Alas we couldn't catch all of it -- 2 pm to 6 pm our time -- because there was a gathering in Brooklyn we had to go to. There we tried to pull it up on our host's computer, but he didn't have the right drivers for the live univision.com broadcast. So we got the top of it, X Alfonso, and we caught the end of it, which, appropriately was maybe the greatest band in the world, Los Van Van.
It made us dance and we wept while dancing. X Alfonso were just so freaking hot! There were so many polyrhythms going on that if one were an acrobat every limb of your body, and your cintura and your booty, and your shoulders, could all be doing a different one. The drummer is a woman, just layin' it down, holding it down. You never saw women playing drums in a Cuban band unless it was an all-woman band. Things have changed so much in the 5 years we haven't been able to be there. Revolutionary youth are changing the world.
There is nothing in the world like Cuban music, performed by Cubans, for Cubans, in Cuba. Nothing.
There were at least a million people in the Plaza de Revolucíon.
The flag of Cuba blowing proudly in the breeze all day was broadcast to the Spanish heritage, Spanish speaking populations of the world. Che's image was also part of that. Imagine how that went over in Miami ....
But most of all you saw all these people, musicians and audience alike, dressed in white, dancing and singing and communicating with each other and their brothers and sisters around the world. How proud the Cubans were today, performing with their sister and brother latinos, from Colombia, from Puerto Rico. At the end of the program they were all weeping too, as Juanes shouted out all the the nations of Latin and Central America.
I miss Cuba so much. Meaning, particularly, I miss our Cuban friends and seeing them there so much.
That's why we cried.
But on Tuesday we go to another great music capital of the world where we CAN see our friends. So we are very, very, very happy.
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We're waiting with bated breath to hear about the signing party! Hopefully, I'll be picking up my copy today.
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