Trombone Shorty + Foundation Lead American Musicians on Dynamic Cultural Exchange to Cuba with Cimafunk, January 16-20, 2025 | Shore Fire Media

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26 September, 2024Print

Trombone Shorty + Foundation Lead American Musicians on Dynamic Cultural Exchange to Cuba with Cimafunk, January 16-20, 2025

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[Photo from 2024 Cultural Exchange by Ed Aranz]

Grammy-Winning artist Trombone Shorty, aka Troy Andrews, alongside his Trombone Shorty Foundation, is once again embarking on a powerful cultural exchange known as “Getting Funky in Havana” in Cuba. From January 16-20, 2025, Trombone Shorty, his band Orleans Avenue, a group of young musicians from New Orleans, all members of the Foundation, and critically acclaimed Afro-Cuban/funk fusion star Cimafunk will come together for a unique cross-cultural experience. This trip will bring together artists, students, and supporters for a transformative journey of music and cultural connection.

The event will feature an eclectic lineup of celebrated artists, including Grace PotterJulius RodriguezKeyon HarroldRobert RandolphTaj MahalYola, and others. Jam sessions, cultural exchanges, and performances will highlight the deep historical and musical connections between New Orleans and Cuba, fostering collaboration and creativity among all participants.

This marks the fourth trip of its kind, inspired by Trombone Shorty’s personal connection to Havana which dates back to his childhood when in 1999 he, alongside his brother James Andrews, embarked on a transformative journey to Cuba as part of a cultural exchange program. The experience left a lasting impression on Shorty, motivating him to re-create this journey for a new generation of musicians through his foundation. Previous trips, including the inaugural 2020 expedition, were met with widespread acclaim. NPR’s 2023 coverage of the Havana Funk Expedition captured the profound impact of this ongoing initiative. Learn more in these pieces from CBS News and No Depression. Last year’s cultural exchange led a who’s who of New Orleans musical luminaries, including Ivan Neville, Anders Osborne, PJ Morton, Tarriona “Tank” Ball (of Tank and the Bangas), Mannie Fresh, Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, Big Chief Juan Pardo and Big Freedia.

Approximately 100 supporters will join the musicians and students, forming a VIP travel group to Cuba. Funds raised from this effort will support educational programs led by Cimafunk and the Trombone Shorty Foundation, benefiting young artists and musicians in both Cuba and New Orleans. These efforts will include instrument donations and partnerships with local Cuban music schools and community programs, further strengthening ties between the two vibrant cultures.

Getting Funky in Havana is organized by Cuba Educational Travel, the leader in travel and cultural exchanges between Cuba and the United States. More information is available at www.gettingfunkyinhavana.com

It’s been a busy year for the New Orleans ambassador and road warrior. This past summer, he and Orleans Avenue headlined a tour with the legendary Big Boi, including a stop at the iconic Hollywood Bowl. This past spring, Shorty performed at the White House as part of the Juneteenth Celebration, appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, played the headline set with Lil Wayne at the Roots Picnic, and performed the closing set at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

ABOUT TROMBONE SHORTY

If anybody knows their way around a festival, it’s Grammy-winning artist Trombone Shorty. Born Troy Andrews, he got his start (and nickname) earlier than most: at four, he made his first appearance at Jazz Fest performing with Bo Diddley; at six, he was leading his own brass band; and by his teenage years, he was hired by Lenny Kravitz to join the band he assembled for his Electric Church World Tour. Shorty’s proven he’s more than just a horn player, though. Catch a gig, open the pages of the New York Times or Vanity Fair, flip on any late-night TV show and you’ll see an undeniable star with utterly magnetic charisma, a natural born showman who can command an audience with the best of them. Since 2010, he’s released four chart topping studio albums; toured with everyone from Big Boi to Jeff Beck to the Red Hot Chili Peppers; collaborated across genres with Pharrell, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Foo Fighters, ZHU, Zac Brown, Normani, Ringo Starr, and countless more; played Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk, Newport Jazz, and nearly every other major festival; performed four times at the GRAMMY Awards, five times at the White House, on dozens of TV shows, and at the star-studded Sesame Street Gala, where he was honored with his own Muppet; launched the Trombone Shorty Foundation to support youth music education; and received the prestigious Caldecott Honor for his first children’s book. Meanwhile in New Orleans, Shorty now leads his own Mardi Gras parade atop a giant float crafted in his likeness, hosts the annual Voodoo Threauxdown shows that have drawn guests including Usher, Nick Jonas, Dierks Bentley, Andra Day, and Leon Bridges to sit in with his band, and has taken over the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’s hallowed final set, which has seen him closing out the internationally renowned gathering after performances by the likes of Neil Young, the Black Keys, and Kings of Leon.

