On September 4, 2011, a planeload of musical instruments will take off from the United States headed for Havana, Cuba as part of an all volunteer project titled Horns to Havana in conjunction with Oakland-based Cuban cultural exchange organization, PlazaCUBA.
Horns to Havana started when members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra visited the Cuban capital city last year. They drew large enthusiastic crowds, but it was the youth they encountered in the Cuban music schools, such as the National School of Music (La ENA), who most affected the virtuoso American musicians. The students were talented, bright, eager to learn and play—but without instruments. Upon their return to the United States, some members of the Orchestra started to work on a plan that would bring jazz instruments and the spirit of jazz to Cuba.
The Bay Area turned out to be a big supporter due to the involvement of PlazaCUBA’s previous incarnation, Caribbean Music and Dance Programs. They have raised almost $10,000 in cash and donated instruments worth many thousands of dollars more.
It was Daar who introduced the late, great Bay Area saxophone player and member of Huey Lewis and the News, Ron Stallings to La ENA students in 1994. Like the Lincoln Center players who would follow 15 years later, Stallings was so taken with the students that he returned to Havana repeatedly to teach at the school. Upon his passing in 2009, friends and colleagues, including Stallings’ former band, Huey Lewis and the News, donated to the campaign in his honor. The instruments will be donated under the name, “The Ron Stallings Memorial Orchestra” and will be commemorated with a plaque at the Cuban music school.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
