International bestselling band The Buena Vista Social Club introduced Son Cubano, the first Afro-Cuban sound, to music lovers across the globe. However, their record was lucky to have ever come into existence at all. This album (which went on to sell over 8 million copies worldwide) was recorded in 1996 at the Egrem studio in Havana and was organised at the very last minute, replacing another session. Initially, the plan was to bring together Cuban and Malian musicians, but it later transpired that the African musicians had not received their visas. The altered project saw Nick Gold, founder of the British label World Circuit, Ry Cooder, the famous American producer and guitarist, and Juan de Marcos González, conductor of the Afro-Cuban All Stars who had just released their first tribute album to the biggest Cuban bands of the 50s, record an album with local musicians⁠—possibly one of the wisest decisions of their career.The record features some of the best Cuban musicians, including bassist Orlando 'Cachaíto' López, trumpeter Manuel 'Guajiro' Mirabal and Barbarito Torres, an expert on the laúd, a small Cuban lute, as well as some veteran singers who came out of retirement to record these tracks. Compay Segundo (89), Pio Leiva (80), Ibrahim Ferrer (69), Omara Portuondo (66) and Eliades Ochoa (50) all gathered around the piano played by Ruben Gonzalez (78), who was also recording another album during this time.Called the Buena Vista Social Club in reference to the famous Havana club where traditional musicians used to meet prior to the 1930s, the album was discreetly released in 1997. Gradually, glowing reviews and positive word-of-mouth attracted the attention of the general public, which was further heightened by the Grammy Award they won that same year. The alchemy between the seasoned vocals, the genius of the musicians and the ever-fresh flavour of these forgotten hits is simply perfect. The result is strikingly authentic, and it’s impossible not to feel the genuine joy felt by these talented and mischievous musicians.In 1998, the original BVSC line-up put on three concerts: two in Amsterdam and one in Carnegie Hall in New York. Wim Wenders, friend of Ry Cooder, was behind the camera during these exceptional performances. He was also behind the recording sessions in Cuba for Ibrahim Ferrer’s first solo album, which was the main source of material for the film Buena Vista Social Club. Released in 1999, this documentary served to cement this short-lived group’s status as legends.For most of these artists, this album marked the start of short, international careers. Compay Segundo and Ruben Gonzalez died in 2003, Ibrahim Ferrer in 2005 and Orlando 'Cachaíto' López in 2009. Some of the original band members continued to tour the world under the name Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club and, in October 2015, they were the first Cuban musicians to be welcomed at the White House following the decline of the relationship between Cuba and the USA, demonstrating the huge cultural importance of this record. © Benjamin Minimum/Qobuz

