The timba geek's guide to Havana
Part II: The venues (Click here for part one.)
Here's a rundown of my favourite Havana haunts. Warning: Times vary wildly and there can be big queues when the big bands play matinees. If you are really desperate to see a band, play it safe and get there early.


CASA DE LA MUSICA, CENTRO HABANA
e/Neptuno y Concordia
Tel: 862 4165/860 8296
Matinees: 4pm-8pm, except Mondays, 4pm-10pm (main band on at 8pm). Entrada $5/$10
Nights: Main band on between midnight and 1.30 (weekends). Floor show and moronic MC beforehand. Entrada: $5-$25 (Los Van Van)

This is my favourite for many reasons. It's central - you can walk to and from it (if it's not too late at night, and you're not staying in Miramar) and it has a big-ass dance floor. I also like the multi-level aspect of it - the steps that lead up to the stage make for good audience participation, with singers like Pupy's Pepito coming down to sing right in front of the audience; and there are tiered viewing sections as well. The main drawback would be the sound - there are places where the sound is worse (I'll get to that); and the sound at Miramar (see below) is definitely better. But most bands sound OK here, with the exception of Klimax (more about the bands later): I recommend you see them anywhere except Galiano - I have never heard them sound good there. The floor surface varies wildly: sometimes it's slippery; sometimes it's really sticky. At the supermatinees, (Mondays) it is almost invariably awash with water/beer/whatever. Wear rubber-soled shoes to those ones.

Charanga Forever take a bow at Casa de la Musica, Miramar

CASA DE LA MUSICA, MIRAMAR/EL DIABLO TUN TUN
20 y 35, Playa
Tel: 204 0447/202 6147
Matinees: 5pm-9pm Entrada: $5/$10
Nights: Main band on between midnight and 1.30 (weekends). There is sometimes a dismal comedian on first. Entrada: $5-$25

This stalwart of the scene is much smaller than its sister club, but generally has very good sound. The stage is a little high - if you want to stand close to the band, you're gonna get a crick in your neck. Also: not much room for dancing - way too many tables and chairs, which is nice for sitting, not so much for moving. The floor here is always slippery: wear rubber-soled shoes. I have yet to go to the Diablo Tun Tun upstairs, though I did get a glimpse inside one night: seems to be more of a sit-down gig. Taxis home after hours will be illegal cars and should cost about $5-$6 to Centro Habana.

Manolito y su Trabuco with their adoring fans (note extranjera
with camera) at Cafe Cantante. Pic by Helen.

CAFE CANTANTE "MI HABANA"
Paseo y 39, Plaza
Tel: 873 5713/879-0710
Matinees: 4pm-9pm Entrada: $5/$10
Nights: Main band on around midnight (one Friday Tumbao Havana had finished by 12.30, so be careful). Entrada: $5-$15

Cafe Cantante used to be upstairs where Delirio is now. Now it's in the basement: a dark, grim, low-ceilinged room with terrible sound and an awful PA system. However, it's worth going to because the matinees are usually cheaper here for Cubans, so you can get a great party vibe - the Trabuco matinees there earlier this year were terrific, reminding me of the small local gigs I went to in innercity Sydney in my teens (in the neolithic era). The stage is very low, which is a bitch if you're up the back (cause you can't see anything) but fantastic if you're down the front, as it makes you feel like you're right in there with the band. There is always lots of audience participation - peeps in the audience carrying on conversations with band members mid-gig. Loads o' fun. Beware the reggaeton before and after - it's very loud, and often distorted. Take earplugs. Also, after Tumbao Havana play on Friday nights ($5 entry), it's discoteca (house) all night.

DELIRIO HABANERO
Address as above, but upstairs. (Up many, many stairs. Elevator likely to broken.)
Matinees: 4pm-9pm. Entrada: $5/$10
Nights: Midnight-ish-4am. Entrada: $5-$15
Delirio Habanero is an impractical shape - long and skinny, with the stage in the centre facing across it's width. It's a really weird set-up, but if it isn't too crowded, it works. The bands go on late, late, late. I saw Klimax there on a Wednesday for $5 - they didn't go on till about 12.45 - and this was a short set. Their main set started about 2.30. They finished at 4am. Still, peeps don't seem to mind this, and the place actually filled up between 1.30 and 2.30. Also: fab view of the Plaza de la Revolucion below. Who'd've thought a big desolate expanse of cracked concrete could look so impressive?

