On January 22, 2024, Hu Chenyun, a famous Chinese suona player, appeared as the starring guest at the 39th Cuba International Jazz Festival, and co-hosted a special concert of suona and jazz with Cuban musicians at the Bertolte Brecht Cultural Center in Havana. Chinese Ambassador to Cuba Ma Hui and his wife attended the event, which was attended by nearly 500 people.
Hundreds of birds and chirping, spring brightness. The red lanterns, the lively and majestic "Happy New Year, Auspicious Dragon" ornaments and other elements put the finishing touch, decorating the cool performance scene with extra joy. The performance kicked off with the Chinese classic suona song "Hundred Birds and Phoenix" and the famous Cuban song "Mambo Rondo". Hu Chenyun and the famous Cuban pianist Ernesto Oliva, bassist Olivia Rodríguez, and drummer Jesús Esdrada respectively wore red scarves with the logo of "Happy New Year" on the stage, interweaving and integrating classic Chinese music full of warm life and strong local colors with vibrant Cuban multicultural masterpieces. It's amazing.
The performances of "Gobi" and "Big Fish" included both classics of Chinese and ancient folk music, new golden songs, and newly created repertoire specially arranged for the concert. Suona, pipes, pianos, double basses, conga drums and other Chinese and Western musical instruments work together perfectly, sometimes passionately interpreting the vast prosperity of the ancient Silk Road and the bright and jubilant Caribbean, and sometimes telling the unique history, culture and people's life of China and Cuba, and the audience has repeatedly erupted into long applause and cheers.
After the performance, Ma Hui congratulated the artists on their wonderful performances, praised them for combining the Spring Festival culture and enhancing the mutual understanding and traditional friendship between the two peoples through cultural exchanges, and hoped that the artists would continue to play an active role in the people-to-people ties between China and Cuba.
Pianist Oliva and his mother, both of whom belong to the "Dragon", took a group photo with the "Happy Spring Festival Auspicious Dragon" ornament, saying that they can use their own music to welcome the arrival of the Year of the Dragon with the Chinese people, which is of great significance and will be unforgettable for a lifetime. Mercedes Valdés, a Cuban spectator, said that although China and Cuba are geographically far apart, the two countries have close relations. There is a kind of magic in this performance, which brings everyone together and hearts together, and it is a great honor to meet Chinese artists during Cuba's long-established international music festival, and to be able to appreciate the "innovative play" of traditional Chinese culture up close.
The 39th edition of the Cuban International Jazz Festival will be held from January 21 to 28, 2024 in Havana, the capital of Cuba, and the eastern city of Santiago. More than 150 Cuban and foreign musicians attended with 66 bands from nearly 20 countries, including Cuba, France, Spain, Mexico, and the United States. Hu Chenyun is the first Chinese artist ever invited to participate in the festival. In addition to more than 200 concerts, the festival will feature a series of workshops and master classes to deepen the connection between jazz and cultural heritage and the music industry.
Source: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Cuba