• Submitted by: manso
• Arts and Culture
• 06 / 29 / 2011

---

Jazz fans can now travel to Cuba to experience the music as part of a special cultural exchange program. By JazzTimes.

In 2011, travel to Cuba for all U.S. citizens was reinstated through Insight Cuba’s people-to-people cultural programs. Any American can now travel with that organization and can discover Cuba through its people. Working extensively with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Insight Cuba has partnered with JazzTimes to develop music-intensive programs that meet the government’s guidelines for legal travel to Cuba. These special programs allow you to truly experience the inner nature of Cuban culture and society.

The JazzTimes Havana Jazz Experience. 8 Days/7 Nights!

Insight Cuba, in conjunction with JazzTimes, offers a unique opportunity to combine a love of Cuban jazz with an interest in this fascinating culture. Get a rare inside look at the thriving Cuban art and jazz scene. Spend the days walking the streets and neighborhoods of Havana, meeting local Cuban residents and visiting art & music studios.

You’ll also get to visit Guanabacoa, which is just a few miles outside of Havana's city limits — however you’ll feel as though you are worlds away. Explore a city bustling with the activity of Santería practitioners immersed in ritual, and become mesmerized by manifestations of traditional African faiths involving magic.

The evenings are spent at some of the top jazz clubs including Jazz Café and La Zorra y El Cuervo, where you'll enjoy listening to the hot, rhythmic sounds of Havana jazz. Here you’ll find some of Cuba’s best jazz musicians performing live, amidst an ambiance of dim lights and low hung ceilings all of which lends itself to creating an intimate setting.

Program Dates

2011

September 16–23
October 21–28
November 4–11
November 18–25
December 2–9
December 16–23
December 27–January 3

2012

January 17–24
February 21–28
March 13–20
April 10–17

What’s Included?

• 5-Star or 4-Star accommodations
• Daily guided activities
• All meals
• U.S. Treasury Department License and Letter of Authorization
• Personalized Cuban Host (tour guide)
• Small group size of 16 participants or fewer to ensure individual attention
• All entrance fees to scheduled activities and events
• All in-country ground transportation, transfers, and domestic flights while in Cuba*
• Travel health insurance, emergency medical evacuation, and trip cancelation coverage (up to $1000)
• Insight Cuba Travel Handbook
• 24-hour emergency service hotline

*For programs where a Cuban domestic flight is required.

JazzTimes Trip to the Havana International Jazz Festival

Program Dates: December 14-19, 2011

JazzTimes and Insight Cuba will also be presenting a special program in which jazz fans can experience the prestigious Havana International Jazz Festival, held every year in December. Under the leadership of artistic director Chucho Valdes, the legendary Cuban jazz pianist and bandleader, the festival presents the best in Cuban jazz, along with various international jazz stars. Among the jazz artists who have performed at the festival are Roy Hargrove, Danilo Perez, Charlie Haden, Jack DeJohnette, Larry Coryell and the late Dizzy Gillespie. From its humble beginnings in 1978, the festival has grown to include the main concert halls and nightclubs throughout downtown Havana.

Unique Access to People and Places the Average Tourists Rarely Sees

As a result of more than a decade of cultivating partnerships and friendships in Cuba, we’re considered family, and when you travel with us — so are you. Many of our participants have described their Insight Cuba travel program as “the experience of a lifetime.” We believe traveling is about interacting with the local people to share stories and exchange smiles. It’s the discovery of a different culture, seeing how other people live, and the possibility of making new friends. Insight Cuba builds its programming based on this belief. We pride ourselves in providing you with a program that is different from most tours, offering you authentic and authorized access to the people and places the average tourist rarely sees.

Why Insight Cuba?

Insight Cuba, as a division of Cross Cultural Solutions, is one of the largest and most experienced organizations in the U.S. providing legal travel to Cuba. Founded in 1995, over 25,000 people have participated in Cross-Cultural Solutions programs in 12 countries around the world.

For more information, visit Insight Cuba’s website or call 1-800-450-CUBA (2822). And you can join the conversation at facebook.com/insightcuba.

Source: http://jazztimes.com/articles/27922-experience-jazz-in-havana-with-jazzt...