Articles of Irakere

Chucho and Irakere were predestined to reach the peak of international success. The band was demonstrating the contributions of the new school of Cuban music that was beginning to bear fruit.

Then came that decisive year for Irakere, 1977, with the arrival of the Daphne cruise ship in Havana, bringing Dizzy Gillespie and a cohort of established jazz musicians: Stan Getz, Earl “Fatha” Hines, David Amram, Ray Mantilla, Anne Brackeen, Billy Hart, Rudy Rutherford, John Orr, Eddie Graham and the singers Marva Josie and Ry Cooder. The tour ended with a concert at the Mella theater.