It's a raven! It's a helicopter! It's Alex Cuba and a flying piano!
Award-winning Latin musician meets hikers in a remote performance for the Smithers B.C. Street Piano Project
Necks craned skyward looking for the helicopter in the clouds — with a piano and the promise of performance by Cuban-Canadian artist Alex Cuba dangling in the air.
And like the sun he came, filling the mountain air near Smithers, B.C. with a funky rendition of a famous Cuban song called Guantanamera, but this version is about "one tonne of mayo."
Cuba and the piano were set down by helicopter on the Crater Lake trail on July 15 for the performance, which was all part of the Street Piano Project started by a group called Smithers Street Pianos.
Cuba — born Puentes — is known for his Spanish/English songwriting and has won Junos as well as a Grammy award nomination for Best Latin Pop Album.
"I do my best — you know I don't play piano I play guitar," Cuba joked after delighting hikers with a short song on the custom painted piano.
The Highland Helicopter that delivered the musician and the bulky instrument to the Crater Lake trail on Hudson Bay Mountain was delayed by fog, but eventually emerged.
