Chucho Valdés

The history of Latin jazz in Cuba from the Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna to Irakere.

Based on the life of Benny Moré, the film concentrates on a period in the early 1950s when Moré leaves the orchestra of Duany and starts his own 'Banda Gigante'. In flashback we learn of his success in Mexico. Moré is caught in the events connected to Batista's coup in Cuba. Also, he tours Venezuela, where he suffers the machinations of a vengeful businessman. After collapsing and being hospitalised, Moré swears off alcohol. Some years later, he encounters his old band-mate Monchy, fallen on hard times.

In this film, Sara Gómez documents the everyday life of the Isla de Pinos, the discussions about the problems of construction, the school and the leisure activities of the youth in 1968 and contextualizes these images with Frantz Fanon's thoughts about the construction of a nation through decolonization.

From the island of Porquerolles to Cuba, it’s just a stone’s throw for Archie Shepp and Chucho Valdés! Relive the Afro-Cuban Project, an iconic concert that we fondly remember, for the 25th edition of Jazz à Porquerolles.