songwriter Carlos Varela, often referred to as “The Bob Dylan of Cuba,” and “The Poet of Havana.”Gomez might have chosen to head to any number of clubs, restaurants or other social gathering places in one of the most vibrant and culturally rich cities in the U. S. Instead, foremost on his mind immediately after the Varela concert performance was his search for a power cord to his laptop computer. Is Hollywood out of touch with your America? Tell us > > “I just want to go back to my hotel,” Gomez said, “and watch all the music videos we cannot see at home.”It’s a common cry from Cuban musicians in particular, and artists in general. State- controlled media in the socialist country is heavily censored, and access to the Internet has only begun, leaving Cubans often feeling isolated from the cultural conversations going on in their culture- dominating neighbor to the north. Indeed, one of the most prized commodities among Cubans is “El Paquete” — The Package, typically a 5.

American music, movies and television programs secreted into the country from the U. S. by relatives, friends or cunning entrepreneurs. Consider it a contemporary expression of the cultural grapevine that has long kept Cuban musicians apprised of what their peers elsewhere in the world are doing. Cuba’s artists and musicians take pride in forging a cultural scene outside of the direct influence of Hollywood and the kind of hit- making pull that has led countries such as France to impose quotas on American movies and music. But there is still a strong desire for artists and musicians to interact with their counterparts in the U.

S. and around the world. “I come from a generation of musicians that grew up with no access to the Internet whatsoever,” said trumpeter Yelfris Valdés, who left Cuba in 2. London, where he has played with various world- beat groups as well as his own Dub Afro Electric Jazz ensemble. Although when I started to learn about jazz music at school, I was fully aware of what was happening with the composers [and] arrangers from around the world.“Fellow musicians who were already traveling would feed to the rest of us what was going on in the industry,” Valdés said. Thanks to that information I received as a student, I am now producing a more complex type of music. The more styles of music I can have access to, the richer my own music becomes.”Which means, despite the stereotype created by the large number of pre- Cuban revolution American cars commonly found in Havana and other cities, Cuban music is hardly stuck in the 1.

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Along with the traditional son and salsa music that thrives in clubs and theaters around the country, it’s possible these days to find Cuban hip- hop and R& B acts serving up their equivalent to the latest videos by American trend- setters such as Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé or Rihanna. But it’s a relatively recent development, and Cubans still don’t have ready access to the actual videos, much less live music, from Western pop stars. The Cuban government has a strict filter on media coming into the country. That is compounded by the political, economic and cultural embargo imposed by the U. S. on Cuba almost 6.

Fidel Castro’s history- shifting revolution on Jan. Easing of some elements of the embargo under President Obama’s administration has allowed great opportunity for Cuban musicians to visit the U. S. and perform here. Cuba and its music, for instance, will be the focal point internationally at the 2. New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. But many musicians and artists who have welcomed improved relations with the U. S. expressed uncertainty and concern about whether President- elect Donald Trump is more likely to continue opening travel and commerce opportunities or return to more restrictive policies. As the decades have rolled by, musicians, especially the younger generations, have often struggled to work with their American counterparts, to perform and promote their music to U.

S. audiences and to be actively engaged with the most lucrative music market in the world.“Youth is characterized by the desire to explore and know,” said singer, guitarist, percussionist and educator Jesus Bello. Most of the young musicians wish to work abroad not only to obtain better pay for their work, but for the exchange with other musicians.”The reverse is equally true: Americans and other musicians outside Cuba are frequently compelled to visit to learn more about the country’s music and musicians.“It’s a great, rich place of music— there are so many styles,” Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger said following his band’s first performance in Cuba in March, a free show that drew a massive crowd estimated at 5. I have no pretense of understanding where it’s all coming from. Music historians must love it, because there is so much richness in one fairly small place.”A major step toward bringing Cuban music to the outside world came in 1. American roots musicians Ry Cooder and British producer Nick Gold visited Havana.

They spearheaded the Buena Vista Social Club project, a recording and companion documentary (by German filmmaker Wim Wenders) that spotlighted a coterie of veteran Cuban musicians performing the infectious music that’s lived and breathed within the country, but was previously little exposed in the U. S.“There’s a world of music down there,” said singer- songwriter Jackson Browne, who recently led a contingent of international oceanographic scientists to Cuba to study the relatively pristine ocean around the island. During that trip, he arranged for them to be exposed to the music of Varela, for whom Browne has become something of a cheerleader in the U. Watch Dang Hai Nan Yu Shang Chao Zhou Hindi Full Movie there. S., along with other Varela admirers among the rock music community including Dave Matthews and Bonnie Raitt.“We’re isolated from Cuba, rather than Cuba being isolated from the world,” Browne told The Times recently. We are the ones that have isolated ourselves from this incredibly rich musical culture. For all of the attempts at isolation, Cuban music has still had an incredible influence in the U. S. It’s influenced jazz, it’s influenced a lot of our music over the years.

But we don’t know the most contemporary stuff” because of the embargo.