Jeff Bhasker Record of the Year & Producer of the Year
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March 1, 2016 Page 1 of 19 INSIDE The Cuban-American Musical Detente: The Band Perry Part Ways With Inside A Native Son’s 40-Year Road to Big Machine Hi-Fi Musical Havana’s Newest Festival Adventure Collapses After BY JUDY CANTOR-NAVAS with dozens of Cuban artists astride American Fest Founder legends like Stevie Wonder (who remains at the top Slams Kesha This weekend, Major Lazer will perform in Havana, of Pisani’s wish list), would fulfill a lifelong dream. the first in a succession of big musical events that That dream begins at home. Pisani is the son Tidal Hit With include a concert by The Rolling Stones later in the of singer and songwriter Pablo Milanés, one of Lawsuit Over month and a massive international festival later this the most respected Cuban artists of the last half- Royalty Payments Spring. With U.S. embargo regulations at their most century and a superstar throughout greater Latin relaxed in five decades, travel to the island at its America. Alongside Silvio Rodriguez, Milanés was a SFX to Auction highest, and with an historic presidential visit also founder of the ‘60s Nueva Trova movement, a genre Off Beatport in scheduled this month the same week as the Stones of socially-conscious Cuban music that conjoined May, Looks to Sell Fame House show, the music industry has caught its own case of the protest song to the love ballad and grafted onto Havana fever. It suddenly seems that everyone wants the result traditional acoustic Cuban rhythms and Tidal Fires Two to do something in Cuba. They shouldn’t expect it to international influences of the time. As a boy, Pisani Top Execs be easy. watched as his father organized the Festival of Song PISANI, PEDIGREED DREAMER in the beach resort Veradero, which, starting in the Flint Benefit “Doing anything in Cuba is difficult,” says Fabien mid-’60s, brought Caetano Veloso, Mercedes Sosa, Attended by Pisani, co-founder of theMusicabana Foundation, Astor Piazzolla and many other international artists Janelle Monae which is organizing both the much-anticipated Major to Cuba. That heritage, and the contacts that come & More Raises Lazer concert in Havana this weekend (Mar. 6) and with it, goes a long way toward explaining his ability, $156,000 the relatively enormous Musicabana Festival in May, and wherewithal, to organize and execute his own, which is slated to bring together a deep lineup of much grander, version of his father’s work. Pisani left Cuban and international artists. Havana in 1991, a dark period for the island during “Doing a music festival there is for crazy people,” which it experienced an unprecedented creative says a self-descriptive Pisani. His vision of a festival, (continued) CONGRATULATIONS TO JEFF BHASKER RECORD OF THE YEAR & PRODUCER OF THE YEAR A long time coming my brother — Neil Jacobson CONGRATULATIONS OSCAR WINNER BEST ORIGINAL SONG MUSIC & LYRICS BY SAM SMITH & JIMMY NAPES SamOscarWinAd_Hits.indd 1 3/1/16 9:14 AM Page 3 of 19 [In Brief] drain of its artists and intellectuals, and talking to the Minister of Culture since Practice, paved the way for AirBnB to begin now travels between Brooklyn and Havana July 2014. It took six months for them operating in Cuba in April 2015. after having time spent living in Mexico to respond — they had to understand The result of Pisani’s consultation and Paris. the cultural vision, what the mission of and cooperation with the government is “I want to bring Cuba back into that the project is, how it is organized. Who I Musicabana becoming “a co-production cultural equation,” Pisani says. “From am, who I am working with, all of that... with the Cuban Institute of Music,” he says. my father’s advice and his example and the way that society works, the way the “The Institute is providing the venues, conviction that Havana is one of the music transactions are done and the way the it’s providing medical assistance, the fire capitals of the world, I get the idea of social values are — all of that you have to system, the security. “ making Havana a very rich getaway for understand.” With a co-sign from Cuban officials, everything cultural.” On March 21, President Obama will Pisani then reached out to Freyre and his Following the 2012 Cannes Film Festival travel to Havana, the first U.S. president firm. “When they told us [in Cuba] that it premiere of 7 Days In Havana, an anthology to do so in 88 years. Obama’s visit was can happen, we spent almost two months of short films featuring the work of Benecio announced in February, just after the building the whole legal framework,” del Toro and Gaspar Noë, among others, announcement of a deal allowing U.S. Pisani says. “And [the attorneys] have