CUBA: ISLAND OF MUSIC

Shake it, baby! (two stars)

Running time: 80 minutes. Not rated (nothing objectionable). At the Quad Cinema, 13th Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues.

GARY Keys’ documentary is a toe-tapping, booty- shaking look at Cubans’ love of music that gets bogged down in political thoughts that go unexplored.

The jumping-off point is an invitation to Keys, a filmmaker and music prof at Columbia, to teach a master class in Havana.

There are lots of shots of ordinary Cubans gyrating to their beloved Afro-Cuban music; interviews with authorities, including noted jazz musician Billy Taylor, and people in the street; and nifty shots of the vintage American cars that are a mainstay of Cuban life.

“Music and love are the same thing,” a young woman in a sexy yellow dress proclaims.

For some odd reason, Keys narrates while driving a convertible around New York, keeping his eyes on the camera more than the road.

We get the idea that Keys thinks the U.S. goverment’s Cuban embargo is a waste of time, and he might well be right.

Unfortunately, he never explores the contentious issue other than to pan the camera over copies of editorials and op-ed pieces on the subject in The New York Times.

“Cuba: Island of Music” is enjoyable as a primer in Afrocentric music and dance. As a political statement, however, it’s pretty much of a dud.