• Submitted by: admin
• Arts and Culture
• International
• Music
• North America
• 01 / 19 / 2007

When Alina Orraca listened to 7 Canadian choirs singing a version of the internationally popular Cuban dance song El bodeguero by Richard Egües in the University of Lethbridge, she realized too much effort and work excelled in that distant land were not in vain.

Likewise happened to Bobby Carcassés, at the end of its jazz session for the University Latin jazz band performance opened up a new gateway to Cuban music.

Coral Prize-winning choir director together with Cuban jazzman par excellence travelled to the said city to stage Cuban music values for students and educators in that college. A good part of them, however, had already got news of the teaching process of Cuban music and art many times distorted due to prejudices affecting the country mainstream media in detriment of the Cuban reality.

For a long time Cuba-Canada Sports & Cultural Festivals organization have built up bridges and eliminates stereotypes between the two countries through exchanging cultural spaces encouraging mutual knowledge.

Most recent action in this regard came to boost Alina -Bobby tour of some Canadian schools and universities that later moved on around the country. Jonathan Watts, president of the institution said that enthusiasts at the college were not only thirst of getting knowledge about most relevant issues on the Cuban musical culture but its educational and cultural achievements under the Revolution period.

This is why student singers of the University of Lethbridge, headed by director George Evelyn (have mounted surprisingly a version of El guayaboso by Guido López Gavilán). At that university notable jazzist Ed Wasiak congratulated himself for having the opportunity of sharing scenario with Bobby, whom he considers a living legend of Cuban jazz; " It is a true privilege " he said " for our students to learn with this Cuban gem". With equal enthusiasm this multi-instrumentist was welcome in Calgary by Kevin Willms, director of the West Winds Big Band of the Ernest Manning High School.

Source: Cubarte