Waiting for Cuba

There aren’t many places that Americans can’t go. An U.S. passport is like a golden ticket to the world. So, it seems strange to have a nation just 90 miles off our coast that’s off-limits.

Putumayo’s Cafe Cubano offers a peephole view into this communist-ruled country. Every track is full of Cuban soul, reflecting the passionate people that call this island nation home. A Dutch friend who recently visited Cuba tells me that this love for music and dance remains undampened, despite pervasive poverty and a hamstrung economy.

One musician beloved by the people—but not by the government—is Pedro Luis Ferrer. His pro-democracy bent has made him something of an outcast with Cuban media, but his folksy style has made him popular at home and abroad. Ferrer teams up with his daughter Lena on track 3, “Ay, Mi Vidita”. Her sweet, full voice plays nicely over his amiable, upbeat guitar, creating a cheerful tune that will surely have you singing along.

View an excerpt from the 2008 documentary, Pedro Luis Ferrer: La Revolución de un Hombre.

Further along, sultry horns and octogenarian vocalist Adriano Rodriguez give track 5, “Morenita,” a vintage feel, in the vein of the old Cuban classics. There is also a genial familiarity to track 6, “Pincel Campesino”—it’s another new composition that calls the past to mind.

The bolero on track 7, “Escandalo,” is a Mexican classic, as interpreted by Cuban vocalist Armando Garzon. The ballad style is slow and bittersweet, and the bolero’s romanticism has made it popular throughout the Latin world.

This glimpse of Cuba is sure to leave you wanting more. With Fidel on his way out, let’s hope that we and the Cuban people will soon have more.

Buy Cafe Cubano at Amazon.com.