Cuba | MisterLatinJazz Goes to Havana! Festival Jazz Plaza aka Havana Jazz Festival
Tour Sponsor: MisterLatinJazz
Do you love Afro-Cuban drumming? Join Arturo Riera, Mister Latin Jazz, as he creates percussion-focused events deep inside Havana’s Afro-Cuban drumming community! This Support for the Cuban People Journey provides you with a way to legally travel to Cuba while learning about the history of Cuban music with a focus on the drum. Our journey will include many private performances, select Havana Jazz Festival concerts, docent-led art and architectural tours, and a group salsa lesson! We will take you deep inside the alleys and among communities with drumming traditions unique to Havana and Cuba. Explore the percussion of diverse musical genres and cultural traditions such as Son, Rumba, Abakua, Bata, and contemporary Jazz from Cuba’s top musicians.
What makes Cuban culture so rich and exciting? You will get a chance to experience Cuban music, art, and architecture curated just for our group. We’ll visit studios, galleries, World Heritage Sites of extraordinary beauty, and neighborhoods that have been revitalized through imaginative art projects. Much of our time will be spent meeting with individual artists and musicians, enjoying community-made musical events, and experiencing how deeply music and art is integrated into Cuban culture.
Arturo Riera spent 25 years in Artist Relations for Latin Percussion LP and has developed deep ties to the world’s top percussionists. He is Board Chair Emeritus of both Yerba Buena Gardens Festival and San Jose Jazz, where he was also Latin Curator of San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, booking 25 acts a year. He is co-founder and managing director of the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San Francisco, which has been free to its musicians and families for 22 years. In 2022 he was chosen by the San Francisco Arts Commission as the Cultural Ambassador to the Latinx Community–responsible for guiding artists through the grant application process and growing the number of diverse artists receiving grants from the City and County of San Francisco. In 2022 he was also chosen by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts to be a development consultant to grantee organizations. Riera Is acting Development Director for the 45-year-old Carnaval San Francisco, the largest multi-cultural event on the West Coast. He blogs about Afro-Latin music as MisterLatinJazz on Facebook and YouTube.
Musician, musical director, teacher, and Pandora Music Analyst Daniel Riera‘s bio can be found on his website, Daniel Riera Music.
Tour Price
Price schedule:
$4285 double occupancy in 5-star hotel (Grand Aston)
$750 single room supplement
Prices include accommodation, two meals per day, program activities, transport to/from activities, qualified trip leaders and guides, honoraria, fees for private concerts, all entrance fees, community donations, and tips for meals. One meal per day, extra beverages, individual tips (to the driver and Cuban guide), personal expenses, are not included in this price, nor is your airfare to Havana.
Trip Itinerary
View 2025 Trip Itinerary Here – 2026 Version Coming Soon
