Let’s get funky
Havana-NOLA Funk is back!
Join the Trombone Shorty Foundation in Havana, Cuba for 5 days and 4 nights for an intimate musical exploration of New Orleans / Havana jamming. The two cities share cultural connections that span centuries and are primed for a funk expedition for the ages. Fresh off a 2022 Grammy nomination, Cuba’s Cimafunk will host his friends, NOLA based decade-spanning and award-winning jam band Galactic, and the legendary NOLA icon and GRAMMY award-winning Trombone Shorty. Young New Orleans musicians from the Trombone Shorty Foundation and Cuban music students will accompany the star-studded lineup of professional musicians along with additional surprise guests from Cuba, including emerging acts and established superstars.
The Havana Funk Expedition will take visitors on an immersive journey through Cuba’s cultural history and present alongside Cuban and New Orleans legends.
The exchange is organized by the Trombone Shorty Foundation and Cuba Educational Travel, organizations with long histories of cross-cultural exchange, community engagement and arts development. It is supported by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation, a foundation dedicated to fostering music and the arts at a youth and community level.
Cultural exchanges by day, jazz & funk concerts by night
Jam sessions, master classes and spontaneous musical experiences with Cuban and New Orleans musicians
Visits to schools and community projects
Private performances and intimate concerts
Curated, behind-the-scenes experiences focused on art, dance, music, and history
Support young musicians in Cuba and New Orleans and the longstanding cultural relationship between the two cities.
“We want to see the next generation of New Orleans musicians ready for the world. This ‘expedition’ allows these students the opportunity to experience another culture so closely tied to their own, historically and musically, which in turn gives them a better understanding of why New Orleans music is so special—the roots run deep. Once a young New Orleans musician taps into that cultural heritage and understands that it’s their responsibility to play it forward, the future of our music remains strong.”
Join Us
PONTE LA LICRA
Your travel to Cuba is fully compliant with U.S. regulations and legal. You will travel to Cuba under the “People-to-People” travel category, which requires travelers maintain a full-time schedule of activities that involve meaningful interaction with the Cuban people.
Funds secured from the travel package will be used to subsidize musician and student travel and support cultural projects in New Orleans and Havana. We’re grateful to travelers for taking part in a life-changing cultural trip that supports the arts and artists in both countries.
Galactic at Tipitina’s >
< Trombone Shorty on Good Morning America
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, to experience this here in Cuba. The meeting of the cultures, we have the Cuban musicians jamming out with us... it’s just a beautiful thing. It’s unbelievable.”
Cimafunk Tiny Desk >
“He’s the one. the new one-straight off the mothership. Cima is doing a brand-new funk and this is his year!”
¡A calentar!
For additional info or to contact the organizers, please reach out to adam@cubaeducationaltravel.com