Portal:Cuba

Son cubano is a genre of music and dance that originated in the highlands of eastern Cuba during the late 19th century. It is a syncretic genre that blends elements of Spanish and African origin. Among its fundamental Hispanic components are the vocal style, lyrical metre and the primacy of the tres, derived from the Spanish guitar. On the other hand, its characteristic clave rhythm, call and response structure and percussion section (bongo, maracas, etc.) are all rooted in traditions of Bantu origin.

Around 1909 the son reached Havana, where the first recordings were made in 1917. This marked the start of its expansion throughout the island, becoming Cuba's most popular and influential genre. While early groups had between three and five members, during the 1920s the sexteto (sextet) became the genre's primary format. By the 1930s, many bands had incorporated a trumpet, becoming septetos, and in the 1940s a larger type of ensemble featuring congas and piano became the norm: the conjunto. Besides, the son became one of the main ingredients in the jam sessions known as descargas that flourished during the 1950s. (Full article...)

• ... that Julio César Gandarilla Bermejo, a founder of the Cuban National Revolutionary Militia, ignored instructions from the Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel to make a Twitter account?
• ... that José Ramón Balaguer fought as a soldier-medic for Fidel Castro's rebel army before becoming Cuba's minister of public health?
• ... that Brooklyn Nine-Nine actress Melissa Fumero is the daughter of Cubans who fled to the U.S. as teenagers?
• ... that before his Major League Baseball career, Leo Posada represented Cuba internationally in cycling?
• ... that after his release from a hospital for the criminally insane, Richard Dixon burgled $16 from a credit union and hijacked a jet to Cuba?
• ... that Joan Boada was named a principal dancer at the Cuban National Ballet at age 16, but later defected and ended up at the San Francisco Ballet?

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John R. Rivera (born October 28, 1982), better known by his ring name Rocky Romero (ロッキー・ロメロ, Rokkī Romero), is a Cuban-American professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a member of Chaos. He also makes appearances for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), where he is the current NWA World Historic Welterweight Champion, in his first reign; and Major League Wrestling, where he is the current MLW World Middleweight Champion, in his first riegn. Also known by his nickname "Azúcar (sugar in Spanish)", he is best known for his accomplishments as a tag team wrestler. He was member of tag teams like The Havana Pitbulls/Los Cubanitos, Forever Hooligans, and Roppongi Vice. His tenure as the fourth incarnation of Black Tiger was also met with praise and recognition.

Rivera made his in-ring debut on September 13, 1997, and, over the years, he portrayed several different characters including masked luchadores and has wrestled extensively in Mexico for both Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and Lucha Libre AAA World Wide. In the United States, he is known for his work with Ring of Honor as a member of No Remorse Corps, and was one of the featured wrestlers for Lucha Libre USA. (Full article...)

Silvano Shueg Hechevarría (January 6, 1900 – April 1974), better known as Chori or Choricera, was a famous Cuban percussionist. He rose to prominence in the 1930s due to his extravagant shows at many nightclubs in Havana where he played timbales, drums, cowbells and objects such as bottles and metal pans. He composed the popular sones "La choricera" and "Ayaca de maíz", and appeared in several films in the 1950s. (Full article...)

Tower at Manaca Ignaza

• ...that between July 2005 and July 2006, Cubana de Aviación transported 35,000 passengers from London's Gatwick Airport to José Martí International Airport in Havana, using a Boeing 747-400 (pictured)? Actually, that's an Ilyushin IL-96. Don't know if that's just the wrong picture, or if they really used an IL-96 for this feat.

• ...that actor César Romero, most famous for playing The Joker in the Batman TV series, always claimed with pride that he was Cuban national hero José Martí's grandson? But that no firm evidence has been provided to support his claim?

• ...that Arsenio Rodríguez, a Cuban musician and top band leader who developed the son montuno in the 1920s, was blind for most of his life having been kicked by a horse as a child?

• ...that Havana Club is sold outside Cuba in conjunction with the Pernod Ricard drinks company, but is not sold in the United States due to the ongoing embargo on Cuban products?

• ...that Cuban priest Félix Varela was beatified by Pope John Paul II a century and a half after his death, and if canonized, would be the first Cuban-born Saint of the Catholic church?

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