Buena Vista Social Club

Buy This Item Buena Vista Social Club by Live / Artisan  Available from Amazon  $9.98  on 9-19-2008     In 1996, composer, producer, and guitar legend Ry Cooder entered Egrem Studios in Havana with the forgotten greats of Cuban music, many of them in their 60s and 70s, some of them long since retired. The resulting album, <I>Buena Vista Social Club</I>, became a Grammy-winning international bestseller. When Cooder returned to Havana in 1998 to record a solo album by 72-year-old vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer, filmmaker Wim Wenders was on hand to document the occasion. Wenders splits the film between portraits of the performers, who tell their stories directly to the camera as they wander the streets and neighborhoods of Havana, and a celebration of the music heard in performance scenes in the studio, in their first concert in Amsterdam, and in their second and final concert at Carnegie Hall. The songs are too often cut short in this fashion, but <I>Buena Vista Social Club</I> is not a concert film. Wenders weaves the artist biographies with a glimpse of modern Cuba remembering its past, capturing a lost culture in music that is suddenly, unexpectedly revived for audiences in Havana and around the world. Wenders makes his presence practically invisible, as if his directorial flourishes or off-screen narration might deflect attention from the artists, who do a fine job of telling their own stories through interviews and music. It's a loving portrait of a master class in Cuban music, with a vital cast of aging performers whose energy and passion belie their years. <I>--Sean Axmaker</I> Reader Reviews I have several copies of this wonderful Cuban Music, one for the car, one for the house, etc. I have also purchased the DVD on the making of the CD by Ry Cooder. This is a lasting memory of what was a beautiful era in Cuban Music. You don't need to understand Spanish to appreciate the glory of the sounds that come out of this band of legends. A must have for any music collection !

Buena Vista Social Club Available from Amazon Price: $9.98 Updated on 9-19-2008.

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