Cuban Musicians Targeting Guinness Record

(Prensa Latina – Cumbancha) Santiago de Cuba – A 14-day marathon performance of the “Son” rhythm entered its third day in Guantanamo, the easternmost Cuban province. In an effort to set a new Guinness record, the first 24 hours without interruption took place at the Heredia Theater in Santiago de Cuba, 884 kilometers east of Havana. The musicians from Santiago then passed on the Son to their counterparts from Guantanamo, gathered at the Hanoi cabaret. Monday evening, the baton is passed to the city of Bayamo, as the non-stop music makes its way to the rest of the major Cuban cities before reaching Havana on May 29. The goal was almost spoiled Sunday by an unexpected storm, the strongest this season. It held up the arrival of the relieving musicians, but was not enough to impede the longest Son from continuing. The attendance of local dancers -ready to set their own record in an unstoppable dance session- and the audience that remained in place for 24 hours, was another noteworthy highlight. The public had free access to the party, which included initiatives such as a meeting of child fans of Son and competitions of Tres (autochthonous instrument linked to the rhythm). Each venue has a jury formed by important figures of the cultural world, in charge of validating whether the Guinness record is actually surpassed, through the delivery of the official documentation to the British Embassy in Havana. The previous record, although not registered by Guinness, was set by Cuban musicians at the Tropical Salon Rosado open-air dance hall in Havana, and lasted 100 hours.