 

ABOUT TROMBONE SHORTY FOUNDATION

In New Orleans, music is everywhere: the clubs, the churches, the streets, the schools, and in the air. The city's musical culture is celebrated as an essential part of life—past, present and future. Founded by renowned New Orleans musician Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews in 2012, the Trombone Shorty Foundation inspires and uplifts the next generation of New Orleans musicians by developing their talent, educating them about the music business, and connecting them to the city’s unique musical heritage. Now in its 12th year, the Trombone Shorty Foundation proudly contributes to the time-honored traditions of “passing it on" and "playing it forward."

 

ABOUT CIMAFUNK

Cuban music has a new global ambassador: Cimafunk. With a name and image that pays tribute to the Cimarrons – Cubans of African descent that resisted slavery – and music and showmanship that re-embodies funk legends from the last century, the medical-school student turned funk artist has developed into a musical force crafting the sonic future of the island and a global, cultural phenomenon that unites and celebrates blackness across borders, oceans and languages. 

With his unmistakable AfroCuban sounds, no holds barred live show and multiple Grammy-nominations, Cimafunk is redefining what the planet understands as Cuban music. Cimafunk’s debut album “Terapia” (2018), with its groundbreaking #1 single Me Voy” – followed by his breakout performance at SXSW 2019 and widely praised NPR Tiny Desk Concertstarted a movement of converting millions of people to the religion of groove, one live show at a time. The AfroCuban rockstar has moved the spotlight well beyond the Buena Vista Social Club, salsa and reggaeton. Cimafunk’s distinctive musical fusion continued to grow in its artistry with both the release of his second album  "El Alimento” (‘The Nourishment ) -which was met with an abundance of critical praise that included Best Albums of the Year lists of Rolling Stone, NPR and more… as well as an equal volume of glowing reviews for his unrivaled live shows, which quickly made him one of the most in-demand festival performers.

From a local sensation on Havana’s small alternative music scene to global success, Cimafunk’s ascent is as dizzying as an F1 race. Performing with La Tribu (The Tribe), his 9-piece band from Havana, Cimafunk has electrified global audiences on massive stages and worldwide temples of music, making a name for himself as one of the great showmen of today. From New Orleans Jazz Festival and Lollapalooza Chile to becoming the first Cuban-born artist to play Coachella, this undisputed star of Afro-Latin music has earned the adoration of musical icons such as Argentine Fito Páez, who has hailed him as "one of the lights of the continent's future,” the Godfather of Funk George Clinton, who refers to him as “the next one,” and Chucho Valdés, who credits Cimafunk with masterfully and organically blending “AfroCuban with African American, converting this into a new school that until now I haven’t heard done.”

Cimafunk has collaborated on records and shared the stage with the likes of Alejandro Sanz, Big Freedia, CeeLo Green, ChocQuibTown, Chucho Valdés, Fito Páez, Fonseca, Fred Wesley, Galactic, George Clinton, Jon Batiste, Juanes, Leoni Torres, Lettuce, Lupe Fiasco, Michael Brun, Monsieur Periné, Nik West, Preservation Hall,, Omar Portuondo, Orquesta Aragón, Robert Glasper, String Cheese Incident, The Soul Rebels and Trombone Shorty. Susan Sarandon, Ron Delsner and other personalities have become superfans, often seen side-stage lost in the groove, and the likes of Paul McCartney and more have come out to check out the AfroCuban sensation.

Catalina, the lead single from Cimafunk’s latest album Pa tu’ Cuerpa (For your Body), is currently nominated for Record of the Year at the 2024 Latin Grammys.