Tag: Cuba

In front of the small, somewhat crooked wooden house, Alvarado is sitting in the shade of a palm tree with two musicians; they play the son „Tic Tac“ in honor of Antonio, who has just arrived. Alvarado calls his 80 year old friend Tic Tac, because you can hear his cane from afar: tic tac tic tac.

The other two musicians are friends who happened to be passing by. A former cop who plays the tres guitar. And a rum-loving neighbor who can make music on empty bottles. Antonio sits next to it contentedly, sometimes clapping along with the rhythm.

Alvarado almost always works like this – spontaneously and surrounded by the people of his hometown. His lyrics reflect events from his everyday life. Living in Pueblo Nuevo, a district of Mella in Eastern Cuba.

The big old sugar cane factory stands in the center of the settlement and towers above everything. It looks a bit like an old cathedral with two towers. “Antonio J. Mella” is written on the chimneys, the name of the co-founder of the Communist Party of Cuba.