LA MACUMBA
Calle 22 y 37 La Lisa
Tel: 330568; 330569
Not sure on times, except for the weekend matinee (see text below).
I love this place, though it's a fair way out and can be expensive to get to. It may be cheaper now with the white Panataxis, which charge less than the tourist taxis. I'm not sure. If you can get out there, it's worth it, especially for the Saturday matinees which feature big bands like Paulo FG or Charanga Habanera, for $10 - but don't be fooled by the term matinee - they probably won't play until about 9.30 or 10. It's an outdoor garden-type deal, but it has a huge, high marquee-type roof over it, so it's kind of like a wall-less room. It covers a big area - maybe 1000 peeps, and there are lots of drunks at the matinees - beware of peleas. There are cheesy dancing girls, but, still, seeing live timba on a hot night with a breeze to keep you cool (rather than clammy air conditioning) is one of life's finer experiences.

SALON ROJO
Hotel Horizontes Capri 23 & N, Vedado.
Tel: 33 3747
Show: 10-10.30; band about midnight.
Oooh baby, this place is a blast from the past. As the name suggests, it's all red. Really all red: floor, wall, ceiling. There are tables and chairs throughout and a ginormous chandelier over the stage. You almost expect to see Sammy, Frank and Deano sitting at a table drinking martinis. Gigs here are irregular (check canal cubano) and may (if you're very lucky) be preceded by a spectacular dance show - which is both tacky, and somehow not at all tacky - no girls in g-strings; more like something from one of those 50s movies when Latin culture was all the rage - more Carmen Miranda doing the Chatanooga Choo Choo cha-cha-cha (and yes, I know she's Brazilan, but the cha-cha-cha is Cuban, and that's how she sang it!) than anything. Y'know, a bit of class. Good routines and amazing, elaborate costumes (you could almost swear Edith Head was in charge). And when I saw the show before Azucar Negra in 04, they finished with Que cosas tiene la vida. It was fab!

Mayito and Van Van rehearse at La Tropical. Pic by Helen.

SALON ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL
Ave.41 esq. 46, Nicanor del Campo
Tel: 203 5322
Times: varies wildly.
Entrada: No idea. They used to have a separate area and entrada for extranjeros. That area has gone - no doubt the tourista entrada remains. If you can pass as Cuban, it's a great deal cheaper.
The legendary beer garden where Arsenio tore it up in the 40s is still a big part of the live music scene today. Timba gigs tend to be sporadic - though I think you can count on someone playing there on a Saturday night - and every Sunday afternoon is a son thing, with an older crowd. This really is where the Cubans go - there'll only be a few foreigners - and if it's a big gig, it will be packed. And I mean packed. It's a great place to see bands - there's a good tier thing going on and a great vibe, especially in the warmer weather. Wear insect repellant in summer. Don't drink too much (water or alcohol), or you'll have to (god forbid) use the toilet. Getting home is a bitch - not even your chavitos can save you here: tourist taxis are few and far between late at night, and if you leave when everyone else does, you'll all be competing for the few passing carros.

LA PIRAGUA/LA TRIBUNA
El Malecon, Vedado
Mostly nights, from about 8-ish. Main band on at 10-ish. (Usually.)
Free gigs in central Havana are held at these two spots which are a couple hundred metres apart from each other. Just turn up, get your rum in a brown paper cup, and away you go. It'll be raucous and crowded and people will be obnoxious. All right, guys will be obnoxious. There'll be dancing and fights. And probaby a terrible sound system (though you might get lucky). The incandescent lights will give the whole night a Lynchian aspect, and by the end of it, your feet will be killing you. Unless you kept drinking rum, in which case, you probably won't be feeling very much at all. There will be too many people to dance comfortably unless you're on the eerily dark outskirts of the crowd, in which you'll probably be too freaked out to dance. And you may get soaked to the skin when an unexpected deluge arrives. They can be great fun! Watch out for lecherous drunken teenagers. Gigs aren't weekly, and radio, TV and word-of-mouth are your best bet for finding out who is playing when.

The rest
Other clubs of note are La Cecilia, El Morro Cabaña, Turquino, Habana Cafe and The Copa Room (the last two of which have never been open when I've been there), among others.
Canal Cubano has an exhaustive list of clubs and their contacts. You can also check Salsa Power's Havana page.

Next instalment: The best times of the year to see live timba in Havana (like mangos, timba is seasonal!) - and which bands to see.

For Sydney locals:

There are, surprisingly, a few things on around town in the next few weeks that look like they won't completely suck (and actually might be a lot of fun).

