Photo Credit: PBS NewsHour
The Trombone Shorty Foundation’s fourth annual Getting Funky In Havana trip leads cultural and musical exchange alongside several stars.
Culturally and musically, New Orleans, Louisiana, is inseparable from Havana, Cuba, despite over five hundred nautical miles and a geographical border between them. Since 2020, the Trombone Shorty Foundation has led a rich cultural exchange between the two cities with its annual Getting Funky In Havana pilgrimage, furthering the foundation’s mission to inspire the next generation of musicians.
Organized in partnership with Cimafunk and Cuba Educational Travel, and sponsored by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation, 2025’s Getting Funky expedition took place January 16-20. As the musicians, music fans, industry professionals, and students of all ages make their way back stateside, they remain inspired as new ideas turn to action and memories bring new friends into the fold.
Singer Yola moderated a panel comprised of Taj Mahal, Trombone Shorty, George Clinton, and Cimafunk, fostering deep-dive discussions and cross-cultural collaboration on stage each night. The emphasis remained on deepening the artist ties between Havana and New Orleans.
Moments of mentorship shone brightly, with Taj Mahal inviting a host of Cuban students, then Trombone Shorty Foundation students, then even more Cuban and American musicians to join him in finishing out a triumphant solo set. A sardine-packed stage filled with singers, horns, and percussion instruments dazzled and delighted. Guests were treated to a very intimate performance from Cuban national folk hero Carlos Varela, further educating and enlightening listeners on what it means to be from Cuba, from the Poet of Havana himself.
“The power of music to connect and perpetuate cultures was palpable as these soul wizards shared their passions,” says Bill Taylor, Founding Executive Director of the Trombone Shorty Foundation.
A large part of the Shorty Foundation’s trip to Havana is bringing Trombone Shorty Academy students to perform their music of New Orleans and to collaborate with other young Cuban musicians, some of whom have met before as part of the young Havana-based group, Primera Linea.
Visiting the Guillermo Tomas School of Music in Guanabacoa, the Shorty Academy band broke language barriers with a jam featuring both country’s students, culminating in the school’s courtyard with a couple of hundred people dancing along.
“Getting Funky has grown from an annual cultural exchange trip to a full-on musical festival with a large philanthropic arm making a real difference in communities in Havana and New Orleans,” says Collin Laverty, President of Cuba Educational Travel. “I’m touched by the amount and quality of artists from the US and Cuba that have taken part in Getting Funky during the first four editions and even more humbled to see the musical collaborations, lifelong friendships, and youth alliances that have resulted.”
“I’m so grateful to explore and celebrate the deep cultural connections between New Orleans and Cuba through Getting Funky in Havana,” says Cimafunk. “It’s all about coming together to celebrate Africa, Funk music, and the New Orleans-Cuba friendship.”
As Carlos Varela puts it, “Some people build walls, and some people build doors,” and the Trombone Shorty Foundation intends t continue building doors and reconnecting the worlds of New Orleans and Havana. Next up, Trombone Shorty and the Foundation kick off Shorty Fest in New Orleans on April 28.