Responsible for the resurgence in Cuban music and culture, the movie and cd brought these musicians to a whole new audience.
Recorded in just six days in 1996 with a stellar cast of Cuban musicians, Buena Vista Social Club has become a musical phenomenon. Awarded a Grammy in 1997 it has sold well over 6 million copies to date and introduced the world to Cuban son, as well as launching both Ibrahim Ferrer and Ruben Gonzalez as near household names. The timeless quality of the music and the sheer verve of the performers has ensured that this will go down as one of the landmark recordings of
the Nineties.
The members of Buena Vista Social Club include:
- Juan de Marcos González
- Ibrahim Ferrer
- Rubén González
- Compay Segundo
- Ry Cooder
- Pío Leyva
- Manuel "Puntillita" Licea
- Orlando "Cachaito" López
- Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal
- Eliades Ochoa
- Omara Portuondo
- Barbarito Torres
- Amadito Valdés
- Joachim Cooder
Rough Guides to Salsa Colombia
Salsa maybe more of a concept than a specific rhythm, but its infectious and vibrant sound has captivated audiences around the world. In Colombia, salsa took hold in the main Atlantic and Pacific coastal cities, where a distinctive style emerged and had a significant impact on the genre as a whole. Within Colombia, salsa is danced in clubs, discos and at carnival – dancing is widespread in a land where the latest salsa hit is heard everywhere, on your way to work, when you do the shopping, and when you go out with your friends. Featuring many of the best-known salsa artists in the country, The Rough Guide To Salsa Colombia is your introduction to this effervescent dance music.
Salsa is the musical pulse that flows through Latin America, the Spanish speaking Caribbean, and the Latin Diaspora in the USA and across the world. Short, sharp, sweet and straight to the point, salsa has come to define Latin life – the music, the dancing, the culture. The Rough Guide To Salsa Dance (Second Edition) presents some of the freshest and newest salsa bands and songs from Colombia to New York, Cuba to Puerto Rico – the ideal soundtrack for the summer and guaranteed to move anyone, from the accomplished dancer to the double left-footed.
Afro-cuban brilliance! Africando, the Afro-Salsa supergroup is back. Fourteen years after the historic first meeting of the best singers from Senegal and the best Latin musicians in New York, "Ketukuba" , their seventh album is ready. "Ketukuba" is a tribute to the late Gnonnas Pedro, Benin's favourite son, who sang with Africando from 1996 until his death in 2004. The title song, was his last recording.
In the 1950s, he helped create the descarga style of music that is a mix between jazz-styled improvisation with Afro-Cuban rhythms. In the 1960s, he was a key member of Irakere, a Cuban experimental band that combined pop, classical, Cuban folk, African and jazz influences. An inspired debut rooted in the spirit of descarga, "Cachaíto" is given a daring twist by producer Nick Gold and an essential rhythm section. The liberated bass leads an awesome, groove-based experimental journey mixing Cuban styles, jazz, funk, hip-hop and reggae.
His memory is honored in Cuba in September of every year by a festival in Cienfuegos that bears his name. Many Cuban singers refer to him in their songs.
In the Cuban capital Havana, a salsa club is named after him. On the malecon in Manzanillo, there is a statue of him.
Find out why by listening to the master...
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