BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB PRESENTS (1997-2004) 4CD / APE / FLAC (image+tracks+.cue), lossless

Buena Vista Social Club Less a band than an assemblage of some of Cuba's most renowned musical forces, Buena Vista Social Club's origins lie with noted American guitarist Ry Cooder, who in 1996 traveled to Havana to seek out a number of legendary local musicians whose performing careers had largely ended decades earlier with the rise of Fidel Castro. Recruiting the long-forgotten likes of singer Ibrahim Ferrer, guitarists/singers Compay Segundo and Eliades Ochoa, and pianist Rubén González, Cooder entered Havana's Egrem Studios to record the album Buena Vista Social Club; the project was an unexpected commercial and critical smash, earning a Grammy and becoming the best-selling release of Cooder's long career. In 1998 he returned to Havana with his son, percussionist Joachim, to record a solo LP with Ferrer; the sessions were captured on film by director Wim Wenders, who also documented sell-out Buena Vista Social Club live performances in Amsterdam and New York City. (Wenders' film, also titled Buena Vista Social Club, earned an Academy Award nomination in 2000.) The public's continued interest in Cuban music subsequently generated solo efforts from Segundo and González, as well as a series of international live performances promoted under the Buena Vista Social Club aegis. A concert CD, At Carnegie Hall, drawn from the same triumphant show that Wenders featured in his documentary, was released in 2008 -- a few years after the deaths of Segundo, Ferrer, and González. In the spring of 2015, Nonesuch/World Circuit released Lost and Found, a collection of unreleased tracks from the 1996 Egrem and 2000 recording sessions, as well as live tracks. A group containing some of the original members called Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club continued to tour, and their farewell tour took place that year.   by Jason Ankeny

 Buena Vista Social Club (1997)

This album is named after a members-only club that was opened in Havana in pre-Castro times, a period of unbelievable musical activity in Cuba. While bandleader Desi Arnaz became a huge hit in the States, several equally talented musicians never saw success outside their native country, and have had nothing but their music to sustain them during the Castro reign. Ry Cooder went to Cuba to record a musical documentary of these performers. Many of the musicians on this album have been playing for more than a half century, and they sing and play with an obvious love for the material. Cooder could have recorded these songs without paying the musicians a cent; one can imagine them jumping up and grabbing for their instruments at the slightest opportunity, just to play. Most of the songs are a real treasure, traversing a lot of ground in Cuba's musical history. There's the opening tune, "Chan Chan," a composition by 89-year-old Compay Segundo, who was a bandleader in the '50s; the cover of the early-'50s tune "De Camino a la Verada," sung by the 72-year-old composer Ibrahim Ferrer, who interrupted his daily walk through Havana just long enough to record; or the amazing piano playing on "Pablo Nuevo" by 77-year-old Rubén González, who has a unique style that blends jazz, mambo, and a certain amount of playfulness. All of these songs were recorded live -- some of them in the musicians' small apartments -- and the sound is incredibly deep and rich, something that would have been lost in digital recording and overdubbing. Cooder brought just the right amount of reverence to this material, and it shows in his production, playing, and detailed liner notes. If you get one album of Cuban music, this should be the one. by Steve McMullen   
Tracklist
1 Chan Chan 4:18
2 De Camino A La Vereda 5:03
3 El Cuarto De Tula 7:25
4 Pueblo Nuevo 6:06
5 Dos Gardenias 3:04
6 ¿Y Tú Qué Has Hecho? 3:15
7 Veinte Años 3:31
8 El Carretero 3:30
9 Candela 5:29
10 Amor De Loca Juventud 3:23
11 Orgullecida 3:19
12 Murmullo 3:51
13 Buena Vista Social Club 4:52
14 La Bayames 2:54
Credits
Musician – Alberto "Virgilio" Valdés, Barbarito Torres, Benito Suarez Magana, Carlos González, Compay Segundo, Eliades Ochoa, Ibrahim Ferrer, Joachim Cooder, Juan de Marcos Gonzàlez, Julienne Oviedo Sanchez, Julio Alberto Fernandez, Luis Barzaga, Lázaro Villa, Mañuel 'Guajiro' Mirabal, Manuel 'Puntillita' Licea, Omara Portuondo, Orlando "Cachaíto" López, Rubén González, Salvador Repilado Labrada
Producer – Ry Cooder
FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Buena Vista Social Club Presents : Ibrahim Ferrer (1999)

