Cheap Buena Vista Social Club (Music) (Buena Vista Social Club, Ibrahim Ferrar, Ruben Gonzalez, Compay Segundo, Omara Portuondo) Price

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Customer Reviews of Buena Vista Social Club

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.

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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!

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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.