A Little Cuban Music @ The Ritz Carlton

Someone at the Cuban Heritage Collection (@ the University of Miami), told me about a Cuban Combo that performs at the Ritz Carlton Resort on the island of Key Biscayne. I decided to go the hotel last night and hear the music. Key Biscayne is only about 15 minutes from my hotel, but is a completely different world. In order to get there, you must cross the Rickenbacker Causeway, which has an amazing view of the skyline of Miami. With this said, it is quite a daunting experience to cross this causeway as it crosses a great deal of water, with one side of the road facing out into the oblivion of the open sea.

Once you reach the Ritz Carlton, it is an incredible sight. The pictures that I have posted do not accurately reflect how beautiful the landscape and grounds of the hotel were. I was quite surprised that I was not able to self-park my car and that the valet cost $18. Luckily, since I was going to the Bar to hear the Cuban band, the price was $10. I went inside the hotel, and there was the band directly in front of me performing a lounge. They wore the traditional White Tuxedoes, which are very reminiscent of Cuban Music Clubs Pre-Revolution. The attire coupled with the Cuban architecture of the lounge, transported me to Havana some 60+ years ago!!!

The band consisted of electric upright bass, congas, vocals, tres, and piano (as well as pre-recorded percussion tracks through a speaker). The musicians performed many Cuban "standards" such as Guantanamera, Chan Chan, and Quizas. They even played a 2-3 son version of Autumn Leaves. I ordered a tonic water and lime and enjoyed the music for about 2 hours (with the band stopping a few times for breaks). At one point, the manager of the lounge yelled to the band to stop playing because the Lebron James decision was about to air on television (which I thought was a little rude and unprofessional of the manager to do in such an upscale hotel and lounge). In any event, I was expecting my tonic water to be $6 or $8, but I ended up befriending one of the waitresses and she had the manager comp my drink AS WELL AS MY PARKING!!! So, instead of the evening costing me $20, it cost me $3 (the toll over the causeway and a tip for the valet because the waitress would not even take a tip).

When the music was finished for the evening, I went up to the band and spoke with them for a few moments. It turned out that all of the members were Columbian, with the exception of the Tres player who was Cuban. This gentleman was very friendly, but did not have the knowledge or information I need for my research study. Regardless of the musician's country of origin, the music sounded very Cuban and very well put-together. Since this band performs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I will most likely frequent this establishment a few more times before my time here is up.