CNN en Español Interview with Eric Coelho | Havana Meets Kingston

Official clip of the CNN en Español interview with Eric Coelho, engineer for "Mista Savona presents: Havana Meets Kingston." ​
Stream/download album here: 17NP.lnk.to/HavanaMeetsKingst...
About the Project:
Just a brief span of balmy Caribbean Sea separates the island nations of Cuba and Jamaica. Yet, despite their proximity, each country boasts its own distinctive and uniquely wonderful musical traditions: traditions of incomparable potency and celebratory verve that have evolved, over more than a century, almost completely independent of each other. Until now.
In a world-first undertaking, Jake “Mista” Savona journeyed to Havana in 2015 with a handpicked band of Jamaican musicians and established collaborators in tow - including Sly & Robbie (Peter Tosh, NoDoubt, Grace Jones), hand-drummer and percussionist Bongo Herman (Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, The Abyssinians), and Winston 'Bopee' Bowen (Roots Radics, Inna De Yard) - to record the pioneering musical event 'Havana Meets Kingston' alongside some of the best and brightest names in Cuban and world music.
Among the players joining Savona and his Jamaican collective at Havana’s immortal Egrem Studio - the site of global phenomenon Buena Vista Social Club - were celebrated Cuban percussionist Changuito (Los Van Van) and Buena Vista Social Club players Barbarito Torres and Rolando Luna, along with Félix Baloy (Afro-Cuban All Stars), plus dozens more. All told, Havana Meets Kingston deploys the world-beating talents of more than 50 musicians drawn from half-a-dozen nations, recorded over 10 heady days of creative freedom and discovery.
At once palpably reverent of Jamaican musical heritage and Cuba’s rich Son, Macusa and Danzón traditions, Havana Meets Kingston is an irresistible celebration of Afro-Caribbean flavor. Comprising original compositions along with reworked classics, the resulting album weaves an expansive alchemic tapestry, enmeshing Latin beats, dancehall rhythms, rock-steady and deep roots reggae.
The enormity of Savona’s achievement with Havana Meets Kingston was foreshadowed by the ample buzz attending lead single ‘Carnival’ - a dose of Jamaican syncopation and rapid-fire reggae vocals featuring Randy Valentine (Major Lazer) and Cuba’s Francisco 'Solis' Robert. The EPK video for the album racked up a massive 1.5 million views and 20,000 Facebook shares in just one week, while the single itself stormed the iTunes charts. It’s a clear taste of the ground-breaking musical celebration to come.
A richly textured songbook that swings effortlessly from the cigar-and-rum-perfumed atmosphere of Old Havana to the humid abandon of a Kingston Sound System party. Havana Meets Kingston weaves together Spanish-language ardour and entrancing Jamaican patois, spinning a musical web that transcends language - speaking to nothing so clearly as hips and heart, in equal measure.
Savona & The Havana Meets Kingston Sound System (featuring Randy Valentine and Solis) are confirmed to appear at Island Vibe Festival on North Stradbroke Island, Australia in October. A full-scale tour featuring the core players from the project is planned for March 2018.
One thing is certain: as Aza Lineage and Birdz-I promise on dancehall anthem ‘In the Ghetto’, Havana Meets Kingston is certain to “make ya skank off ya feet.”
Learn more about the project: www.havanameetskingston.com/

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Havana Meets Kingston will stay as one of the best projects linking Kingston and Cuba. Watching all the way from Vanuatu