International bestselling band The Buena Vista Social Club introduced Son Cubano, the first Afro-Cuban sound, to music lovers across the globe. However, their record was lucky to have ever come into existence at all. This album (which went on to sell over 8 million copies worldwide) was recorded in 1996 at the Egrem studio in Havana and was organised at the very last minute, replacing another session. Initially, the plan was to bring together Cuban and Malian musicians, but it later transpired that the African musicians had not received their visas. The altered project saw Nick Gold, founder of the British label World Circuit, Ry Cooder, the famous American producer and guitarist, and Juan de Marcos González, conductor of the Afro-Cuban All Stars who had just released their first tribute album to the biggest Cuban bands of the 50s, record an album with local musicians⁠—possibly one of the wisest decisions of their career.The record features some of the best Cuban musicians, including bassist Orlando 'Cachaíto' López, trumpeter Manuel 'Guajiro' Mirabal and Barbarito Torres, an expert on the laúd, a small Cuban lute, as well as some veteran singers who came out of retirement to record these tracks. Compay Segundo (89), Pio Leiva (80), Ibrahim Ferrer (69), Omara Portuondo (66) and Eliades Ochoa (50) all gathered around the piano played by Ruben Gonzalez (78), who was also recording another album during this time.Called the Buena Vista Social Club in reference to the famous Havana club where traditional musicians used to meet prior to the 1930s, the album was discreetly released in 1997. Gradually, glowing reviews and positive word-of-mouth attracted the attention of the general public, which was further heightened by the Grammy Award they won that same year. The alchemy between the seasoned vocals, the genius of the musicians and the ever-fresh flavour of these forgotten hits is simply perfect. The result is strikingly authentic, and it’s impossible not to feel the genuine joy felt by these talented and mischievous musicians.In 1998, the original BVSC line-up put on three concerts: two in Amsterdam and one in Carnegie Hall in New York. Wim Wenders, friend of Ry Cooder, was behind the camera during these exceptional performances. He was also behind the recording sessions in Cuba for Ibrahim Ferrer’s first solo album, which was the main source of material for the film Buena Vista Social Club. Released in 1999, this documentary served to cement this short-lived group’s status as legends.For most of these artists, this album marked the start of short, international careers. Compay Segundo and Ruben Gonzalez died in 2003, Ibrahim Ferrer in 2005 and Orlando 'Cachaíto' López in 2009. Some of the original band members continued to tour the world under the name Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club and, in October 2015, they were the first Cuban musicians to be welcomed at the White House following the decline of the relationship between Cuba and the USA, demonstrating the huge cultural importance of this record. © Benjamin Minimum/Qobuz

It's hard to believe that it took Nick Gold and his World Circuit team to plunder the vaults for unreleased Buena Vista Social Club recordings. This loose-knit group of all-but-forgotten all-star musicians from pre-Revolutionary Havana was assembled by Juan de Marcos González and American guitarist Ry Cooder -- and supported by a cast of players they influenced -- to record its self-titled 1997 album that went platinum in the wake of Wim Wenders' 1999 film of the same name. Its members subsequently recorded solo and together, and various versions of the group have continued to tour internationally, but some of its foundational members have since passed on -- singers Ibrahim Ferrer and Compay Segundo, pianist Rubén González, bassist Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez, and bassist Miguel "Angá" Díaz. Lost and Found compiles unreleased vault tracks from the original 1996 EGREM studios sessions, live tracks, and rehearsal sessions from subsequent albums. But this music is anything but a hodgepodge, half-baked assortment. It is assembled with care and attention to the group's legacy. For starters, opener "Bruca Manigua" is one of three excellent live tracks to feature Ferrer on his 2000 tour in support of his debut album, backed by a killer large band. "Macusa" is a vocal duet between Eliades Ochoa and Segundo from the 1996 sessions. The pair delivered the album's standout hit, "Chan Chan." Omara Portuondo's gorgeous reading of the Cuban standard "Lágrimas Negras" could have easily made the cut on the 1997 album; that it didn't is a head scratcher. Likewise, "Tiene Sabor" is sultry and steamy; it's all roiling passion underscored by a saucy female backing chorus and a sizzling violin solo. (This may be the album's finest track.) "Black Chicken 37," a duet between Díaz and Cachaito (playing arco), reveals the improvisational power in Afro-Cuban jazz. Two solo tracks by Ochoa, the guitar instrumental "Quiéreme Mucho" and the bolero "Pedacito de Papel," are haunting in their intimacy. They were recorded after-hours during the album sessions. González is also represented handsomely and poignantly: first by his last ever recorded solo on "Bodas de Oro," a swinging danzón from a session led by trombonist Jesús "Aguaje" Ramos; by the elegant live piano solo "Como Siento Yo"; as well as by his informal scat singing on set closer "Rubén Sings!" Lost and Found is better served as a companion volume to the painstakingly curated Buena Vista Social Club album than as a general listener's introduction to the various musicians. That said, for anyone who ever wished there was more music in the can, this all-killer, no-filler program is indispensable.© Thom Jurek /TiVo

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.© Stacia Proefrock /TiVo

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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.© TiVo

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.© Stacia Proefrock /TiVo

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