When the Buena Vista Social Club album was released to great acclaim in 1997, it revived the careers of quite a few incredibly talented aging Cuban musicians. Like Ibrahim Ferrer, most of those musicians (who had been legendary in the '40s through the '70s) hadn't been performing professionally in decades. With the success of the Buena Vista Social Club, everything changed; they toured the globe, and plans for follow-up albums followed. Ibrahim Ferrer's was the second of what became a line of Buena Vista releases, all hoping to cash in on the success of the first. Ferrer's album is pleasant, the kind of album you could put on during brunch on a sunny morning. The album features many classic Cuban compositions. Original arrangers, musicians, and bandleaders were involved whenever possible. One standout is "Mami Me Gusto," a rolling upbeat tune by the legendary Cuban composer/bandleader Arsenio Rodriguez. On that tune Ferrer is lively and loose, and he is joined by Rodriguez's original pianist, the masterful Ruben Gonzales. The rest of the album is nice, but rarely as inspired or joyous as the original Buena Vista release. This is a much more romantic sounding album and on the right tunes, like "Aquellos Ojos Verdes," they really hit the mark; Ferrer shines and Gonzales sends glistening piano lines cascading down the keys. At age 63-plus, Ferrer was long overdue for a debut album, and as a result the disc communicates a feel of easy satisfaction. If you're looking for classy cocktail party music that will hold the attention of music fans, and won't bother the uninterested, look no further.  by David Lavin   
Tracklist
1 Bruca Maniguá 4:44
2 Herido De Sombras 4:11
3 Marieta 5:51
4 Guateque Campesino 5:06
5 Mamí Me Gustó 5:04
6 Nuestra Ultima Cita 3:56
7 Cienfuegos Tiene Su Guaguancó 5:20
8 Silencio 4:35
9 Aquellos Ojos Verdes 4:51
10 Qué Bueno Baila Usted 4:35
11 Como Fue 3:33
Credits
Conductor – Juan De Marcos González
Featuring [With] – Babarito Torres, Eliades Ochoa, Ibrahim Ferrer Jr., Manuel 'Puntillita' Licea, Omara Portuondo, Orlando 'Cachaito' López, Pio Leyva, Rubén González, Ry Cooder, Teresa Garcia Cartula
Producer – Ry Cooder
APE (image+.cue), lossless

Buena Vista Social Club Presents : Omara Portuondo (2000)