Friday, October 20 Canberra's Mi Tierra (above) return to Sydney to play the Watershed at Darling Harbour. Go to Casa de la Salsa's web site for more info. They were great at Fiesta a few weeks ago, having added some great new timba tracks to their repertoire and are definitely worth a look (or a repeat trip).

Saturday, October 21 Viva Magazine is holding a Latino extravaganza with two groups (TNT Latinoz and Armandito y su Trovason), four DJs (including Dwight Chocolate) and performances from six local dance schools. The gig is at Petersham RSL - go here for more details.

Wednesday, November 9 Luis Valle, trumpeter and brother of Orlando "Maraca"' Valle, will be playing in Sydney. Luis, who played on Maraca's great Descarga Total and last year's Soy Yo will be playing with a band of locals, including Armandito and Melbourne's Kenny Lopez. At Lopez's site, he says Valle will be doing Latin jazz... let's hope it's on the timba (or even salsa) side of Latin jazz... The gig is at The Marquee in Camperdown. More details are here.

Update, October 22: Go to the comments to read more info about Luis from Masaco in Japan, and a link to his web site. Thanks Masaco!

I get a lot of questions from people about to go to Havana - from where to stay to what to do to which bands to see. So I've decided to create a guide - a highly subjective and opinionated guide. I'll be doing it in parts, cause it's gonna be looong. Even longer than I anticipated (I've written 3000 words and I haven't even got to the bands yet). If you have any questions or aspects you'd like addressed, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

The timba geek's guide to Havana
Part 1: overview; matinees v. night gigs, how to find out who is playing
People going to Havana for music tend to have different preferences: some only want to go where the Cubans are; others have their favourites groups they want to see; some just want to cram as much as possible in during the time they have. Mostly, you'll probably be seeing bands play in a handul of venues geared towards tourists, though some of them make it possible for Cubans to attend as well, through cheaper gigs at night and in the afternoon. You'll be going to these places whether you like them or not, simply because, with two sessions a day to fill, more bands play at these places more than anywhere else. An added bonus is that the gigs are not usually cancelled when it rains (though sometimes may be closed when the electricity/plumbing fails). For a more "Cuban" experience, you'll want to go to La Tropical and the free gigs at Vedado's La Piragua and Tribuno. Both places will be filled with locals and rum. Both are subject to peleas (or fights); but these can happen anywhere, and they are just as likely to be incident free. Just keep your wits about you and prepare to bail should the need arise. Both are outdoors and will be cancelled if it rains (and sometimes if it looks like it's going to rain). During July/August, the Malecon is closed to traffic on Friday and Saturday nights, and bands play along it every weekend (or at least, they did when I was there in 04 - this may have changed).

The Tribuno in June 06, after a Van Van gig got washed out.

For me, I don't care where I see a band, nor who is there with me, as long as the group kicks arse. So I'll follow my favourites wherever they go - god forbid that two of them play on the same day at the same time ... hasn't happened yet - well not in Havana anyway (Trabuco and Paulo played on the same night in Milan and Turin respectively when I was in Italy. I took the easy way out and stayed in Milan. Missed a great concert in Turin apparently...).

Afternoon delight
One of the best things about the Havana music scene is the matinees, which are held at about half a dozen venues. They're cheap ($5/$10 for a "name" band) and I love the hours: the session begins at 4pm, with the main band playing from about 6-8pm (though Casa de la Musica at Miramar has changed their session so that goes until 9, with the bands going on anywhere between 6 and 7). At 8pm the houselights will come on (if they haven't been on all night already); and you will be shooed out. There is often a good turnout of Cubans, to give a nice bit of atmos, and you can be home in time for dinner. Mondays at Galiano is a "supermatinee", normally with a big-name band (Pupy; Paulito), and the main band plays at 8. This, like everything, is subject to change (after the Paulo matinee with the pelea at Galiano, his next matinee there went from 3pm-9pm instead of 4pm-10pm, with PFG hitting the stage at about 7.30pm). A big-name band can attract a big crowd, and may require early attendance to ensure entry (they seem to be more crowded at the end of summer, when the big bands have been out of the country for a while, but I'll deal with that in a later instalment). Weigh up sitting in a black cavern "listening" to deafening reggaeton while you wait for two hours (or more) for the main attraction to land against missing out on seeing the band altogether, and make your choice (life can be cruel).

Pupy y los que Son Son at a Galiano "supermatinee" in May, 2006.

The night sessions are very late - with bands going on about 12.30; later for Van Van on a weekend. They're also more expensive, though last time I was there, there were a lot more $5 admissions at night than ever before (Klimax and Salsa Mayor both played for $5 at night). Normally entry at night is $15-$25 (for Van Van). And sometimes you can find yourself in a room full of Italian tourists and jineteros. It can wind up being a little soulless. But like I said before, if the band is good enough ...

