profile

Belly of the Beast

Closing out the year with Cuban jazz

Published 5 months ago • 1 min read

​English Newsletters Archives | Boletines en Español​

Happy holidays from Belly of the Beast!

As the year comes to a close, we wanted to share our latest video about two brothers at the forefront of Cuba’s next generation of jazz musicians.

The Abreu Brothers: Cuba’s Young Jazz Stars

Meet Fabio (19) and Diego (17), two Cuban siblings who have taken the island's jazz scene by storm. Fabio is a percussionist and Diego is a pianist, and together…they’re something else.

video preview​

The brothers grew up surrounded by music and are now transporting Cuban jazz to new heights. Their path has taken them from the classrooms of Havana’s Amadeo Roldán Conservatory to the stage of the Teatro Martí — a rare leap for musicians still in their teens.

Winners of the Cubadisco 2025 Opera Prima Award for their album “Tributos: Jazzeando a lo cubano,” the brothers blend jazz, funk, danzón and timba into a distinctly Cuban sound.

​Watch our video about the Abreu Brothers to discover how family, heritage and creativity shape the music of Cuba today.

Our Work Exists Because of You

We want to thank you for being a vital part of our community. As we close out the year, we remind you that Belly of the Beast is only possible because of you. We are a small independent media outlet and rely on donations to continue our work. Your tax-deductible donation helps us carry out independent, on-the-ground reporting about Cuba that you won’t find anywhere else.

Every contribution — big or small — strengthens our journalism.

​DONATE NOW!​

Follow us on WhatsApp and Telegram!

📡 For real-time updates: [WhatsApp] | [Telegram]

¿Hablas Español? Sign Up For Our Spanish Newsletter!

If you or someone you know prefers to read in Spanish, now you can receive our reporting, documentaries and exclusive insights directly in your inbox.

Suscríbete a Belly of the Beast en Español aquí.

Help us grow our Spanish-speaking community by forwarding this to friends, family and colleagues!

📢 We’re on Bluesky!

Follow us on Bluesky for updates, behind-the-scenes content and powerful stories from Cuba that you won’t find anywhere else. 👉 Follow us now! ​

Support Independent Journalism

Since launching in 2020, Belly of the Beast has become the go-to source for news and documentaries about Cuba.

We receive no money from any government or corporation and rely on the support of individuals to keep telling Cuba’s untold stories.

Here's how you can help:

Donate: Fuel our work and help us continue to provide independent, hard-hitting journalism.

Share: Know someone who would love our documentaries, video reports or articles? Forward this email or invite them to subscribe.

Suscríbete a Belly of the Beast en Español

Catch up on previous issues of Belly of the Beast:

​English Newsletters Archives | Boletines en Español​

Belly of the Beast

Discover Cuba through the eyes of its people. Bold reporting, powerful documentaries, and stories that challenge the mainstream narrative.

Read more from Belly of the Beast
North Americans in Cuba for May 1

Boletines en Español | English Newsletters Archives Mientras la administración Trump intensifica la guerra económica y las amenazas de acción militar contra Cuba, la solidaridad de los estadounidenses está creciendo como respuesta. Esta semana escuchamos a personas que han viajado a Cuba en medio de las crecientes dificultades económicas en la isla: desde un joven activista que dejó Minneapolis para ir a La Habana a marchar el Primero de Mayo, hasta el rapero Vic Mensa, quien presenció de...

1 day ago • 11 min read
North Americans in Cuba for May 1

English Newsletters Archives | Boletines en Español As the Trump administration ramps up economic warfare and threats of military action against Cuba, solidarity from people in the United States is growing in response. This week, we hear from people who have traveled to Cuba amid deepening economic hardship on the island — from a young activist who left Minneapolis for Havana to march on May Day, to rapper Vic Mensa who witnessed the effects of sanctions firsthand in a Cuban hospital, to...

5 days ago • 9 min read
cubanos en cuba marcha primero de mayo

Boletines en Español | English Newsletters Archives En el Día Internacional de los Trabajadores, mientras protestas en todo el mundo vinculaban las dificultades económicas con la agresión militar de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump emitió una orden ejecutiva que intensifica la guerra de su administración contra el pueblo cubano. Esta semana analizamos la amplia orden, que constituye la más reciente escalada en una guerra económica de décadas diseñada para provocar un cambio de régimen mediante la...

8 days ago • 14 min read