In 1996, American guitarist Ry Cooder went to Cuba in search of the music he had heard on old Cuban recordings: sones, mambos, guajiras, etc. With the help of Cuban musician Juan de Marcos González (Afro Cuban All Stars), he was able to put together a new band called The Buena Vista Social Club, formed by some of the finest veteran musicians from Cuba, such as pianist Rubén González, armónico guitar instrumentalist Compay Segundo, vocalists Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo, and Cuban country music (música guajira) guitarist and singer Eliades Ochoa.
The album by the new group had an enormous success throughout the world, selling well over a million copies. Most of the musicians continued on with their solo careers and recorded several albums afterwards.
Discography:
Buena Vista Social Club (World Circuit Records, 1997)
Buena Vista Social Club at Carnegie Hall (World Circuit Records, 2008)
Lost and Found (World Circuit Records, 2015)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
