“The Cubans have all of the traditional Latin rhythms in their blood. They just breathe it from birth,” alto saxophonist Sumner Becker ’14 concluded after the Brown Jazz Band’s January trip to Havana. “Our comparative advantage was in our traditional swing.… When we collaborated it made both [groups] better.” He and Ana Gonzalez ’15, above, were among fourteen students who spent a week in Cuba, jamming, studying, and performing with local players.

Jordan Beard '15