古巴音乐家希望将古巴音乐推向美国
As the US embassy in Cuba prepares to re-open for the first time in over half-a-century, Cuban musicians are hoping the diplomatic rapprochement will help them expand their sound into new markets.
美国驻古巴大使馆近半个多世纪以来将首次重新开放，古巴音乐家们希望这种外交友好关系可以帮助他们的音乐推向新市场。
From the bolero to the mambo and from the rumba to the salsa, Cuba has a rich heritage of musical talent looking to take advantage of the renewed ties between Cuba and the United States.
Since the 1962 U.S. Trade Embargo, musicians in Cuba have struggled to take their music abroad.
Until the Bill Clinton presidency, it was not even possible to license Cuban music for American distribution.
But with change on the horizon, Cuban musicians like Israel Rojas, a member of the Guantanamo pop group, Buena Fe, are hopeful for the opportunity to share their talent.
"For the musician's guild you can imagine that this is an enormous opportunity. This country has extraordinary musicians, fantastic, they have a cultural force. Also, they are not even known yet, legitimately, as a result of this policy of survival, the policy of denial of our musicians to bigger markets where music is distributed as a product. It's an opportunity."
This move has opened up a new chapter of engagement between the former Cold War foes with one of its next tasks being the dismantling of the former economic embargo.
Another Cuban Grammy nominee, singer Cucu Diamantes, says that a more flexible American response to Cuban musicians will mean more exposure for local artists.
"If all U.S. policies towards Cuba start to be more flexible I think that Cuban artists will have more exposure, for example in the Latin Grammies. We have a large musical platform in Cuba but we have little presence in the Grammies."