Bridge to Havana Music DVD Review :: Wessex Scene Online

Bridge to Havana Music DVD Review

21st December 2005
Stephen Thompson

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Bridge to Havana: Various Artistst - This film depicts what happened when over a hundred Western musicians flew from America to Cuba to make new friends, enhance ethnic awareness and write some cross-cultural songs. It follows their journey and the mind blowing results. The idea was to throw as many musicians from very different backgrounds into a room, get them to bounce some ideas around and then present what they had come up with in a concert in Havana. Many famous Western musicians wilfully took part, including Mick Fleetwood, Gladys Knight and Paddy Maloney. Their Cuban counterparts included the hugely popular Pablo Menendez, Rey Guerra and Rene Banos.

After the Westerners arrived in Cuba a lottery of sorts was conducted to see who got paired with who. Some of the songs that were written were simply brilliant. The first track, ‘Not so close, not so far’, highlights that although there are clear differences between the two nations, fundamentally all are united through the common value of humanity. Beth Nielson Chapman’s vocals are simply breathtaking and perfectly suited to the lyrics. Carlos Varela and Santiago Feliu also play a vital part in this masterpiece.

‘Just to be alone with you’ sees Joan Osbourne collaborating with Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez among others and really does prove that music is the universal language. ‘Unlonely’ is what Montell Jordan, Carlos Alfonso and Dave Koz came up with. Perfectly weighted and surprisingly moving, this is a good example of how successful this project really was. As well as showing footage from the concert, there are also clips of Cuba, providing an insight into the culture, language and people.

This whole project will warm the cockles of your heart, as it shows very different people, with very different histories really bonding together. Creativity, originality and emotions really shine through. This is a brilliant piece of film that captures not only the similarities but also the differences between a diverse range of musicians. ‘Bridge to Havana’ would appeal to most music lovers, but especially any one who has a passion for Hispanic music.