Gina Leon “shakes” old loves with her calm voice. She is accompanied by the sound of a guitar and Cuban percussion. The diva sings the song ¨Alejate¨, like the homonymous hit of Roberto Cantoral, and recalls the 1960s when she took possession of Cuban scenarios and imposed fashions through her hairstyles and ways of dressing.
The scene takes place one summer afternoon at the famous Havana’s Gato Tuerto (One-Eye Cat) night club located in O Street, between 17 and 19, in Vedado neighborhood). Leon, who is now “just a bit older” and keeps intact her performance style, seduces an audience celebrating the 53 years of a unique place in the early hours of the Cuban capital.
¨Qué te cuesta¨, ¨Aunque seas feliz¨ and ¨En nosotros¨ are songs that will leave captivated those attending this premises at dawns next October, when Gina will rule on that romantic corner of Havana, as previously Elena Burke, Marta Estrada , Moraima Secada, Jose Antonio Mendez and Cesar Portillo de la Luz did.
And the news sounds pleasing to the ear. It is a revitalization of this space, which has found in journalist Julio Acanda, an excellent presenter in the last 12 years, who for five years has also become artistic director whose creativity has provided a wise selection of artists each night.
Acanda explains that since August 26, 1960 the “Cat” has remained open, “and it has closed only in sporadic intervals.”
As expected and memorable moment of each night, Acanda told, the Night Club opens with an explicit recording of the well-known playwright Hector Quintero who, in an excellent synthesis, tells the story of this capital’s site, detailing important singers and concerts.
After ten o’clock at night and until five in the morning, a new generation of musicians makes incursions in that melodious spot, led by Osdalgia Lesmes and Baby Lores, who warns that every Wednesday, from this September; he will show another facet of interpreting his songs and others of the national repertoire sung as ballads.
Many Cuban fine artists have chosen the One-Eye Cat restaurant walls to exhibit their work. Precisely Alexander Izquierdo pays tribute to the onomastic of the place with their colorful pieces, which can be seen until the end of the year.
Attending the Cat and reaching one of its 82 seats, is an attractive option to enjoy the magic of Havana ’s early morning. Among known boleros , you can taste the delicious drinks ¨Orgasm del gato¨ and ¨Piña del gato¨, two cocktails of the house, prepared by experienced bartenders and thus being seduced by the sound of his majesty: Cuban song.
