and this is what the puerto rican community... we inherited afro cuban music through our forefathers, et cetera, from the mambo era, et cetera, et cetera. and they... as we say in spanish, tambor llama, "the drum calls." so imagine listening to that in the projects. i grew up in the melrose projects, 681. in the canyons of the projects you're hearing that not only during the day, but at 3:00 in the morning in the basketball courts, et cetera. and instead of... what i tell people is the difference between our community and, say, somebody living in the suburbs, is in the suburbs, somebody would start calling 911, the cops, say, "hey, there's these people drumming," et cetera. but at 3:00 in the morning in our neighborhoods, people would be going, "yeah, keep it going." >> hinojosa: "don't stop." >> yeah, yeah. and so (speaking spanish) >> hinojosa: so for you... but this notion of kind of living with music all around you, you... i love the story of your dad, who was a machinist. >> right. >> hinojosa: again, puerto rican. and he would come home from work, and he would sit and listen to

-- on the backs of african slaves, whose rhythms are the living pulse of both afro-american and afro-cuban was a meeting of musical minds, a musical bridge over the troubled waters that have separated the united states and cuba for half a century. ♪ ♪ from the band's very first stop, it was obvious this would be a hot visit, in more ways than one. we're in havana's rumba palace. marsalis and his musicians are just off the plane-- here tonight not to perform, but to acclimate. >> marsalis: cuba, that's like one of your cousins. they do their thing, they have their way of dancing, their way of cooking-- you know, red beans and rice, the kind of food that we have. >> safer: the great cuban musician compay segundo once said it all-- "cubans are frantic when it comes to appreciating music." their moves aren't so bad, either. ♪ ♪ the rumba palace crowd partied long into the night. soon, it would be the americans' turn to show their stuff... ...with an old-fashioned new orleans street parade, with a gaggle of music students in tow. spreading that timeless new orleans rule of life-- let the good t