David Dalle
Thursday September 16th, 2021 with David Dalle
Celebrating 25 years of the Buena Vista Social Club part II: The Stars of the Buena Vista Social Club
Today we continue with part II of the 25th anniversary celebration of the Buena Vista Social Club (part I can be heard here https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/105/53320.html). The Buena Vista Social Club was a lot more than just a fantastic recording with stellar musicians. It was an unexpected, unplanned recording phenomenon which spawned enormous interest in Cuban music and musicians as well as scores of releases, both new and reissued (I cover this extensively in part I). Today, we will focus on the many World Circuit albums which followed the original Buena Vista Social Club release, most of which focused on a single musician: Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, Ruben Gonzalez, Orlando Cachaito Lopez, and Manuel Guajiro Mirabal. Virtually all of these albums were recorded at the famed Egrem Studios in Havana.
| We begin with the two other recordings made during the same sessions as the Buena Vista Social Club album. Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, from a younger generation than the elder stars of the Buena Vista, was a bandleader who was the contact for most of these elder musicians. His Afro-Cuban All Stars features many of the Buena Vista Social Club stars in their album "A Toda Cuba le Gusta". He is still leading the Afro-Cuban All Stars, with their latest release in 2017. The other release was by the amazing pianist Ruben Gonzalez. Born in 1919, he had been a very active musician since his teens, performing with many bands through the 40's until his retirement in the late 80's, with one recording as leader in the 70's. When he was contacted for the Buena Vista Social Club recordings, he was living alone in a small apartment without access to a piano. I think he was the heart and soul of the Buena Vista Social Club. After the main recordings were done, they offered Gonzalez the chance to record whatever music he'd like with the musicians. He picked many classic pieces, all recorded as descargas (improvised sessions) in one take and released as "Introducing...Ruben Gonzalez". His second album for World Circuit was recorded between 1997 and 2000 and was released in 2000. "Choco's Guajira" featured guest vocalist Cheikh Lo. Ruben Gonzalez died in 2003. |
| Los Sitio' Asere Afro-Cuban All Stars - A Toda Cuba Le Gusta - World Circuit |
| Melodia Del Rio Ruben Gonzalez - Introducing... - World Circuit |
| Choco's Guajira Ruben Gonzalez - Chanchullo` - World Circuit |
| Double-bassist Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez, born in 1933, was active in descarga during the 50's. In the 60's he joined Cuba's National Symphony Orchestra and in 1996 he joined the Afro-Cuban All Stars and then recorded and played with the Buena Vista Social Club. His first solo album "Cachaito" was recorded and released in 2001 by World Circuit. |
| Tumbao No. 5 Orlando Cachaito Lopez - Cachaito - World Circuit |
| The veteran singer Omara Portuondo was one of the few Buena Vista Social Club stars who had achieved widespread success and renown as a soloist before the Buena Vista Social Club. Born in 1930 she began her career as a teenager. She focused on her solo career in the 70's and 80's and was very successful with many recordings. The Buena Vista Social Club just expanded her fame globally. World Circuit recorded two solo albums by Omara Portuondo, in 2000 "Buena Vista Social Club Presents" and in 2004 "Flor de Amor". The latter album featured a Brazilian producer with some Brazilian musicians joining the Cuban musicians resulting in a rich Brazilian feel to the album. Omara Portuondo is still going strong. I saw the then 88 year old incredible songstress at the Ottawa Jazz Festival in 2019. |
| Veinte anos Omara Portuondo - Buena Vista Social Club Presents Omara Portuondo - World Circuit |
| Si llego a besarte Omara Portuondo - Flor de Amor - World Circuit |
| Habanera ven Omara Portuondo - Flor de Amor - World Circuit |
| The trumpeter Manuel Guajiro Mirabal, born in 1933, was very active playing and recording with many bands for decades before he became the principal trumpeter for the Buena Vista Social Club. His 2004 album "Buena Vista Social Club Presents" was his first album as leader. He leads three trumpets and a large host of other accomplished Cuban musicians. |
| Dueda Manuel Guajiro Mirabal - Buena Vista Social Club Presents Manuel Guajiro Mirabal - World Circuit |
| Ibrahim Ferrer, born in 1927, was yet another great Cuban musician who had never had top billing before the Buena Vista Social Club. He had sung for many bands over several decades, however, before he joined the Buena Vista Social Club, he had been retired from music and was making a living shining shoes. The Buena Vista Social Club launched him to stratospheric success, becoming one of the most prominent faces and voices of the Buena Vista Social Club. He recorded three albums as leader for World Circuit, his solo debut "Buena Vista Social Club Presents" in 1999, the 2003 "Buenos Hermanos", and the posthumously 2007 release "Mi Sueno" (he died in 2005). A truly wonderful coda for a tremendous life. |
| Que Bueno Baila Usted Ibrahim Ferrer - Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer - World Circuit |
| Fuiste Cruel Ibrahim Ferrer - Buenos Hermanos - World Circuit |
| Copla Guajira Ibrahim Ferrer - Mi Sueno - World Circuit |
| Note that two of the big stars from the Buena Vista Social Club, Compay Segundo and Eliades Ochoa, were not featured in this set. They both had contracts with other labels and only appeared on the original Buena Vista Social Club album and the live album, and did not have any World Circuit releases dedicated to them. |
| As I mentioned in part I, the Buena Vista Social Club was an accident. The original planned recording by World Circuit was supposed to be a collaboration between some Malian musicians and some Cuban musicians, but the Malian musicians were not able to get visas and could not travel to Cuba. I wrote about why I don't think the original Malian-Cuban collaboration, as wonderful as it may have been, would have had nearly the same impact as the Buena Vista Social Club album (see and listen https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/105/53320.html). However, a version of the originally planned Malian-Cuban album was recorded and released by World Circuit in 2010. It featured five stars of Malian music: the great singer Kasse Mady Diabaté, Toumani Diabaté, the ubiquitous balafon master Lassana Diabaté, Bassekou Kouyate, and Djelimady Tounkara. It also featured a number of Cuban musicians led by Eliades Ochoa. Cuban music was not a stretch for the Malian musicians, as Cuban music had been popularized throughout Africa since the 50's and most of these musicians had performed Malian versions of Cuban songs many times. "Afrocubism" is a wonderful album, it could have been tailored-made for me. |
| Al Vaiven De Mi Carreta Afrocubism - Afrocubism - World Circuit |
| Djelimady Rumba Afrocubism - Afrocubism - World Circuit |
| Mariama Afrocubism - Afrocubism - World Circuit |
| A La Luna Yo Me Voy Afrocubism - Afrocubism - World Circuit |
| Bensema Afrocubism - Afrocubism - World Circuit |
| We hear two more great Cuban pianists, Roberto Fonseca, who has recorded and performed with several of the Buena Vista Social Club stars, in a duo with Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara; and Jorge Bolet performing Liszt. |
| Connection Fatoumata Diawara & Roberto Fonseca - At Home - Live in Marciac - Jazz Village |
| Réminiscences de Don Juan Franz Liszt/Jorge Bolet - Favourite Piano Works - London Decca |
| We end with a duet from Compay Segundo and Eliades Ochoa from "Lost and Found" which featured recordings from the original Buena Vista Social Club sessions which were not included in the original album. Compay Segundo and Eliades Ochoa, 40 years apart in age, had begun singing together a year before the Buena Vista Social Club sessions occurred. |
| Macusa Buena Vista Social Club - Lost and Found - World Circuit |
Subscribe to David Dalle