Overview

Los Primos began in 1997 when Jeff and Amara Goodspeed decided to help the music schools in Cuba by collecting musical instruments from their community, fix them up and send them to Cuba.

More than 320 instruments have found their way to young musicians in Cuba since that time but more importantly a very strong cultural connection has been made between Nova Scotia and Cuba.

Los primos is spanish for “the cousins” and describes very well the relationship that now exists between many of our Canadian and Cuban Primos. They have learned from each other and visited each other’s countries four times now. Los Primos is the only band exchange program with Cuba that brings the Cuban students to their country.

The first group of Cuban music students came in 1998. They attended the Acadia Jazz Camp, were featured at the Atlantic Jazz Festival and toured the Maritime Provinces.

Los Primos 2000 included many of the same students and they could not wait to get back to Acadia to play some more jazz with their Canadian cousins.

The first group of Canadian Primos to travel to Cuba went in 2001 and included 27 young musicians who were reunited with their Cuban friends in Havana and also made new friends in Cienfuegos.

More trips each way have taken place but the highlight so far was the Big Band concert in 2005 at the Amadeo Roldan Theatre, which was a special performance in the JoJazz Festival to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Canada/Cuba relations.

Twenty-three music students from Nova Scotia teamed up with 24 Cuban students to for two international bands. The theatre was packed and the show received a standing ovation.