A beautifully executed and produced album by Omara Portuando, the only woman to appear on the original Buena Vista Social Club recordings. Portuando, who is one of Cuba's most acclaimed musicians and a featured performer at the Tropicana, has shown here that, at 70, she still possesses the qualities that helped develop her stardom on her native island. This recording, which covers a variety of traditional musical styles, from son to guajira to bolero, makes it easy to see why critics have called her the Edith Piaf of Cuba and "The Fiancée of Feeling." The style, especially on the second track, "He Perdido Contigo," evokes a nostalgic, old-fashioned sentiment, and the songwriting is classic. Featured performers include Rubén González on piano, Eliades Ochoa and Compay Segundo on guitar, and a full string section including Angel and Arelis Zaldivar. The performances are lively and tight, creating an album that feels nearly perfect. A full set of liner notes, including English translations of all of the lyrics, makes the album even more accessible.  by Stacia Proefrock
Tracklist  
1 La Sitiera
Guitar – Eliades Ochoa
Written-By – Rafael López
2 He Perdido Contigo
Guitar – Eliades Ochoa
Written-By – Luis Cardenas, María Teresa Vera
3 ¿Dónde Estabas Tú?
Written-By – Ernesto Duarte
4 Mariposita De Primavera
Claves – Alberto "Virgilio" Valdés
Written-By – Miguel Matamoros
5 Canta Lo Sentimental
Guitar, Arranged By [Co] – Manuel Galbán
Vibraphone – Roger Beaujolais
Written-By [Lyrics] – Y. De La Fuente
Written-By [Music] – Urbano Gómez Montiel
6 Ella Y Yo
Arranged By – Francisco Repilado
Clarinet – Haskell Armenteros, Rafael Lázaro Inciarte
Guitar – Benito Suárez, Compay Segundo
Vocals – Pío Leyva
Written-By – Oscar Hernández
7 No Me Vayas A Engañar
Written-By – Osvaldo Farrés
8 No Me Llores Más
Tres – Gilberto 'Papi' Oviedo
Vocals – Ibrahim Ferrer
Written-By – Arsenio Rodríguez
9 Veinte Años
Written-By [Lyrics] – Guillermina Aramburu
Written-By [Music] – María Teresa Vera
10 El Hombre Que Yo Amé (The Man I Love)
Translated By – Humberto Suárez
Written-By – George & Ira Gershwin
11 Siempre En Mi Corazón
Arranged By – Juan De Marcos González
Bongos – Carlos González
Written-By – Ernesto Lecuona
Credits
Alto Saxophone [Solo] – Panteleón Sánchez
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Javier Zalba
Backing Vocals – Dania Valdés, Teresita Garcia Caturla, Xiomara Valdés
Baritone Saxophone – Ventura Gutiérrez
Bongos – Filiberto Sánchez
Cello – Arelis Zaldivar, Roy Avila Serrano
Claves, Backing Vocals – Lázaro Villa
Congas – Angel Terry Domech
Double Bass – Orlando "Cachaíto" López
Guiro – Roberto García
Maracas – Alberto "Virgilio" Valdés
Tenor Saxophone – Antonio Jiménez, Carlos Fernández, Rafael "Jimmy" Jenks
Timbales – Amadito Valdés
Trombone – Antonio Leal
Trombone [Solo], Backing Vocals, Conductor – Jesús "Aguaje" Ramos
Trombone, Conductor, Arranged By [Strings & Horns] – Demetrio Muñiz
Trumpet – Alejandro Pichardo, Daniel Ramos, Yanko Pichardo
Trumpet [Solo] – Manuel 'Guajiro' Mirabal
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Yaure Muñiz
Viola – Angel Zaldivar, José Marón, Rafael Cutiño, Roberto Herrera
Violin – Aeyoth Marichal, Ariel Sarduy, Augusto Diago, Gerardo Garcia , Hugo Cruz, Humberto Legat, Julián Corrales, Pedro Depestre González, Rogelio Martínez
Vocals – Omara Portuondo
FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Buena Vista Social Club Presents : Manuel ''Guajiro'' Mirabal (2004)

The 1997 runaway smash BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB is the gift that keeps on giving. In the wake of the album's success, a number of its key performers, including Ruben Gonzalez and Ibrahim Ferrer, released solo albums, and in 2005, trumpeter Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal added his name to that distinguished list. Like his cohorts in the Buena Vista project, Mirabal embodies the musical traditions of Cuba, specializing in classic conjunto, with traces of mambo, rhumba, and bolero in the mix. At the time of this recording, Mirabal's first solo album, he was 71 years old.

Though Mirabal has played in countless orchestra and ensemble since the '40s, and has likely run through the entire Afro-Cuban repertoire in that time, this album is devoted almost exclusively to the music of pioneering Cuban visionary Arsenio Rodriguez. Rodriguez cast the die for modern salsa conjunto, and the instrumentation Mirabal chooses--three trumpets, piano, tres, guitar, percussion, and a rotating roster of lead and backing vocalists--is a classic conjunto configuration. Mirabal evokes the sound of a '40s Havana dancehall, and the playing is superb, with danceable polyrhythms, impassioned vocals, and plenty of dazzling brass work. This is another score for BUENA VISTA fans. by AllMusic 
Tracklist
1 El Rincón Caliente 4:46
2 Para Bailar El Montuno 4:17
3 Deuda 5:22
4 El Reloj De Pastora 3:49
5 Me Boté De Guaño 4:24
6 Mi Corazón No Tiene Quien Lo Llore 3:16
7 Tengo Que Olvidarte 4:37
8 Canta Montero 4:12
9 Chicharronero 4:09
10 No Vuelvo A Morón. Las Tres Marias. Apurrúñenme Mujeres Medley 5:03
11 Dombe Dombe 2:16
FLAC (tracks), lossless

