Questlove was the first person to reach me after President Obama’s announcement to normalize relations with Cuba on December 17, 2014 and ask to visit Cuba. His heart and soul has been invested in the island nation since their Havana performance in 2002, always dreaming of the day he’d go back. Enter April 2015, there was finally a hole in his exhaustive schedule, including Late Night with Jimmmy Fallon, tucked just after Coachella 2014. Cuba, here we come. It was a hell of a memory.
In addition to two nights of DJing, Questlove made good use of his time in Havana, engaging in extensive cultural research — including an afternoon of digging some vinyl, and a personal visit to the legendary EGREM studios, where most of those albums were originally recorded.
I’d like to thank the whole team who helped put this trip and video together. Let’s keep doing this!
Credits:
Directors: Jauretsi & Daniel Petruzzi
Cinematographer: Hector David Rosales
Sound Technician: Adrian Garcia
Editor: Jake Remingon
Executive Producer: Daniel Petruzzi for Okayplayer
Produced by: Edgar Productor n Jefe, Okayplayer, You and Me Inc.
Sugar Barons.
All Music Courtesy of: Edgaro Productor n Jefe & Maria Bacardi, MB Records
“Me Queda Voz (Instrumental)
Produced by Edgaro Productor n Jefe
“Cojimar” (Instrumental)
Produced by Edgaro Productor n Jefe
“Nunca Vida Mia”
Produced by Edgaro Productor n Jefe
“Nosotros” (Maria Bacardi Version)
Produced by Edgaro Productor n Jefe
Special Thanks to: EGREM, Fabrica de Arte Cubano, X Alfonso, Josue Garcia, La Rueda Producciones, Jorge Rodriguez, Joyce Alvarez aka Bjoyce, Tania Canet Iglesias, Cultural Island Travel
(A Man whose “Soul is Fed”, Ahmir backstage after his DJ Performance at La Fabrica)
All photos: Jauretsi
The New Cuba 
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