by Buena Vista Social Club, Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrar, Omara Portuondo, Ruben Gonzalez, Ry Cooder List Price:$18.00 Our Price:$13.00 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Product Details
Media: Audio CD
Release Date: Tuesday, September 16, 1997
Label: Nonesuch
Average Customer Review: 0 Based on 0 reviews.
Sales Rank: 250
Tracks
1.
Amor De Loca Juventud
2.
Orgullecida
3.
Murmullo
4.
Buena Vista Social Club
5.
La Bayamesa
6.
Candela
7.
El Carretero
8.
Veinte Anos
9.
Y Tu Que Has Hecho
10.
Dos Gardenias
11.
Pueblo Nuevo
12.
El Cuarto De Tula
13.
De Camino A La Vereda
14.
Chan Chan
Editorial Review
Ry Cooder's name has helped bring attention to this session, but it's the veteran Cuban son musicians who make this album really special. Reminiscent of Ellington in its scope and sense of hushed romanticism, Buena Vista Social Club is that rare meld of quietude and intensity; while the players sound laid-back, they're putting forth very alive music, a reminder that aging doesn't mean taking to bed. Barbarito Torres's laoud solo on "El Cuarto de Tula" is both more blinding and more tasteful than any guitar showcase on any recent rock album; a quote from "Stormy Weather" and some very distinct parallels to Hawaiian styles remind us of why it's called "world music." --Rickey Wright
Top Customer Reviews
Rating:
5 Full Of Life And Energy.
"Buena Vista Social Club" is a collection of music done with true feeling, talent and spirit. Great music never gets too old and here is evidence the great music from Cuba is still vibrant today as it was 40 years ago. The film based on the group had a special message about how age doesn't matter in the area of the great artists. One of the musicians here is in his 90s and look at how alive and energetic and moving this music is! The vocals, the music, the lyrics are all rich and full of style. These are real musicians playing real music. Like Santana's "Supernatural," "Buena Vista Social Club" is more of an experience than just good music. Songs like "Chan Chan" are really deep and move you in a nice way, others like "Candela" just excite you with the energy and fun feeling of it all. I'm grateful to Ry Cooder for bringing back these incredible musicians who play some of the best Cuban music ever. The only reason other arists like Celia Cruz don't mention them that often is because they still live in their homeland, Cuba. But they deserve praise and more. Recently we remembered Tito Puente who was a great musician and recently passed away, but we should also appreciate those who really brought Latin music to life, the ones who really play it with spirit and feeling. "Buena Vista Social Club" is no less than a masterpiece.
Rating:
5 An Excellent Offering
Let's get one thing straight from the outset--this is not JUST Cuban music. Granted, it's Cuban singers singing Cuban songs, but the music on this album is itself influenced by all that has happened in the musical world since these songs were first written and introduced. This may turn off some traiditional Cuban music enthusiasts, but for the casual listener, I think there ought to be little negative effect.It's a fact that Ry Cooder likes his slide guitar, and he uses it in several of the songs contained on this collection, but this does nothing to diminish the value or appeal of the collection as a whole to any but the most set-in devotee of traditional Cuban music. Indeed, many of the songs possess an even more haunting quality than they might have possessed without the modernizing influence that some of the crew involved brought to the performances. Songs like Chan Chan and El Carratero are packed with emotion and atmosphere, and throughout, Buena Vista Social Club is infused with the remarkable vocal talents of such superluminaries as Ibrahim Ferrer (who is himself no alien to modern music, collaborating with Gorrilaz on their recent release). For and appreciator of music, this album should hold appeal, and I highly recommend it for any listener.
Rating:
5 Cuban Music Like Mama Used To Make
I happen to come across this cd by sheer luck. It is the best cd that I have purchased to date. I mixes latin jazz, big band and ballroom music all together. There are several fun songs with a deep routed soul that I thought had been lost. Even if you do not understand spanish this is a wonderful treasure to have in your collection.
