This Friday and Saturday, November 30 & December 1, the Red Hot concert series returns with Red Hot + Cuba, a performance featuring nine acts that represent the vibrant Havana music scene. The concert will take place at Brooklyn Academy of Music in NYC as a part of BAM’s Next Wave Festival, a series of contemporary performances, artist talks, storytelling, visual art, and film that showcases work by emerging artists and innovative modern masters. For this show, Red Hot has invited Cuba’s most loved artists, including veterans and emerging talent, to celebrate the colorful and diverse culture and music of the island.
“In Cuba the pantheon of music is so large and eclectic,” says CuCu Diamantes. The Cuban-American songstress is co-director of the concert along with music director and producer Andres Levin. “We have songwriters, singers, great interpreters of the classics, big-band leaders who are also virtuoso instrumentalists, and also the rappers. The musicians we are bringing together represent different styles, but they all respect each other creatively, as artists,” she stated.
Levin, who has collaborated with many Red Hot projects including Red Hot + Riot and Red Hot + Rio, is excited to celebrate the island’s many talented musicians. “Few people know how rich and active the live music scene in Havana is,” he stated. “With all these musicians here, Havana will be very quiet!”
The concert will be Red Hot’s first Cuban music project, which has been a long time in the making. Red Hot producer Paul Heck noted, “We’ve been thinking and talking about how we could do a Cuban music-based Red Hot project for years, going back to the mid-90s. It’s hard to believe it’s actually going to happen!”
The concert will recognize World AIDS Day on December 1st, and a portion of the proceeds from Red Hot + Cubawill benefit AIDS awareness and prevention in Cuba.
Featured performers are:
Alexander Abreu
José Luis Cortés (“El Tosco”)
CuCu Diamantes
Andres Levín
Kelvis Ochoa
Osdalgia
David Torrens
Roberto Carlos “Cucurucho” Rodriguez Valdés
Carlos Varela
Come dance the night away to rumba, timba, salsa, and neuva trova, and experience the colorful Havana nightlife in Brooklyn this Friday + Saturday! Tickets are on sale here.