been which Pisani produced, the time had come airlines to operate up to 20 commercial meeting with the State Department, and to start working on his long-imagined flights a day to Havana. Obama’s the feedback has been positive.” music festival. Pisani began by partnering announcement was timed to U.S. and At the end of January, the U.S. Treasury with New York producer David Kirchner, Cuban officials’ meeting in Washington, Department announced updated forming an advisory board that now where U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny regulations that further loosened the grip includes the veteran promoter Ashley Capp Pritzker asked for her Cuban counterpart‘s of the Cuban embargo and buttressed of Bonaroo, New York event producer help in removing the challenges currently the evolving detente, as well as delivered Chris Wangro, iconic Cuban pianist and faced by U.S. companies attempting to do important news for the music industry. It former Havana International Jazz Festival business on the island. was another serendipitous turn that, in the director Chucho Valdés and Woodstock “The first thing I tell people is ‘you’re end, gives Musicabana a patina of destiny. co-creator Michael Lang. “I set out to build not in Kansas anymore,” says Cuban- The updated rules allow for American a great advisory board of people from American attorney Pedro Freyre, one of citizens to extract profits from musical different backgrounds who would relate to the leading experts on the U.S. embargo events produced in Cuba; previously, the idea,” Pisani says, before he presented against Cuba. “This is a very different Americans were allowed to perform on his idea to the Cuban government. jurisdiction. Not only do we have to deal the island, but only if any concert profits All of the skeletal work on Musicabana with the Cuban embargo regulations — were donated to an independent non- predates the reinstatement of diplomatic Cuba has its own rules, and it plays by, and governmental organization in Cuba or a relations between the U.S. and Cuba that enforces, them.” Akerman LLP, the Miami U.S. charity. Artists were also required to began on Dec. 17, 2014. “We have been firm where Freyre is chair of International hold workshops and clinics for Cubans ON SALE MARCH 25 55TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE DATE APRIL 2 CONTACT Jeff Serrette 212.493.4199 PLEASE CONGRATULATE ARETHA FRANKLIN ON [email protected] HER SIX DECADES OF MUSIC. Page 4 of 19 [In Brief] during their time on the island. with much of the momentum between for the success of Lopez’s “El Paquete “Taking that requirement away makes the U.S. and Cuba being lost, depending Semanal” — “The Weekly Package.” it a lot easier for organizers and producers on the new President-Elect’s sympathies. El Paquete, an infamous and ingenious to put the project together,” notes Freyre. Obama’s upcoming trip has been criticized operation, delivers thousands of illegally “You have to pay taxes like everything by Republicans, who say it will “reward a downloaded songs, movies, and TV shows else, it’s not a free ride. And of course you dictatorial regime.” to Cubans across the country, transported have to cover costs. You’re going to pay Tangentially, the Treasury Department by a fleet of messengers carrying hard production, you’re going to pay the rental recently approved the opening of a small drives and memory sticks. El Paquete of equipment, and all that stuff... [but] tractor factory in Cuba, allowing for (at reaches thousands of Cubans on the whatever is left over, your investors get to least one kind of) American business to island, who pay the equivalent of one or keep.” exist on the island for the first time in two dollars for a weekly subscription. “We’ve seen that progression of the more than 50 years. Purchasing real estate “Every province has a person who receives Obama administration to change the way remains off-limits for Americans, an all-but the hard drive and distributes it to other that U.S. deals with Cuba,” Freyre says. insurmountable obstacle for any U.S.-based people,” Lopez explains. “That’s the historic shift really. And of music promoters hoping to make a real Lopez and his associates founded course there’s a hard ceiling... which is the business from Cuban events. While a black the service in 2007 as students, putting embargo. As long as the embargo stays market exists in which Cuban citizens together a selection of music and videos in place, the full model of engagement offer to front for foreigners and sign their that would promote Cuban artists. It has with Cuba can’t happen.” While names on real estate contracts, its appeal is since turned some into national stars. El Obama’s upcoming trip can be expected obviously limited.