Rating:
5 Buena Vista Social Club
Imagine this. It is an idle, hazy summer afternoon. The immense heat shifts the air and it shimmers slightly. Noisy children run about the street bare-footed, un carretero alegre (cart-driver) slowly clods down the narrow streets while the shoddy buildings which rise on both sides of the streets are filled with bustle. Admist all of this, from a small bar a gentle guitar emnates from the doorway accompanied by exotic bongos and haunting trumpet sounds. Who would have thought? Nutured and nestled on a stretch of island known as Cuba, south of Florida, a creative energy and cultural phenomenon brewed while largely ignored. Shut off from the rest of the world, for over 150 years, Cuban music has had time to grow and take new exciting forms. Thanks to worldly traveled producer Ry Cooder, Cuban music has been brought into the light again. Buena Vista Social Club refers to an old members-only social club located in East Havana. So the idea was born, Ry Cooder travelled to Cuba gathering aged overlooked Cuban musicians, masters of their art, to create a record proving that true roots still remain a compelling artistic force. With artists like Ricky Martin or Marc Antony offering up latin music in an easy-to-swallow digestible pop music for the public, Buena Vista Social Club serves it up raw and original. Seeped in tales of local folklore or bits of ambient wisdom scattered throughout, Buena Vista Social Club represents a collective tale of an entire culture. Buena Vista Social Club kicks in with "Chan Chan", a slow, swaggering, guitar melody. Hypnotic and almost trance-like, it tells the tale from Cuban folklore. "Como sacudia el 'jibe/A Chan Chan le daba pena!" Even if you can't understand the Spanish, the music is enough to convey the message, but even so the Spanish language has an untouchable grace, and you find yourself trying to form the words to sing along. The toe-tapping "De Camino a La Vereda" showcases such instruments as the dumbek, the mbira, or the laoud. One of the highlights throughout the entire album is singer Ibrahim Ferrer. Ferrer's frayed soft voice is powerful when channeled through the music. Other highlights inlcude 77 year old pianist Ruben Gonzalez and guitarist Compay Segundo. "Pueblo Nuevo" features Gonzalez's funky, folky piano solo. "Candela", with its sexual innuendeo, has the catchy harmonious chant chorus. "Ay candela, candela, candela, me quemo ae". While it won't find a place on a dance floor or a club, all the songs in Buena Vista Social Club are irresistably danceable. You will either find yourself snapping fingers, tapping your feet, or swaying your head back and forth. Complex, mezmerizing, sophisticated and rhythmic, Buena Vista Social Club is a wonderful work of art, combining the efforts of musicians who truly love the music they do. They play with a passion as if this were the last day they would ever play. Their efforts showed and was well-received all over the world and was a Grammy-winner. It spawned a Oscar-nominated feature documentary and solo-efforts by Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo. Buena Vista Social Club, like the history of its name suggested, is like a members-only social Club. Except this time...welcome, you've been invited to the party.
Rating:
5 Poetry and a Rare Gift: A Look into the Cuban Soul
After years of neglect, some of the greatest musicians of Cuban music were brought together by Ry Cooder and Juan de Marcos to create magic. This album is a rare treat to fans of Cuban music, specifically, and for fans of great music of all varieties. These songs, performed by by a variety of greats such as Ruben Gonzalez (one of the great son pianists: son is the name for the uniquely Cuban rhythm), Compay Segundo (who is currently 93), and Ibrahim Ferrer, are poetic in verse and hypnotic in rhythm. How can you listen to Chan Chan without feeling yourself floating along the avenues of Havana or the streets of Santa Clara.My mother, who like my father was born in Cuba (from Pinar de Rios, a town near Havana), had heard some of these great musicians many years ago in their youth. How wonderful that they are here again to give the world the beautiful music of Cuba.Please do your soul a favor and purchase this album. And don't stop there. Many of the band members have formed as the Afro-Cuban All Stars and there are also wonderful albums of Ibrahim Ferrer and Reuben Gonzalez. Absolutely perfect! Just sit back and sail away on the sounds of Reuben Gonzalez' piano in "Murmullo" (and yes, that is a Hawaiian riff in the song) or dance the night away with your loved one as you croon along with Ferrer in "Dos Gardenias" or marvel at Eliades Ochoa's guitar in El Cuarto de Tula.
