Cuba - Lonely Planet [105]
El Gato Tuerto (Map; 836-0212; Calle O No 14 btwn Calles 17 & 19, Vedado; drink minimum CUC$5; noon-6am) Once the HQ of Havana’s alternative artistic and sexual scene, the ‘one-eyed cat’ (as Gato Tuerto translates into English) is now a nexus for karaoke-crazy baby-boomers who come here to knock out rum-fuelled renditions of traditional Cuban boleros (ballads). Hidden in a quirky two-story house just off the Malecón, with turtles swimming in a front pool, the upper floor is taken up by a restaurant while down below late-night revelers raise the roof in a chic nightclub.
Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba (Map; Calle 4 No 103 btwn Calzada & Calle 5, Vedado; admission CUC$5; 3pm Sat) Founded in 1962, this high-energy ensemble specializes in Afro-Cuban dancing (all of the drummers are Santería priests). See them perform, and dance along during the regular Sábado de Rumba at El Gran Palenque. This group also performs at Teatro Mella. A major festival called FolkCuba unfolds here biannually during the second half of January.
Callejón de Hamel (Map; Vedado; from noon Sun) Aside from its funky street murals and psychedelic art shops, the main reason to come to Havana’s high temple of Afro-Cuban culture is for the frenetic rumba music that kicks off every Sunday at around noon. For aficionados, this is about as raw and hypnotic as it gets, with interlocking drum patterns and lengthy rhythmic chants powerful enough to summon up the spirit of the orishas (Santería deities). Due to a liberal sprinkling of tourists these days, some argue that the Callejón has lost much of its basic charm. Don’t believe them. This place can still deliver.
Jazz
Jazz Club La Zorra y El Cuervo (Map; 833-2402; cnr Calles 23 & O, Vedado; admission CUC$5-10; 10pm) Havana’s most famous Jazz Club is La Zorra y El Cuervo (the vixen and the crow) on La Rampa, which opens its doors nightly at 10pm to long lines of committed music fiends. Suitably shoehorned into a cramped, smoky basement, the freestyle jazz showcased is second to none and, in the past, the club has hosted such big names as Chucho Valdés and George Benson.
Jazz Café (Map; top fl, Galerías de Paseo, cnr Calle 1 & Paseo, Vedado; drink minimum CUC$10; noon-late) This upscale joint located improbably in a shopping mall overlooking the Malecón is a kind of jazz supper club, with dinner tables and a decent menu. At night, the club swings into action with live jazz, timba and, occasionally, straight-up salsa. It attracts plenty of big-name acts.
Rock, Reggae & Rap
Patio de María (Map; Calle 37 No 262 btwn Paseo & Calle 2, Vedado; admission 5 pesos) Rather unique in Cuba for a number of reasons, the Patio de María, near the Teatro Nacional de Cuba, is a nexus point for Havana’s burgeoning counterculture hosting everything from rock music to poetry readings. Run by María Gattorno, the venue has received heavy media coverage in Cuba and abroad, partly due to Gattorno’s AIDS and drug-prevention educational work. You can catch all kinds of entertainment here from videos and debates to workshops and theater, but the real deal are the rock nights (to canned music) that take off most weekends. Check the cartelera posted at the door or head to Parque de los Rockeros (Calles 23 and G) to find out what’s happening.
La Madriguera (Map; 879-8175; cnr Salvador Allende & Luaces; admission 5-10 pesos) Locals bill it as a ‘hidden place for open ideas,’ while outsiders are bowled over by its musical originality and artistic innovation. Welcome to La Madriguera – home to the Hermanos Saíz organization, the youth wing of Uneac. This is where the pulse of Cuba’s young musical innovators beats the strongest. Come here for arts, crafts, spontaneity and the three Rs: reggaetón (Cuban hip-hop), rap and rumba.
Dance Clubs
Havana’s dance clubs range from suave lounges to wall-vibrating hotel discos that continue well into the small hours. Alternatively you can uncover a more local caliente (hot) scene and mingle congenially with Cubans as they dance energetically to timba, salsa/jazz, reggaetón and rap.