Trombone Shorty and New Orleans Luminaries Take the Funk to Cuba, Support Local Artists and Students

Photo Credit: Ed Aranz

Trombone Shorty and an all-star group of American artists and student musicians from his Trombone Shorty Foundation took a five-day cultural exchange trip in Cuba from Jan. 11 through 15. During the visit, participants took part in events at schools, clubs and on the streets of Havana, all centered around the interconnectedness of music. 

Since 2018, the Trombone Shorty Foundation has been rooted in Cuba and its musicians/students via Getting Funky In Havana, in partnership with Cimafunk. During the most recent iteration, Shorty led New Orleans luminaries Ivan Neville, Anders Osborne, PJ Morton, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Mannie Fresh, Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, Big Chief Juan Pardo and Big Freedia through the experience, as well as 10 students from the Trombone Shorty Academy.

During the visit, Shorty and Orleans Avenue teamed up with local legends Los Van Van–Cuba’s premier salsa group of the last half-century–and reparto sensation Wampi for a mega concert, which occurred on Saturday, Jan. 13, at Club 500. The show drew crowds of more than 15,000, the largest to be held on the island in the last four years. 

Before the aforementioned show, hundreds of Cuban music students were bussed to the event, joining Shorty on stage and performing a second line in the crowd with American students from the foundation. Also included was Big Freedia, who represented the first openly gay artist to take the stage in Cuba. 

The Louisiana-bred jazz player also played co-host for one of the most high-profile U.S-Cuba jam sessions to be held in Cuba. Comprised of more than 30 players on stage at Fabrica de Arte Cubano, the night stretched for over two hours and featured various artists from both countries. 

“The ‘Getting Funky in Havana’ program is all about celebrating the connection between New Orleans and Cuba,” says Trombone Shorty. “Bringing artists from both places onto the same stage gives us the chance to show off the transformative and unifying essence of music. This trip is a reminder of how music can connect people across nations, keeping the roots of New Orleans music alive and setting the stage for the next generation of musicians to come.”

The final piece of the event was a visit to the Guillermo Tomas Music Conservatory. At the school, the students from the Shorty Academy learned from and collaborated with the Cuban students who visited New Orleans last year to perform with the Academy at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and Shorty Fest–the foundation’s annual fundraiser. In partnership with Havana Horns, they also delivered much-needed instruments to artists in need. 

Learn more about the Trombone Shorty Foundation by visiting their website.