Rating:
5 I love this cd.
I saw the video on PBS a couple of years ago. I was instantly hooked. I don't speak Spanish but like other reviewers have said, music is a universal language, and the beauty of this music proves that. I highly recommend this cd as a must own.
Rating:
5 Absolutely Unbelievable!
Buena Vista Social Club's self titled first album is musical excellence. Focusing predominantly on son, a traditional Cuban musical form, BVSC delivers, and with spectacular results. This collaborative masterpiece between BVSC and Ry Cooder simply must be experienced. From the first chords on the tres on "Chan Chan" to the final notes of "La Bayamesa", BVSC takes the listener on a trip to both Old Havana as well as rural Cuba. BVSC provides an excellent introduction to traditional Cuban music to those who are new to the genre, as well as a more than satisfying offering to even the most discerning Cuban music afficionado. In all honesty, I feel (and I think that most of this album's reviewers would tend to agree with me on this one) that to discredit this album is truly to demonstrate profound ignorance and lack of appreciation for son music, one of Cuba's oldest and most respected musical styles. In short, this album is ablsoutely essential listening and a must-buy, hands down. If you don't already own this album, buy it as soon as possible. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
5 Absolutely Stunning.
"Buena Vista Social Club" is the album that ignited my love affair with the rich and warm sounds of Cuban music. The album's intricate melodies and impassioned vocals glide through these excellent tracks, all produced by Ry Cooder. But while Cooder takes helm of the production, the real stars are the vocalists and the band members who breathe energy, feeling, and zest into this stellar recording. The opener "Chan Chan" is a gentle and laid back number equipped with effective percussion, a spicy dash of guitars, and well-harmonized vocals from Eliades Ochoa, Compay Segundo, and Ibrahim Ferrer. I was left in awe by the pretty melody of "De Camino a La Vereda" and the sharp trumpeting in "El Cuarto de Tula." But I was most impressed by the dynamite Ibrahim Ferrer who takes lead vocals in "Candela," an uptempo number which soars due to tasty acoustic guitars and percussion. Sensual, tender, emotional, and full of life, "The Buena Vista Social Club" is a towering and riveting experience. It's a rare beauty that will leave you amazed.
Rating:
5 it's worth all the hype
I'm a long time collector of Cuban music and this is a terrific introduction. Unlike many of the recordings I have from the 30's and 40's, this is a crystal clear recording with many Cuban classics like Dos gardinias and Cuarto de Tula that are very hard to find. Every once in a while, Ry Cooder's guitar gets annoying, but that's a small complaint on an album that is about as authentic as you can get. If you speak Spanish (or if you don't, read the excellent liner notes/translation), you'll appreciate the songs even more, but it's not necessary. Die hard fans of this style will want to seek out the best "son" disc out there: El son es el mas sublime -- it's not as well recorded since these are the originals, but it has many famous son and son montunos. I'm glad this music has such a wide appeal.
