Robert and all -<div><br></div><div>The California Repercussions ( a large marching band that plays jazz, rock, and some novelty songs ) was formed in the late 1980s and has travelled to many parts of the world to perform at festivals, huge parades, and even just "on the streets or plazas" for random audiences. Our trips are usually mostly self-supported, more like fun vacation tours with instruments than a working series of gigs.</div><div><br></div><div> In the early 2000s we started the paperwork process to play in Cuba but the State Department kept blocking our applications. The Cuban ministry of culture and music really wanted us to come. We had all performance, lodging, transportation, even eating details arranged well in advance - with only a minimal and totally refundable "down-payment" to hold our booking until the US government approved our trip. The way the US set the rules we could have no "Supernumeraries" - everyone on the trip would have to be a performer or staff, but we always take spouses and even children with us on our tours. Eventually the Obama State Department approved the trip (with a relaxation of the "performers only" rule) and in 2014 we finalized the trip. As it turned out, we went to Cuba just days after the President announced the changes in relationships with Cuba, so by chance we became the first US music group to perform there while the excitement in that country was so high (lots of newspaper and TV news coverage!)</div><div><br></div><div>Getting a 50+ member marching band through the charter flight from Florida was tricky - the airlines had very strict weight limits and high "over weight/over size" baggage fees were incurred. When we finally arrived we were told not to take pictures of the airport (military security, I guess) and getting everybody through customs and such took quite a while. The Cuban economy, such as it is, has a double money system - the general population is paid in Pesos but foreigners (tourists or those there on business) use "Cucs" which are pegged to the US Dollar. A peso is worth about 10 cents or less, but workers in tourist industries have to pay a fee to convert any Cucs they get to pesos. Anyway, a can of beer was usually one Cuc, a bottle of very good rum usually cost 4 to 8 Cucs. A simple lunch of chicken and rice at a peso restaurant costs less than a peso, but the best food (other than at the international level hotels) is available at the many semi-privately owned <span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:'Graphik Web Light','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><i>paladares (</i>home restaurants) that are very popular because the chef-owners control the food quality, staff, and menu. One family member has to live in the house full time, but the rest of the building is kitchen and tables. We ate about half of our lunches and dinners at <i></i></span></span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:'Graphik Web Light','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><i>paladares - </i>usually seafood and pork were the featured items. Musicians usually came by to perform for tips and CD sales, many different styles of music and usually very good!<i></i></span></span></div><div><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:'Graphik Web Light','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><br></span></span></div><div>Our scheduled performances were all "Cultural Exchanges" - we would meet and listen to local municipal bands, school or college groups, a few professional international touring jazz musicians or dance ensembles, and then do our show. We were very well received - especially by the high school age music students because of our current Pop Songs in our set list. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIXXCvNXSMU">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIXXCvNXSMU</a> We always did some songs that the young Cuban musicians could join in on solos - sometimes this led to 14 or more choruses! </div><div><br></div><div>Our only "minders" were the two guides on our busses. I don't think they had ever experienced a group like us before (we have been to 16 other countries including the then failing USSR) and we had a lot of questions. Also staying in our hotel was a group of reporters and staff of The Nation magazine - they had more political questions, I suppose. We were often met at our performances by high ranking members of the Ministry of Culture and Music, but eventually they let us loose to play when and where we wanted. The weather had turned a bit cold and rainy so we didn't do too much of that. This video was taken at a popular park and ice cream parlor a few blocks from our hotel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyaklFPZq0Y">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyaklFPZq0Y</a></div><div><br></div><div>Overall, it was an interesting trip, glad we finally got to go! Cuba will certainly be changing a lot as more US money flows in - they certainly need the boost. There are a lot of ruined buildings, abandoned factories and sports facilities, much of Havana is a real mess (and we saw it all as we toured.) Musically, it was a good exchange - maybe the only sour note was the flashy tourist show at the Hotel National - don't waste your time or money...</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Dave Richoux</div><div><br></div><div>On Friday, October 28, 2016, Robert Ringwald <<a href="mailto:rsr@ringwald.com">rsr@ringwald.com</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<div style="FONT-SIZE:small;TEXT-DECORATION:none;FONT-FAMILY:"Calibri";FONT-WEIGHT:normal;COLOR:#000000;FONT-STYLE:normal;DISPLAY:inline">Dave
wrote:</div></div>
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<div style="FONT-SIZE:small;TEXT-DECORATION:none;FONT-FAMILY:"Calibri";FONT-WEIGHT:normal;COLOR:#000000;FONT-STYLE:normal;DISPLAY:inline">Saw
this on Red Hot Jazz: </div>
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<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-FAMILY:calibri">Here's an item for those interested in
Jazz History</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-FAMILY:calibri"><br><br></span></b></div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-FAMILY:calibri">Where Did Jazz Really Come From?
How Did It First Hit New York?</span></b></div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-FAMILY:calibri">
The story of jazz is littered with scraps of information neglected by historians
dedicated to a narrative restricted by their adherence to definitions of jazz
that originated in the 1930’s and 1940’s. But what was the truth of what
happened as America was entering World War I. Whose story can we
believe?</span></div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-FAMILY:calibri">One of these stories is told
in<b>: </b></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-FAMILY:calibri">“Walter
Kingsley and the Cuban Tinge - Ill-considered Trifles” by Daniel Hardie
</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-SIZE:14pt;FONT-FAMILY:calibri">- </span></b>read at <a style="TEXT-DECORATION:none" href="http://darnhard.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">http://darnhard.blogspot.com.a<wbr>u</a></div></div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><font size="3" face="Calibri"></font> </div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif">When
my big band played in Havana and the surrounding area in Feb., 2015 </div>
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<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif"> </div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif">Hey
David, didn’t know you played in Cuba. Tell us about it. How long were you
there? How many concerts? </div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif"> </div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif">How
were you treated?</div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif"> </div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif">Were
you guided to what the government wanted you to see:</div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif"> </div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif">-Bob
Ringwald</div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif"> </div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif">we
were entertained during one lunch by a local professional 6 piece Jazz band
(playing mostly early New Orleans standards very well with just a hint of Cuban
flavor.) After the performance I asked the tuba player about the history of
early jazz in Cuba - my Spanish is not great and he only had a little English -
most of what I got from him is confirmed by parts of the above article. Also,
the series of books by Ned Sublette on the music and culture of the Caribbean
get deep into this history. </div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif"> </div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif">Anyway,
it is more fuel for the fire in the endless discussion of the true roots of
Jazz!</div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif"> </div>
<div style="FONT-SIZE:16px;FONT-FAMILY:helveticaneue,'Helvetica Neue',helvetica,arial,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif">Dave
Richoux</div>
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