Manuel
‘Guajiro’ Mirabel
Ibrahim Ferrer
Omara Portuondo
Ruben Gonzalez
Eliades Ochoa Compay Segundo Ry Cooder Juan de Marcos
Gonzalez
The Buena Vista Social Club dates back to 1996,
when a loosely connected group of veteran musicians were brought together in
Havana rather spontaneously to record two albums by African and Cuban
musicians. The African musicians
did not arrive because of visa problems, but band leader Juan de Marcos
Gonzalez was determined to reinstate music from Cuba’s golden age of the 1940’s
and 1950’s. So with Nick Gold of
the UK label World Circuit and American Producer Ry Cooder, they recorded the
album, Buena Vista Social Club,
which, despite their modest aspirations, became the biggest-selling Cuban album
(more than 8 million albums) in history after it was released in 1997.
De Marcos had located and assembled old-timers
pianist Ruben Gonzalez, singer Ibrahim Ferrer, guitarist and singer Eliades
Ochoa, singer Omara Portuondo (their “leading lady”), and singer Compay
Segundo. They would be joined by
contemporary artists of note, such as bassist Orlando ‘Cachaito’ Lopez,
trumpeter Manual ‘guajiro’ Mirabal, and laoud player Barbarito Torres. Ry Cooder was so jubilant after the
recordings, he swore it to be “the best thing I was ever involved in.” He went on to say, “These are the
greatest musicians alive on the planet today. In my experience Cuban musicians are unique. The organization of the musical group
is perfectly understood. There is
no ego, no jockeying for position so they have evolved the perfect ensemble
concept.”
In 1999, the highly acclaimed German director
Wim Wenders directed a documentary entitled Buena
Vista Social Club, in which he filmed some of the original recordings,
along with excerpts of their subsequent concerts in Amsterdam and New York City
and interviews of musicians telling their stories.
Sixteen years later, we have another
documentary by Lucy Walker that filmed the now-named Orquesta Buena Vista
Social Club’s final tour, which lasted over a year (1998-99) and spanned four
continents. It’s a retrospective
look back at the people and the music of Cuba, with clips of the original BVSC
artists, as well as current performances by additional members replacing those
who have died. Early scenes are
filmed in Cuba, showing the old stomping grounds and hearing the major actors
reminisce about their early days and the bands they played in along the way,
interspersed with clips from the past.
Then we see them on their last tour around the globe beginning with
their first live concert in Amsterdam in 1998, complete with the conflicts,
even up to the day before.
All their endeavors have been highly
successful, keeping Cuban music alive and valued. These revered artists were filled with wonder
right up to the ends of their lives about how much their audiences have loved
their songs. Ry Cooder won a
Grammy for his CD, Wenders’ documentary was nominated for an Academy Award,
Ibrahim Ferrer was awarded three Grammies but was denied a visa to attend the
ceremony in 2003, and Gonzalez, Portuondo, and Ferrer received the Order of
Felix Varela, Cuba’s highest cultural honor. Compay played his last show only two weeks before his death,
and Ibrahim Ferrer’s was only four days before his death.
After détente, the Orquesta Buena Vista Social
Club was invited to play at the White House in 2015, hosted by President Obama
and Vice President Biden. They
ended their tour in Havana in 2016.
As of 2017, Portuondo was still on tour at age 86.
Walker’s documentary does not contain much
information that is new, but can be praised for its highlights of the lives of
dedicated musicians, for whom music is life,
and for its revitalization of a beloved musical genre and the Cuban ethos and
spirit.
The Cuban musical phenomenon across the
years.
Grade: Grade: B By
Donna R. Copeland
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