Rating:
4 Beautifully romantic
This is the album that started all the recent Cuban craze. A simplified version of the story: Son, danzon and bolero were played in thrifty clubs in Havana before WWII and in years following it. Compay Segundo, Ruben Gonzalez, Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo and the rest were masters of the art. Then in 1959 Castro liberated - or invaded, as you like it - Cuba and virtually isolated it from the rest of the world. And while outside the music became MTV-ized and globalized to the point where the music produced in Sweden is indistinguishable from that made in California, the guys in Cuba continued to do what they did best: they played son, danzon and bolero - all until Ry Cooder discovered them in 1997 and turned them into a success that vastly overshadowed his own musical efforts.Actually, getting them together required some detective work, as some of them have already given up their musical careers. Hardly surprising: Ruben Gonzales is 80, and Compay Segundo is 92. Buena Vista Social Club - named after an actual club in Havana, demolished already for decades - provides an anthological overview of styles played 50 years ago, and the sound you might recognize on your father's (or grandfather's) LP's. Well, almost - Ry Cooder felt the urge to put some peronal touch on the whole thing, in form of slide guitar (cf. "Orgullecida"). I wish he could resist the temptation. Still, it's a very beautiful and romantic record, one that makes you ask your sweetheart for a dance.CD comes with a 48-page booklet, which includes bilangual (Spanish/English) lyrics and some accompanying text. If you like this record, you might also want to check the solo albums that followed. There is also a pseudo-documentary movie by the same name, directed by Wim Wenders. And, go and check whether Afro-Cuban All Stars are touring somewhere near you.
Rating:
5 Wonderful recording...
I also echo the praises of the heartfelt musical performances on this CD, but in addition, I want to draw attention to how well the music is recorded and mastered. The musicians are so spontaneous in their performances that all the detail captured in the recording enhances the listening experience, giving it a "live" texture that's so important for this music. The CD's booklet notes that the recordings were made mostly at Egrem Studios in Havana, Cuba. I would say the Cubans are light years ahead of the American pop music recordists -- the accuracy which the intruments and vocals are captured is stunning. For example, the armonico used by Compay Segundo in "Y Tu Que Has Hecho" is captured in all its crystal. The piano timber in performances by Ruben Gonzalez are spot on. Ibrahim Ferrer sings three feet in front of you in "Dos Gardenias". The only track with mastering problems is "Candela" where the left channel is sporadically attenuated, but it is hard to notice with such a spirited performance. What a CD!
Rating:
5 In my humble opinion
For the record, Juan de Marcos Gonzalez and Nick Gold recorded the Afro-Cuban All-Stars debut album-"A Toda Cuba le Gusta"-prior to the recording sessions which later became "The Buena Vista Social Club". Both albums are amazing-excellent examples of REAL cuban music-not this timba trash that Los Van Van and Bamboleo are playing. Ry Cooder deserves a lot of credit for what he did on this album-production, post-production, playing-but not for "discovering" these musicians. That goes to Juan de Marcos, or as Ibrahim Ferrer called him, "El segundo descubridor de las Americas". And for those of you who are complaining about Ry's playing-get a life! Don't you know where cuban music comes from? Spain, the Middle East, and Africa-and Ry's playing only highlights some of these influences.
Rating:
5 A Cuban Masterpiece
I have no words to describe how brilliant this recording is. Buena Vista Social Club bring alive the music that has sustained Cuba as far back as the 1920s. Listening to the likes of Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzalez, Eliades Ochoa, Compay Segundo and Omara Portuondo paint a picture of a vibrant and soulful Cuba from the not too distant past. Needless to say, all musicians on this album have such incredible talent, that it is difficult to believe that we've missed out on such a musical extravagance for over 50 years. I have not come across a singer that can deliver such heartfelt passion in their music like Ibrahim Ferrer (83) and Compay Segundo (93), but the person that moved me the most on this recording was the 77 year old pianist Ruben Gonzalez. You just have to listen to PUEBLO NUEVO and MURMULLO to realise this man's incredible talent. It is hard to believe that Ruben virtually had given up playing due to arthritis in his hands, and that he has no piano at home. It is amazing to think that none of the musicians received recognition at the height of their careers, and seeing their current living conditions is a humbling experience. Nonetheless, I am happy that they achieved fame at last. All songs on this album are masterpieces. This recording is worth ten times its price, and it is one of my most treasured CDs in my music collection. It is a nostalgic, yet brilliant piece of Cuba.
