How could you possibly sing to los santos without a Batá drum? Not a single tumbadora. Not even un chekere perdido made it on the stage during Daymé Arocena’s performance at the Skirball Center. And she didn’t need it. Her voice was more than enough. Nonetheless, she was accompanied by three equally talented Cuban musicians, a pianist, a bassist and a drummer … More Today in Cuban music: Cubafonía
Generally speaking, Cubans aren’t big on soccer – unless they have a Colombian friend that convinces them to watch the World Cup…but that’s only every four years. However, as a Cuban in L.A., you don’t need much persuading to catch the Galaxy fever. I mean, what is there not to like? The L.A. Galaxy have … More Mal de ojo
El 20 de mayo de 1902, a las doce horas del día, se llevo a cabo en el Palacio de la Plaza de Armas, en La Habana, la ceremonia de transmisión de poderes entre Cuba y Estados Unidos, y la confirmacion de Tomás Estrada Palma como su primer presidente.
The city of Temecula is a little under two hours away from LA, which is also the exact amount of time you’ll need to exhaust all of the culo jokes you can come up with. Go directly to Old Town because, first, it’s absolutely charming with array of specialty stores, boutiques, art galleries, and antiques stores. And … More Un cortadito
Que manera de esperar un disco, que manera. Albita released her new Big Band album that pays homage to pre-revolution Cuban music – and it sounds as if Machito got a face lift by a really, really great plastic surgeon from Beverly Hills. Homenaje a Benny Moré and Mis Congas are a master’s class in the genre, while Pais Tropical and Las Cumbias celebrates … More Today in Cuban music: Albita
I finally found the west’s version of Hialeah/Miami Lakes. It turns out that the majority of Cubans left Echo Park and ended up in two neighboring towns, one named Bell and the other named after a fabric softener. Downey, as in ¿Le echaste ‘dauni’ a la lavadora?, is in many ways fancier than Bell. And in true … More El barrio
In 1956, Nat King Cole traveled to Cuba to perform at Tropicana, but he couldn’t stay at el Hotel Nacional because of the color of his skin. That same year, 1956, the iconic Capitol Records building was completed. A thirteen-story, earthquake-resistant tower that was the world’s first circular office building. And its nickname became “The House That Nat Built,” because … More El capitolio
A Cuban's Guide to L.A. 