How to find out who is playing where - and when
This can be tricky. I have a friend who hired a car and drove round to the venues everyday to check the carteleras out the front. Still others stay close to the venu of their choice, so they can saunter down and check out the cartelera on a daily basis. The carteleras are by far the most reliable of the various methods, but are still subject to change: for instance, just because a group is listed on Wednesday as playing on the Thursday, doesn't mean it won't be changed at the last minute. Or that the electricity won't fail, or it won't be converted to a private function from which the great unwashed are excluded. But usually this is pretty reliable.
If you don't have a car, however, it can tricky to cover all the bases. The second best option, for those who understand basic Spanish, is the radio. Again, this is not always correct, but it usually is, and is also good for last minute changes/additions to the line-up. Try Disco Fiesta in the morning and Radio Taino in the afternoon. You can buy a decent transistor in Havana for about $6, if you don't have one to take with you. Third option: Phone the venues (see numbers in the next instalment). This is boring, requires not just that you be able to ask who is playing (Quien va a tocar allá por la tarde/noche?), but even more troublesome, that you be able to understand the answer. Also assumes that someone will actually pick up the phone (not something to be relied upon).
For the wired set, Canal Cubano's list of gigs is a good, though not terribly reliable source. More of a loose guide, it is right probably about 50% of the time; and is sometimes even updated after the event (just to torment you by showing you what you missed). It also doesn't list gigs at La Tropical, nor the free gigs at the Piragua/Triunfo etc. Radio is best for these. Egrem also lists gigs for its venues (Casas de la Musica, Diablo Tun Tun and Delirio Habanero), but doesn't list matinees. And is often hopelessly out of date.

Next instalment: which venue to go to - and how to find it

Fiesta 06

The annual Darling Harbour Fiesta is usually a highlight in Sydney's threadbare Latin calendar (hence my selling my first-born - and all subsequent progeny - to fund trips to Havana, where I can really get my ass kicked by kickass music).
Always held on the first weekend of October (or whichever weekend the long "May Day" - don't ask - weekend falls on), it is three days of music and dance from a long list of Latin American countries, as well as a bit of Castellano stuff. The days start about midday and kick on until 11-ish, all in a picturesque harbourside spot. Generally, peeps throng there from far and wide (Sydney is a big place, and the Latin communities are scattered across its girth) to kick up their heels, partake in paella, and knock back a mojito.

Generally. Something weird happened this year. I didn't spend much time there - and I wasn't alone. The numbers seemed seriously down. So what happened?

First: It was freezing. We have had one fucking cold winter here. And looong. Sure we've had the usual unseasonal scorchers brought on by global warming (ta), but basically this seems to be a winter that won't quit. It didn't rain - but the wind! Made worse by the harbourside location of course. Brrrr.

Two: Football. We love our footy and are a land of many codes - soccer, rugby league, rubgy union, Australian football ... we love it all. This year, two codes - Australian football and rugby league (the two most popular) held their grand finals on the long weekend (they are usually a week earlier). Also, Sydney (my team!) was in the Aussue rules grand final (they lost). Is this proof that the "new Australians" (as they used to be known) have finally "assimilated"? Who knows. I know I didn't get down there on the Saturday arvo cause I was watching my team get their arse kicked (and not in a good, Havana, way). So I guess it's fair to assume others did too.

Three: The line-up. A few bands fired, but there were way too many outfits with a couple of singers and a bank of sequencers - this might work for your average electro outfit, but Latin music needs to be spontaneous, otherwise the flame is snuffed out.

Here is what I did see:

Saturday
Fucking freezing and low tide - the floating stage was well below the promenade, which meant only the people along its edge, or standing way back on the raised areas could actually see anything.
I got there at 6.50pm - as Mi Tierra was playing Pupy's Timba a pogolotti. Yay! I thought. Then uh-oh, as my mind registered the empty dancefloor. But there was no need to panic - it was their first song, and the dancefloor filled quickly. "Ven, ven no te confundas" lured me to the front of the viewing area and soon there was a bunch of like-minded peeps dancing down the front.
The band were very good - they did a short set, following Pogolotti with a Reve song I didn't recognise and Van Van's La Buena - I don't think that song sounds good when Van Van do it live - Mi Tierra don't improve on it. It's totally one-note. After a merengue, they finished with Nube Pasajera - yay! They haven't done it in ages and it sounded great, with the coro from Michel's recent version added onto the end: "yo vengo soltando chispa/y yo vengo echando candela".

