Closing out the year with Cuban jazz


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

Boletines en Español | English Newsletters Archives ¡Felices fiestas de parte de Belly of the Beast! Mientras el año va llegando a su fin, queremos compartir nuestro video más reciente sobre dos hermanos que están a la vanguardia de la próxima generación de músicos de jazz en Cuba. Los Hermanos Abreu: Jóvenes estrellas del jazz cubano Conozca a Fabio (19) y Diego (17), dos hermanos cubanos que han revolucionado la escena del jazz en la isla. Fabio es percusionista y Diego es pianista, y...

la periodista de Belly of the Beast, Liz Oliva Fernández, desmonta la hipocresía de la guerra contra las drogas de la administración Trump y demuestra cómo Cuba no envía drogas a Estados Unidos, sino que impide que lleguen hasta allí.

Boletines en Español | English Newsletters Archives Bajo el estandarte de la lucha contra el narcotráfico, la administración Trump parece encaminarse de manera temeraria hacia una guerra contra Venezuela. Es un secreto a voces que su verdadero objetivo es el petróleo y un cambio de régimen tanto en Venezuela como en Cuba. También se ha reportado ampliamente que Venezuela no es una fuente significativa del problema de las drogas en los Estados Unidos. Pero lo que ha recibido escasa cobertura...

Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández dismantles the hypocrisy of the Trump administration’s war on drugs and how Cuba is not shipping drugs to the U.S., it's stopping them from getting there.

English Newsletters Archives | Boletines en Español Under the banner of fighting drug trafficking, the Trump administration seems to be careening toward war against Venezuela. It’s an open secret that its real objective is oil and regime change in both Venezuela and Cuba. It's also been widely reported that Venezuela is not a significant source of drug problems in the United States. But what has received little media coverage and what the Trump administration dares not acknowledge is that on...