American Jazz troupe donates instruments to Cubans
The Associated Press
HAVANA -- Members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra are in Cuba
for the second time in a year, this time to distribute a planeload of
instruments to promising young musicians at four Havana schools.
The Horns for Havana project grew out of a much higher profile visit to
Cuba last year that was headlined by Jazz at Lincoln Center legend
Wynton Marsalis.
Carlos Henriquez, a composer and arranger for the New York-based troupe
who organized the project, said Wednesday that he and other musicians on
the earlier trip were deeply affected by the talented young musicians
they met but disturbed by their lack of good instruments.
Many of the youths had broken or worn-out instruments, including guitars
without strings, trumpets without valves and violins with cracked wood.
This timed, Henriquez and other musicians brought enough equipment for
four complete acoustic jazz orchestras. They valued the instruments at
$250,000.
"We are here for the kids," Henriquez said.
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