While a Brazilian dance group took to the dancefloor, I went into the food hall to get out of the cold wind. When Mi Tierra came back, they did a very good version of Trabuco's La Raspadura (among other things).

After this set I wandered off to get a falafel roll. Outside there was another dance display - went for ages. When the band came back on they did Reve's Sigue comentando, and a Charanga Habanera medley: Hagamos un chen, Lola, Lola, Me sube la fiebre, El temba, Soy cubano, soy popular (which they changed to "soy la timba, soy popular") - weird choice I thought, but they played them all really well. They followed it up with one of my favourite Van Van songs, Ni bombones ni caramelos. The mix was very good and the band sounded great; Pingaman (I must get his real name...) kicking ass on the drumset; horns sounding pretty good.
They were playing Port Orient after - there was a big queue and I decided not to go. I regretted it the next day. It's not often we get to hear well-played timba (live or otherwise) in Sydney, but Mucho Mambo's Martin told me later they will be back here again next month as part of Club Marconi's month-long Cuban Fiesta.

Sunday
I walked to work, though the fiesta, and bought paella at Tumbalong Park for lunch, then went to the Aquashell where there was a tango peña on and sat down on the hot bricks and ate it. I think the paella at the Spanish Quarter fest was better, but I don't think this one had msg, so points for that. The tango was... tango I guess. There was one young couple who danced to a housey-tango track - she was wearing pants which means she must have been groovy. They were quite good. She was stick thin. Made it easier to drag her round the floor I guess.

The work day was long and a bit painful. Afterwards, I walked across the bridge to the festival It was cold, but there were a lot of peeps watching a dance show. I went to the food hall and had some excellent, freshly prepared sashimi - pieces of orange salmon with big streaks of fat. Delicious. Took a green tea outside with me to keep me warm.

Club Havana band were surprisingly good. They have this new singer - Carlito - he used to be in Son Veneno and was a contestant on Idol. Great voice - one of the best Latin singers I've heard, anywhere. A bit of R&B but not too much. Didn't over sing. Bit like Calunga but without the high range. Nice onstage presence too. The band was a bit thin on the brass end - only a trumpet and trombone. You'd think for a big gig like this they could get some chart-reading extras to sit in. Percussion was good and that nerdish piano player is coming along. They did some originals which were OK - all the right timba elements, and a Van Van song I couldn't place, as well as a limp-as-Van Van's-version of Que cosas tiene la vida. Weird. Why would you choose to do their version rather than kick a bit of arse with Pupy's? They did a cumbia and closed with ... Lozada's Encima del boom! Qué rico! I was very happy with that. The brass actually did very well in that song. Sounded like there were more than two of them playing.

Monday
Work again, but I ducked out of the office about 5.05 to see Armandito y su Trovazon, even though I can see them every Thursday at La Cita. They were due to start at 5 but when I got there they were just about to get going. They were wearing their special gig gear - matching outfits of red shirts, black pants and old school hats. The weather was, not dismal exactly, but not pleasant. Cool verging on cold; windy, glum. Threatened to rain but didn't.
Ricardo from Salsa Republic got a rueda together but almost immediately the circle was joined by people who didn't know anything more than dile que no and dame, so that didn't look like much fun.

The band played well as usual - the usual fiery son. But I had to get back to work. Boo.

I thought I was being soooo clever with my lil link to youtube's timba search, then Lester comes along and posts a bunch of great Paulito videos without the timba tag - d'oh! Nevermind, click on his name to bring up all his videos, or click here. They are excellent quality for amateur video - shot from a prime position right in front of the stage at the Habana Cafe in 2003. The one below features, I'm pretty sure, the very end of Laura, a great song Paulo never recorded - if anyone out there has more of it on video; upload it, please!

Soy la timba, soy popular
At Sydney's annual Fiesta last weekend, Canberra band Mi Tierra played (among other things - a report will follow soon) a medley (or potpourri, as they say in Cuba) of Charanga Habanera songs. I thought it a rather odd choice, but the songs, which included El Temba, Una Dispara en la Mirada and Soy Cubano, Soy Popular (which they changed to "Soy la timba, soy popular") sounded great. As most of you reading probably know, I'm not a fan of that last track, nor anything the band's director, David Calzado has produced post Charanguero Mayor, but timba.com's Michelle White is, and she has just posted a lengthy and very positive review of Jennifer Paz's doco Popular. Click here to read it.