Buena Vista Social Club

In March 1996 World Circuit arranged a recording trip to Havana, Cuba. In just over two weeks three albums were recorded. All three were released to great critical and public acclaim. The first release was the Afro-Cuban All Stars A Toda Cuba le Gusta, this was followed by IntroducingRubén González. The third album, Buena Vista Social Club was released in June 1997 and has since come to be regarded as a classic, selling over 6 million copies worldwide.
Juan de Marcos González, the founder of the Afro-Cuban All Stars and Sierra Maestra, had a long cherished dream of recording the music of Cubas golden era, the 1940s and 1950s, with the original musicians of that time. This was a dream that he shared with Nick Gold, the owner of World Circuit. Marcos was particularly keen to record the old masters together with a selection of the leading musicians from the new generation - this became the Afro-Cuban All Stars. Golds dream project was to record a collaboration between a number of African and Cuban guitarists. He invited Ry Cooder to participate, the two having worked together before on Ali Farka Toures Grammy Award-winning Talking Timbuktu (WCD040). Cooder replied within hours saying he would be there. The Africans failed to make the trip but recording went ahead anyway, the unlikely turn in events would result in the Buena Vista Social Club.
Buena Vista Social Club is both the name given to this extraordinary pool of musicians and the album, recorded in just six days in Havanas 1950s vintage EGREM studios. It was clear from the atmosphere of the recording sessions that something very special was taking place. However, no one could have predicted that Buena Vista Social Club would become a worldwide phenomenon, outselling any other record in the same genre, elevating the artists to superstar status and popularising Cubas rich musical heritage, all of which has contributed to a massive boom in Cubas tourist and recording industries.
The album has an intimate, natural charm that comes from musicians totally at ease with other, sharing a deep passion and understanding for the music, playing a repertoire suggested by themselves. Arrangements and instrumentation were worked out during recording according to the feel of the individual songs, and the vast majority of the performance was recorded live in one or two takes. The album includes an extraordinary variety of Cuban styles from the city sounds of Havana to the country style of Santiago and the songs cover a range of the islands history, from La Bayamesa written in 1869 to Chan Chan, a more recent composition by the late Compay Segundo.
The enthusiasm that surrounded the Buena Vista Social Club album soon became apparent, and the charm of the music inspired Wim Wenders to make a film about these amazing musicians. Shot mainly in Cuba, the film also features concert footage from the groups only performances in the Carré Theatre, Amsterdam and Carnegie Hall, New York. The film has delighted audiences around the world and has contributed to the extraordinary success of this project, and the re-emergence of some of Cubas finest musicians.
The Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon transformed the careers of many of the musicians involved. World Circuit have released hugely successful solo albums for Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, Cachaíto López, and Rubén González, with a debut solo album by trumpeter Guajiro Mirabal. Eliades Ochoa and Compay Segundo would also enjoy success with their individual solo careers.
Buena Vista Social Club has a timeless quality. This is a music that transcends the vagaries of mere fashion and an album which is destined to be regarded as a classic for years to come.