Barbados and Bermuda Jazz musicians for Cuba’s Jazz Plaza Fest |

Musicians from twenty countries including Barbados and Bermuda in the Caribbean and Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina in Latin America are currently scattered around eleven locations in Havana and Plaza America Mall in Varadero, Matanzas, Cuba for the 25th edition of Jazz Plaza International Festival 2009.

Organized by the Cuban Institute of Music and the National Center of Concert Music under lead promoter Jesús “Chucho” Valdés, Jazz Plaza runs from February 12 - 15, 2009. (Source: Prensa Latina)

Barbados will be represented by Ming (drums) who will front the UNIT Band from Bermuda.

UNIT beat out four other Bermudan bands in a ‘Battle of the Bands‘ contest held on Father’s Day last in the capital Hamilton to pick the countries’ musical continent for the Cuban tour. UNIT was co-founded by pianist and singer Ben Lusher.

Ming, a Jazz promoter, has produced concerts in Barbados as well as Cuba and Canada. He will conduct workshops at the National School of Music as a follow-up to ones he gave to mid-level students in December of ‘08. These are being done as part of a memorandum of understanding between Barbados and Cuba.

Accompanying Ming to the fest is Dale Butler, the Barbados Minister of Culture. (Source: Drummer Ming to Jazz Plaza 2009)

Plaza Jazz Fest is once again an annual affair after having been a bienniel event from 1998 to 2004. It is the oldest of three main Jazz Festivals in Cuba, JoJazz and Varadero Jam Session being the other two.
(Source: cubanow.net)