Cuba: Island of Music

Afro-Cuban music fans may want to pick up the documentary Cuba: Island of Music. (You can view the trailer there.) Here’s what it’s about:

The film is a behind-the-scenes look at Afro-Cuban music’s role in the daily life of Cubans. Gary Keys (Memories of Duke” and “Dizzy’s Dream Band”) brings the audience into the heart and soul of Havana, through a vibrant mosaic of street musicians, big bands, dancers, religious rituals, and classic cars. Keys shows us Afro-Cuban music in New York City, with the music and commentary of jazz legends Billy Taylor, Candido Camero, and Chico O’Farrill.

The interactive menu of the DVD allows the viewer to browse previously unreleased bonus footage. This additional footage includes scenes of the Billy Taylor Trio with Candido playing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Orquesta Aragon live in Havana, and a Havana son band. Also included in these outtakes are conversations between Keys and Taylor, where the two discuss Dizzy Gillespie (the “Latin-tinge”) and the connection between music and gospel. In additional to musical interviews, the DVD also features cultural discussions between Keys and a Yoruba priest.