Scenes from Life: Cuba!
November 13, 2015 at 7:30PM, Auditorium Theatre
Completing a full exchange that began during a historic week in U.S.-Cuba Relations in December 2014, thirty-seven student musicians from Cuba’s national conservatory of the arts, the Universidad de las Artes (ISA), traveled to Chicago as guests of Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (CJP) for a week-long cultural exchange that culminated with a landmark performance with CJP at the Auditorium Theatre. 
Watch the CBS Evening News segment on ""Musicians Orchestrate Growing Harmony between U.S. and Cuba".
Watch the CBS Evening News segment on ""Musicians Orchestrate Growing Harmony between U.S. and Cuba".
Press
Splash Magazine - Review (November 18, 2015)“Cubans and Americans making music together for the first time in the United States ushered in a new era of collaboration between the two former adversaries – and it was wonderful to hear.[...]The extra flavor that the Cuban musicians added helped create more layers to the songs which somehow punctuated the theme of partnership on the night.[...]This show was truly historic – but it had even deeper meaning. The collaboration between the American and Cuban musicians on display Friday night in Chicago should be looked upon as an example of how US-Cuban relationship should move forward: a collaboration of partnership, harmony and a whole lot of rhythm!”
-Keith Gerbosi
Border Radio - Review (November 23, 2015)
“The entire CJP+ISA Orchestra came together for another powerful take of an older CJP tune before the night's premiere, Scenes From Life, a work composed especially for this collaboration. This new work perfectly captured the essence of everything the collaboration stood for: Davis' third stream jazz/classical aesthetic matched to Cuban soul and sensibility. ...I was hearing something unprecedented: An 80 piece orchestra roaring with the power and finesse of Machito's big band in a piece every bit as ambitious as Tanga, Mario Bauzá's famous Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite.”
-Don Macica
