Havana Meets Kingston (Cuba / Jamaica)

Havana Meets Kingston is a project uniting leading musicians from Cuba and Jamaica to blend the deep-rooted grooves of reggae, dancehall, and rocksteady with the vibrant soul of son, timba, and salsa. Though both islands share African ancestry and colonial histories, their musical traditions have long evolved on separate paths, and their impact on each other has rarely been explored. In 2015, Australian producer Jake Savona, known as Mista Savona, traveled to Havana with Jamaican legends Sly & Robbie to begin bridging that divide. Recording at the iconic EGREM Studios, the sessions grew into a groundbreaking collaboration, yielding the first Havana Meets Kingston album in 2017 to worldwide acclaim, followed by Part 2 in 2022.

Featured Songs:

On this reggae version of the classic bolero-son “Lagrimas Negras” (Black Tears), Savona invited legendary Cuban singer Beatriz Márquez whose career as a singer began in 1970. Originally composed by Cuban composer and singer Miguel Matamoros in 1929 and showcased on Putumayo's Global Reggae, “Lagrimas Negras” is one of Latin America’s most recognized melodies, although it has never been done in a reggae style like this until now.

In the Coffee Culture track “Juramento” (Oath), the ensemble reimagines Miguel Matamoros’s 1929 bolero classic through a warm reggae groove. Cuban singer Solis and trumpeter Julito Padrón shine alongside Sly Dunbar’s drums, Bongo Herman’s percussion, Gaston Joya’s bass, and Alejandro Falcón’s piano, creating aluminous meeting of two island traditions, bridging the Caribbean through shared rhythm, soul, and reverence.

On Putumayo's Global Guitars, "Kingston Nights” features the warm, soulful guitar of Winston “Bopee” Bowen, one of Jamaica’s most beloved session musicians. Beginning at Channel One studios in the mid-1970s, Bowen became one of the island’s most sought-after guitarists. His guitar glides over a rhythm laid down by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, with Cuban percussion adding irresistible tropical warmth. Bowen passed away in Kingston in 2019, and “Kingston Nights” stands as a fitting tribute to his talent.

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