Cuba's Silvio Rodriguez set to play Carnegie Hall

[Judi Lynn]

May 6, 12:59 PM EDT
Cuba's Silvio Rodriguez set to play Carnegie Hall
By ANNE-MARIE GARCIA
Associated Press Writer

HAVANA (AP) -- Cuban folk icon Silvio Rodriguez has been booked to play at Carnegie Hall during his first U.S. tour in 30 years, but his office said Thursday that Washington has yet to approve his visa.

The Cuban government Web site Cubadebate, where Fidel Castro posts his written essays, announced that the U.S. tour would also take Rodriguez to Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Puerto Rico. It said his last American concerts came in March 1980, during the administration of President Jimmy Carter, when U.S.-Cuba relations experienced a slight thaw in nearly a half century of frigid ties.

Rodriguez's office said his U.S. visa had not been approved, but the New York concert has already been scheduled for June 4.

The 63-year-old Rodriguez is a staunch defender of the Castro government and has for decades penned politically charged lyrics, though many fans are more moved by his poetic love songs.

In May 2009, Rodriguez wanted to travel to New York for a tribute to another folk legend, Pete Seeger, at Madison Square Garden, but couldn't because U.S. authorities didn't process his visa request fast enough.

More:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CB_CUBA_SILVIO_RODRIGUEZ?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-05-06-12-36-42

[Judi Lynn]

1. You .Tube song by Silvio Rodriguez: Havana Dream

Havana Dream (Unicorno by Silvio Rodriguez)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg6Ucj5d4HQ

[Judi Lynn]

2. Cuban singer Silvio Rodríguez returns to N.Y. after 31 years

Cuban singer Silvio Rodríguez returns to N.Y. after 31 years
BY Maite Junco

Originally Published:Tuesday, May 4th 2010, 3:47 PM
Updated: Thursday, May 6th 2010, 3:00 PM



The wait is over for fans of Cuban music legend Silvio Rodríguez.

Thirty-one years after last playing in New York, the “nueva trova” pioneer returns on June 4 to Carnegie Hall.

The 63-year-old singer/songwriter, known for politically controversial lyrics but also for poetically romantic songs, was persona non-grata in the U.S. for decades.

His most recent visa troubles were last May when he was invited but couldn’t travel to perform at Pete Seeger?a>??s 90th birthday tribute at Madison Square Garden.

“I tried to be with you again today,” Rodríguez wrote in a published letter to Seeger back then, “but, as you well know, those who don’t want the U.S. and Cuba to get together, to sing, to talk, to find understanding, didn’t allow me to.”

Rodríguez, whose hits include “Ojalá” and “Unicornio,” will also make stops in San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles and Puerto Rico.

He last performed in the city on February 1979 in a joint concert with his compatriot Pablo Milanés at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, according to a newspaper account from the time.

http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/2010/05/05/2010-05-05_a_long_trip_from_cuba_to_carnegie.html