SFJAZZ, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival and MOAD will offer “El Son Afro-Cubano,” an eight-week lecture series by five-time Grammy-nominated historian and producer John Santos. The course will delve into the origins, evolution, and relevance of the Cuban Son, one of the most important and influential genres of music and dance in the history of the Americas. Son is described in the course literature as “the quintessential melding of Africa and Spain, with a tumultuous history and unparalleled role in the development of contemporary Latin American music.” The classes will include listening, viewing video footage, discussion and Q&A. This “Discover Jazz” course is available as a series or as individual classes. The schedule is as follows.
August 3 El Son Monte Adentro: Introduction and historical survey
August 10 En La Capital: The Son arrives in Havana
August 17 El Camaleón Musical: The Son colors the musical landscape
August 24 Invasión Cubana: The Son in the U.S. and Europe
August 31 El Son Montuno: 1940s and 50s Havana
September 7 Legados: The legacies of Matamoros, Piñeiro, Arsenio and Benny
September 14 La Salsa de Nueva York: The birth of a genre in New York City
September 21 Cuba Contemporánea: The continuing presence of the Son in Cuba
SFJAZZ, MOAD & YBGF Members: $15 per class; $120 full course
Non-Members: $20 per class; $160 full course
To purchase tickets, visit SFJAZZ or call the SFJAZZ box office at 415-488-7353.
