I´m writing from the Hotel Nacional in Havana where I´m co-leading along with "El Vaquero" Ned Sublette one of our Afropop Worldwide seminars we produce along with our partner, CRAG. I must say I feel lucky to be having this dense, culturally rich experience in the midst of the war in Iraq. At home in New York, this news junkie would probably be spending way too much time watching, listening and reading about the war. Here, I check CNN twice a day for ten minutes to get the basics about the world, or at least the world according to CNN.

We drive to the Matanzas province in a short while but here are a few impressions to report in my first dispatch. Photos will come next week.

Yesterday, we went to the National School of Music of the National School of Art. It is situated on the pre-revolutionary exclusive golf course where the Havana elite used to hang out. The story goes that Fidel and Che were playing golf here shortly after the revolution´s Jan. 1, 1959 success and one of them had the inspiration to turn this golf course & country club into an arts school.

A group of teenage guys on congas, drums, two saxes, trumpet, keys and bass played for us. Wow! Impressive chops and what feeling! They played three standards including a bolero by Cuban jazz legend Chucho Valdez and a strikingly original version of "Caravan". In the Q&A afterwards, we learned that they did this music in their spare time after their normal course work in classical music training and more general subjects. If anyone wants a group to inspire young students of jazz in the U.S. let me know. I´m sure they would be willing to do some peer-to-peer seminars. Then an 18 year old played us some Bach on a grand piano with a great sense of rhythmic spine, as Ned pointed out.

Everywhere in the terraces of this four story music school complex, students practiced. A pint size girl playing a full size trombone. A kid practiced drum chops under headphone clic guide. Two young ladies played gentile classical flute. The cacaphony was beautiful to the ears. It could be a performance piece in and of itself.

Later that day, we went to the home in the Miramar neighborhood where Maraca rehearses his band every day. Maraca is a Grammy nominated flute player who started out as a kid playing in the seminal Cuban jazz band Irakere. Irakere got U.S. exposure in the brief window of cultural exchange President Carter allowed in the 1970s. Now Maraca leads one of the most successful Cuban bands that tour internationally. Crowded into the stucco living room, they blasted songs from their current repertoire including a song honoring the Yoruba orishas. You can check Maraca´s work on his most recent "Tremenda Rumba" (Ahi Nama). He will also tour the U.S. for two months this summer. Details on the web at: www.maraca.cult.cu

Then late afternoon we went to Havana´s state of the art recording studio, Abdala, built by trova legend Silvio Rodriguez with help from many in the music community here. Our friend Cari Diez, producer of the Grammy award winning ¨"La Rumba Soy Yo", gave us a presentation on the recent history of the Cuban music industry. Looking back on the 1990s, one remembers what an extraordinary decade that was for a country whose music culture is one of the most prolific and impressive anywhere. I will interview Cari before leaving Havana and post the interview on afropop.org. A rap group performed of us and then the young pianist Rolando Luna played, including a beautiful composition by the beloved Cuban classical composer, Garcia Cartula.

That night we hung out at the club Dos Gardenas, a name which rings bells because of the bolero of same name sung by Ibrahim Ferrer on the Buena Vista Social Club´s first mega hit. Anyway it was a night of langorous "Filin" and sentimental bolero music sung by a veteran woman singer whose name I did not catch.

All the above in one day !! I really felt blessed to see in the morning tremendously talented young kids coming up, and then Maraca´s musicians in their prime playing their hearts out and having fun.

Let´s see...I wish I had more time to report to you but we have to jump on the bus to roll to Matanzas where Cuba´s legendary Los Munequitos de Matanzas are waiting to play for us. Will tell you about our visit to Chinatown, the Chinese-Cuban connection, the Sunday night show by supercharged salsa band led by Paulito F.G. where the locals shimmied, shoulder shaked, stepped out in clave, shouted lyrics, waved and otherwise totally impressed our group with this country´s amazing dance exhuberance. More later....Safe Travels... Sean Barlow