Averhoff was appearing as a guest performer at Yuca, a Miami Beach restaurant and nightspot, with the Juan Pablo Torres Quartet. The announcement was made to the audience by Torres, a Cuban jazz trombonist and Miami resident.
Averhoff, 50, said later that he did not decide to defect on impulse, but has been considering it for some time. His opportunity came after he completed a U.S. tour several weeks ago with Cuban singer Issac Delgado, which took him to Puerto Rico, Washington and New York.
``I spent the whole tour sick to my stomach just thinking about it, but I had to do it,'' Averhoff said from a relative's apartment near downtown Miami, where he is staying. ``I despised the system in Cuba, and I have never had anything good to say about it. I'm 50 years old, I have a daughter and a son [in Cuba], my mother is there and I have to start again. But at least here there is a future, [there are] possibilities.''
As one of the elite musicians in Cuba, Averhoff traveled abroad frequently, but, he said, that was not enough.
``Traveling is no life,'' he said. ``And what is happening in Cuba is something I don't want for me, or my kids or my mother or anyone.''
Averhoff hopes to establish himself not only as a performer but also as an educator.
``I would love to be able to teach in this country,'' he said. ``I hope there is an institution that can use my experience as a player and teacher.''
Copyright © 1997 The Miami Herald