Protagonists

César López

César López began studying music at school at the age of ten and won his first music prize just three years later. He studied at the Escuelas Nacionales de Arte from 1985. Very soon he became a member of one of the most famous bands in Cuba: "Irakere". In 1997, he founded his own band "Habana Ensemble", which still enjoys a high degree of fame in Cuba and with which he has won many prizes. He was introduced to jazz by the jazz legend Bobby Carcassés, whom he met during his studies.

Bobby Carcassés

Bobby Carcassés, born in Jamaica, moved to Cuba with his parents when he was four years old, where he grew up listening to the music of Beny Moré, Conjunto Casino and Roberto Faz.  He began his musical career as an opera singer before switching to Cuban music. He founded the band "Afrojazz", with which he gave concerts all over the world and achieved international fame. In 1980, he organised the first "Jazz Plaza Festival", which is not the only reason why he is still considered an icon of Afro-Cuban jazz today. In 2012, he was awarded the Cuban National Prize for Music.

Dr. Olavo Alén 

Dr. Olavo Alén was born in Havana in 1947 into a family of musicians, and so music always played an important role in his life, even in his childhood. He studied music at the Escuelas Nacionales de Arte from 1962-1969 and went on to study musicology: Humboldt University in Berlin, among others, where he learned German and was the first Latin American ever to be awarded the Humboldt Prize for his final thesis. From 1980 to 1993, he was a music professor at the Instituto Superior del Arte in Havana.
 

Yissy García 

Yissy García is a composer and percussionist and was born in 1987 as the daughter of a percussionist in the music-influenced centre of Havana. Through her father, she came into contact with the Cuban music scene in her childhood and was already studying music at school at the age of nine. She was invited to play in the national symphony orchestra when she was still a student, won numerous prizes and performed with Cuba's most famous musicians.
 

Alain Pérez 

Alain Pérez is a singer, musician and music producer who masters many different instruments. He is at home in Cuban timba, but also in jazz, salsa and flamenco. Pérez grew up in a small Cuban town and was initially musically trained by his father. From the age of eleven, he studied music at a conservatory and later at the Escuelas Nacionales de Arte. From there he was taken by Chucho Valdes into the then most famous band "Irakere". He played in various bands and was nominated for a Grammy for his work.
 

Marina Ruíz Garmendía 

Marina Ruíz Garmendía is the founder of the social children's project "Niñios en la frontera" and the Comparsa dance group "Los Conguitos de la Lisa". The idea behind this is to use the tradition of Afro-Cuban roots, music and dance to gain access to children in socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods and to give them a positive perspective on life. Marina has been running the project for many years with great success, helping hundreds of children to a better future. As a priestess of Afro-Cuban religion, Marina leads the dance ceremonies and rituals of the deities of the Orichas.