CULTURE | Cuba Journal

Cuban Music History, Part 2

October 10, 2015September 6, 2015 by Contributor

This article is part 2 of a 3 part series. Here is Cuban Music History, Part 1. The 20th century brought about major changes for Cuba as a country. And its revolution would have effects worldwide, but the music played on, and would make its mark in the years before and after the revolution. The … Read more

Lost Film “Soy Cuba” Revived by Scorsese and Coppola After 30 Years

October 21, 2015September 1, 2015 by Contributor

by Chale Nafus One of the most kinetically exhilarating films in the history of cinema was almost lost forever. Premiering in 1964 in Cuba and the Soviet Union, SOY CUBA was removed from distribution after only one week in both countries, both with state-run film industries. I AM CUBA was not shown in the US … Read more

11 Incredible Facts About Cuba and Hemingway

December 27, 2015August 31, 2015 by Cuba Journal

Most American are not familiar with Hemingway’s 21 year history living in Cuba. The island nation played such an important role in his life that he wrote seven books in Cuba, including The Old Man and the Sea, A Moveable Feast and Islands in the Stream. His tropical home, the Finca Vigía (Lookout Farm) is … Read more

New Film Takes a Look at Cuba’s Underground Drag Racing Culture

October 10, 2015August 28, 2015 by Cuba Journal

Drag racing in Cuba By the Cuba Journal staff It’s one of the signature symbols of Cuba – the old, repurposed, rehabilitated American car from the 1940s and 1950s. For years, these cars have been used for something more than just transportation, though — they’ve been used for drag racing. That’s the subject of a new … Read more

Cuban Chrome: Selected Deleted Scenes

October 10, 2015August 27, 2015 by Cuba Journal

Homemade Tools In this deleted scene from episode 2, “Bye Bye Boat Motor”, Ricardo shows Dayan some self-made tools and shares the importance of being resourceful. Since it is difficult to find tools in Cuba, Ricardo creates them himself. Getting The Motor Started After using a horsecart to transport the new Oldsmobile motor in episode … Read more

Cuban Music History, Part 1

February 7, 2017August 25, 2015 by Contributor

The streets of Havana breathe music…drum beats and guitar strums, the very rhythm of the city – and the country’s day-to-day life. And for good reason: its cultural significance is a historical one. Cuba is often credited with having the greatest influence on the Latin Music we know and listen to today. But where did … Read more

How Wynton Marsalis Brought Lincoln Center to Cuba

October 12, 2015August 24, 2015 by Cuba Journal

Live in Cuba debuts By the Cuba Journal staff Nine-time Grammy Award-winner Wynton Marsalis’ newest album has a Cuban twist. Released last week, Live in Cuba features the first-ever performances by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in Cuba. Recorded in front of a sold-out crowd at Havana’s Melia Theatre in October 2010, the two-disc … Read more

Salsa: A Brief History

August 17, 2016August 22, 2015 by Contributor

by Eileen Torres Salsa is a tropical music whose roots are in Africa. The enslaved people from Africa brought their drumming traditions to their new locations. That particular tradition was prohibited, in the United States. We were afraid the drums would communicate plans to revolt, escape. Cuba however did not impose those restrictions. The African rhythms … Read more

Cuban Chrome: The Cars

October 10, 2015August 20, 2015 by Cuba Journal

Cuban Chrome is a new docu-series that explores the fascinating time warp that celebrates Cuban car culture. This is the first American television series to be produced entirely on location in Cuba and will be simulcast in English on Discovery Channel and in Spanish on Discovery en Espanol.

After the 1959 Cuban Revolution and the subsequent United States embargo, it has been illegal to import American cars to the island nation — as a result, Cuba’s vintage American vehicles are frozen in time. For Cubans, these cars are not just a means of transportation, but a way of life. Cuban Chrome will give viewers an intimate look into this rarely seen country as they meet the men and women who put everything on the line to keep these classic cars running.

Today, thousands of classic American cars can be found in Cuba, each of them with a unique story to tell. This show takes viewers on a ride through Cuban culture and into the world of A Lo Cubano Car Club, a passionate group of car enthusiasts, restorers, mechanics and apprentices who work together to restore classic cars and maintain the ones they already own (and depend upon) though the odds are stacked against them.

Below are the cars of Cuban Chrome. The top image is an example of the original, and the bottom image is the actual car that appeares in Cuban Chrome.

Source: Discovery

Cuban Chrome: The Season 1 Characters

October 10, 2015August 12, 2015 by Contributor

Cuban Chrome is America’s first exposure to Cuban ingenuity, work ethic and passion for cars. While the series focuses mostly on maintaining vintage American cars, viewers also get some insight into the personal lives of the main characters. Here is a description of each of those characters.

Images by Discovery.com