CASA DE LA MÚSICA  -  Galeano, Centro Habana
e/Neptuno y Concordia - Tel: 862 4165 / 860 8296 
Matinees: 4pm-8pm, except Mondays, 4pm-10pm (main band on at 8pm). Entrada $5 / $10 
Review by Gabreil Wilder

Nights: Main band on between midnight and 1.30 (weekends). Entrada: $5-$25 (Los Van Van) 

This is my favourite for many reasons. It's central - you can walk to and from it (if it's not too late at night, and you're not staying in Miramar) and it has a big-ass dance floor. I also like the multi-level aspect of it - the steps that lead up to the stage make for good audience participation, with singers like Pupy's Pepito coming down to sing right in front of the audience; and there are tiered viewing sections as well. The main drawback would be the sound - there are places where the sound is worse (I'll get to that); and the sound at Miramar (see below) is definitely better. But most bands sound OK here, with the exception of Klimax (more about the bands later): I recommend you see them anywhere except Galiano - I have never heard them sound good there. The floor surface varies wildly: sometimes it's slippery; sometimes it's really sticky. At the supermatinees, (Mondays) it is almost invariably awash with water/beer/whatever. Wear rubber-soled shoes to those ones.

Casa de la Música - Galiano

Bamboleo performing at La Casa de la Música Galiano

SALON ROJO en el Hotel Capri
Calle 21 entre N y O Vedado, La Habana, Cuba - Tel: (0)-53-7-733-3517‎
Show: 10-10.30; band about midnight - google map - mapa de google

Oooh baby, this place is a blast from the past. As the name suggests, it's all red. Really all red: floor, wall, ceiling. There are tables and chairs throughout and a ginormous chandelier over the stage. You almost expect to see Sammy, Frank and Deano sitting at a table drinking martinis. Gigs here are irregular (check canal cubano) and may (if you're very lucky) be preceded by a spectacular dance show - which is both tacky, and somehow not at all tacky - no girls in g-strings; more like something from one of those 50s movies when Latin culture was all the rage - more Carmen Miranda doing the Chatanooga Choo Choo cha-cha-cha (and yes, I know she's Brazilan, but the cha-cha-cha is Cuban, and that's how she sang it!) than anything. Y'know, a bit of class. Good routines and amazing, elaborate costumes (you could almost swear Edith Head was in charge). And when I saw the show before Azucar Negra in 04, they finished with Que cosas tiene la vida. It was fab! - by Gabriel Wilder of Yemayá's Verse

Habana D Primera en el Salón Rojo - Hotel Capri - Vedado, Cuba

Yo caminé al Salón Rojo desde mi casa particular la primera noche que me quedé en el Vedado. Ni sabía quien estaba tocando. Fue un jueves. El show empezó con un comediante y le siguió un traga- fuegos vestido de indio.  El salón es muy acojedor y el sonido espectacular. Hay butancas en el medio y mesas mas cerca a la tarima. La presentación musical fue Yulién Oviedo y su grupo. Yulién vestía con chaleco de cuero, blanco con muchos zippers al estilo Michael Jackson. Tremenda orquesta la de Yulién bajo la dirección musical del bajista Osmar Salazar Hernández. También ví a Bamboleo con Tania Pantoja y me tomé un trago con Lazarito Valdés, director del grupo, y su representante Chucho. Recomiendo este salón para ver un concierto....muy cómodo con buena onda,  buena música y sonido. - puracepa

Despelote con Yulién Oviedo- Salón Rojo - Hotel Capri - Vedado, Cuba

Lazarito Valdés y su Bamboleo - Salón Rojo - Hotel Capri - Vedado, Cuba