CHUCHO VALDÉS - Bele Bele en La Habana (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Issued just after his landmark two-week June 1998 gig at the Village Vanguard and subsequent U.S./Canada tour, Chucho Valdés' first album for Blue Note bears out a lot of the hype surrounding this hugely gifted Cuban pianist. Unlike many of today's younger Cuban keyboard hotshots, Valdés not only has great technical chops and musical erudition, he manages to stay closely tied to his Cuban rhythmic roots. Thus, he employs a Cuban percussionist Roberto Vizcaino Guillot along with the standard bass (Alain Pérez Rodriguez) and drums (Raúl Píñeda Roque), which dramatically increases the possibilities for rhythmic experiments. Valdés more often than not is all over the keyboard, comfortable with everything from Ravel-ian classical complexity to Bill Evans' introspection to Cecil Taylor-like crunches. But there are surprisingly few wasted motions; all of the notes fit. He creates tremendous excitement on "Con Poco Loco" (which ends with a sly steal from "Giant Steps"), and suddenly breaks into a cornucopia of European stream-of-consciousness fireworks before returning to Cuba on "Son Montuno." However, the best moments on Bele Bele en La Habana come when Valdés hooks his fire-eating technique into the groove and doesn't let go. "El Cumbanchero" contains some sudden rhythmic shifts that will have you leaping out of your chair, and "Tres Lindas Cubanas" gradually builds a great head of steam. This CD will give you a much better idea of Valdés' pianistic capabilities than any of his records with Irakere. On a political level, it is interesting and disheartening to note that Valdés recorded this album in Toronto under the auspices of EMI Music Canada; a direct signing with Blue Note would have exposed the American company to charges of trading with the enemy. Obviously, as of 1998, the Cold War was not completely over. by Richard S. Ginell  

Tracklist
1 Son Montuno 7:12  
Chucho Valdés
2 Lorraine 5:41 
Chucho Valdés
3 But Not for Me (Pero No Para Mi) 3:07 
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
4 Con Poco Coco (Without Much Thought) 8:35 
Chucho Valdés
5 El Cumbanchero (The Rumba Dancer) 6:54
Rafael Hernández
6 Tres Lindas Cubanas (Three Pretty Cuban Girls) 6:29  
Guillermo Castillo
7 La Sitiera (The Small Farm) 8:44
Chucho Valdés
8 Los Caminos (The Pathways) 9:30
Pablo Milanés

 

ROSEMARY CLOONEY / PÉREZ PRADO A Touch of Tabasco [1960] RCA

On paper, this unlikely pairing of American popular vocalist Rosemary Clooney (who nearly defined the 1950s as a stylist) and Cuban percussionist and bandleader Pérez Prado seemed to be a disaster in the making. The end result is quite the opposite. Recorded during two sessions in July and August of 1959, this is simply one of the loveliest albums in either artist's catalog. The music is lively and colorful but retains Clooney's smooth and mellow character, and Prado's trademark arrangements and experiments with percussion, texture, and harmony. Apparently, Clooney had some trouble with pronunciation initially, but was coached by her husband, Puerto Rican actor Jose Ferrer (who wrote the original album's liner notes) and became a quick study. This merging of Latin and American standards is a tour de force that features some of the hottest session players in the biz including drummers Leo Acosta and Earl Palmer, as well as horn players Paul Horn and Ollie Mitchell. Highlights of the set include "Mack the Knife," "Sway," a pair of Cole Porter tunes -- "Bali Hai," and "You Do Something to Me" -- as well as highly original readings of "Corazon de Melon," "Cu-Cu-Rru-Cu-Cu Paloma," and "Adios."  by Thom Jurek  
Tracklist
1 Corazón De Melón (Watermelon Heart) 2:03
2 Like A Woman 2:03
3 I Only Have Eyes For You 2:08
4 Magic Is The Moonlight 2:36
5 In A Little Spanish Town 2:05
6 Sway 2:39
7 Mack The Knife 2:00
8 Bali Ha'i 2:27
9 You Do Something To Me 1:33
10 Cu-Cu-Rru-Cu-Cu Paloma 2:33
11 I Got Plenty Of Nuttin' 2:12
12 Adiós 2:14
13 In A Little Spanish Town 2:34

