World Music Festival Returns to Cuba: Havana World Music Reload

After a three-year hiatus, Havana World Music (HWM) returns to Cuba’s capital. The world music festival will take place from May 26 to 28, 2022 at Club 500 José Antonio Echeverría. X Alfonso, an acclaimed instrumentalist, composer, performer, visual artist and leader of the emblematic Cuban Art Factory, stands out as one of the Cuban artists scheduled to perform. His concert will close this event in Havana, on Saturday, May 28, and will feature material from his latest album Inside, released in 2019.

Cuban singer-songwriter Carlos Varela also stands out. He’s one of the leading artists in the current Nueva Trova movement.

Among the surprises included in the event’s program is Havana Meets Kingston, a project conceived between Australia, Jamaica and Cuba, devised by Australian reggae producer Jake Savona and which brings together some of the most influential musicians from the three countries.

The festival also includes Haydée Milanés, jewel of Cuban song; Brazilian singer-songwriter Rommel, author of the album Karawara, with which he pays tribute to the indigenous peoples of the world; and Montreal-based Colombian guitarist Mateo, successfully established on the local Canadian scene and recognized as a leading act in the “Latin New Wave” movement.

Guitarist and singer Héctor Téllez Jr., one of the most popular emerging artists in Cuba, and the Da Le project (Havana), made up of DJs and producers Iván Lejardi and David Casas, will also perform. Another DJ, Italian Bim Bum Balaton, will present his music to the Cuban public during the first two days of the festival.

Havana World Music will present for the first time the Indonesian-German musician Tóke, who explores a combination of Neo Soul, RnB and Reggae; and also Haitian artist Wesli, who will arrive from Canada with his music inspired by Soul and Jazz, loaded with messages of hope, truth and peace.

Additionally, the lineup includes Real Project, an avant-garde Cuban jazz band founded in 2013 by drummer Ruly Herrera and pianist Jorge Luis Lagarza; as well as Nube Roja, a young group that breaks into the Cuban sound and visual context with a daring proposal, achieving a fluid harmony between elaborate arrangements, lyrics and the show on stage.

Also scheduled to perform, Waahli, a musician, trilingual emcee, and member of independent hip-hop group Nomadic Massive.

The festival of diversity, culture and world music also embraces the winners of the Concurso Primera Base contest in 2020 and 2021. The contest promotes the knowledge and dissemination of music created by young people in Cuba. On this occasion, Havana World Music will present young acts like Los Monos Lácteos, Misifuz, KANBU, Isla Escarlata, Kill The Party, Raulito Prieto and Manuel Bas. Many of these artists will perform on a major for the first time, and represent a wide range of musical formats and styles.