ROSEMARY CLOONEY / PÉREZ PRADO - A Touch of Tabasco 

[1960] RCA / CBR320 / scans

O Púbis da Rosa

OMARA PORTUONDO - Magia Negra (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Omara Portuonda is the grand old lady of Cuban music. While her early recordings made her a star in Cuba, her participation in the 1996 album and video documentary, The Buena Vista Social Club, brought her to international attention. Her solo album, The Buena Vista Social Club Presents Omara Portuondo, released in 2000, reinforced her status as one of Cuba's greatest musical ambassadors.
A native of Havana, Portuondo was one of three daughters born to a baseball player on the Cuban national team and a woman of Spanish heritage who left the comfort and support of her wealthy family home to marry the man she loved. Her parents' singing provided the soundtrack for her early life. As a youngster, she sang in school choirs and music classes.
Heavily influenced by an older sister, Haydee, a dancer at the Tropicana cabaret, Portuondo attended many of the troupe's rehearsals. When the ensemble found itself short one dancer, in 1945, she was recruited to fill the vacancy. The experience launched her on a career as a dancer and she formed a successful partnership with Rolando Espinosa. Portuondo balanced her dancing with singing engagements with friends, including Cesar Portillo De La Luz, Jose Antonio Mendez, and pianist Frank Emilio Flynn, calling themselves Loquimbambla Swing. The group helped to pioneer the filin style of music that blended bossa nova and American jazz. For a while, she also performed with Orquestra Anaconda.
In 1952, Portuondo joined with her sister and Elena Burke to form a vocal group, Cuarteto d'Aida. The group's sound was established with the addition of pianist and director Aida Diestro and female vocalist Moraima Secada. Although she released her debut solo album, Magia Negra, in 1959, Portuondo continued to work with the group.
Cuarteto d'Aida's fortunes were drastically effected by the Bay of Pigs crisis in 1961. Although they had become frequent performers in Miami, FL, they were prevented from returning as the relationship between Cuba and the United States collapsed. While Portuondo returned to her homeland, continuing to perform with Cuarteto d'Aida until 1967, her sister elected to remain in the United States.
Desafios Although she performed with Orquestra Aragon in the 1970s, Portuondo had settled into semi-retirement by the mid-'90s. Her plans to slow down her career were altered after Ry Cooder, who was in Cuba recording with the Chieftains, heard her sing in 1995. When he returned, the following year, to produce The Buena Vista Social Club, Portuondo was invited to become a featured vocalist with the all-star group. In 1998, Portuondo recorded a duo album, Desafios, with Cucho Valdes. by Craig Harris
Tracklist :
1 Magia Negra
Written-By – Harold Arlen
2 Adios
Written-By – Enric Madriguera
3 Oguere
Written-By – Gilberto Valdés
4 Ya No Me Quieres
Written-By – María Grever
5 Llanto De Luna
Written-By – Julio Gutierrez
6 Noche Cubana
Written-By – Cesar Portillo De La Luz
7 Andalucia
Written-By – Ernesto Lecuona
8 Que Emocion
Written-By – Orlando De La Rosa
9 El Hombre Que Se Fue
Written-By – Harold Arlen, Julio Gutierrez
10 No Hagas Caso
Written-By – Miguel Valdés 
11 No Puedo Ser Feliz
Written-By – Adolfo Guzmán
12 Caravana
Written-By – D. Ellington, J. Tizol
Notes
Recorded 1958 in Havana, Cuba