Buena Vista Social Club
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Free Music Notes for Buena Vista Social Club
Free Music Review: This is a magical CD!
Hit: 5 Stars
I first heard of Buena Vista Social Club through a colleague of mine. He would play this CD in his office and I found the melodies quite rhythmic and haunting.Once I purchased my copy of this wonderful CD, I was really hooked. The more I listen to it, the more I love it. The love and emotion for the artists' craft comes through and leaves an indelible mark on each listener's heart.
These once forgotten musicians through the help of Ry Cooder have been able to share their traditional melodies with the western world.
I was amazed to see how successful this album's sale have been for a world music title. But a few listens later, it didn't surprise me at all. I guess people just know great music when they hear it even when it crosses ethnic and language boundaries.
By the way, I'm an audiophile and the sound quality on this album is exceptional. The sound has a lot of depth and ambiance. Try this CD in a high end audio system and you'll experience a certain intimacy you don't find in most traditional studio albums.
Free Music Review: Undeniable proof that Ry Cooder is the MASTER!!
Hit: 5 Stars
Many people associate Cuban music with the high energy of artists like Ricky Ricardo...but Ry pulls off the all time ethnic music coup here. He persuades many wonderful, but "seasoned" musicians to join him in this recording and the final product is so smooth and delicious that you don't have to know a word of spanish to love it. Like so much of Ry Cooder's music, it's the feeling that makes it a treasure. This "must have" collection shows us that Cuban music is certainly filled with soul and energy but is also beautiful and moving.Ry Cooder has an uncanny ability to produce great music without having to be in the foreground of it all. This album is no exception...he doesn't use these fantastic musicians to be his band, but rather tastefully adds his own flavor when, and only when, it is appropriate.
Those of us who have followed Cooder's career over many years believe he can work magic with just about any music...but "Buena Vista Social Club" might be his best ever.
Buen Trabajo!
Free Music Review: This is the album that heralded the 'Cuban Explosion'.....
Hit: 5 Stars
Lets not beat around the bush regarding giving this album superlatives...this is one of the finest albums ever made. Sure!!...such comments are subjective, but the influence & creative power of this album virtually single-handedly put Cuban music back on the music map, as far as the rest of the world is concerned...unquestionably authentic, grippingly expressive, unbelievably passionate and sung by a group of individuals, who with their singing careers long since firmly behind them, undoubtedly had no idea how enthusiastically the rest of the world would embrace their music...so much so, that this album revived the careers of the participants involved (Some of whom, hadn't produced music for over 30 years)...and one listen to the first track "Chan Chan" will confirm their heavyweight status...and quite possibly the only thing that could possibly detract from the overall magnificence of this album is the recent death of singer/bandleader "Compay Segundo", for what is a truly remarkable album.Free Music Review: Not just music - this is History.
Hit: 5 Stars
Cuban music had its heyday in the years before I was born, so I have no nostalgic memories of the days of mambo and cubano. So I suppose I come to this recording relatively free of bias.What you have here is compulsive listening. The music is a very special blend of highly complex latino/african rythyms mixed with flamenco style spanish vocals. These are then fleshed out with instrumentals which, while individually are each simple repetitive riffs, come together in a complex interweaving of harmonies. The end product is smooth as velvet but charged with energy and passion. And it makes you want to dance!
It is pure serendipity that had Cooder chance upon these musicians and capture them before they were lost forever.
The music covers a range of styles from peasant style Son music through what I call "Las Vegas Cardroom Mambo" (salon music) and up to some pretty sharp Jazz, especially on the piano. All of it is hot and all of it is great.
Free Music Review: beauty needs no understanding
Hit: 5 Stars
With only limited Spanish-speaking skills, I cannot begin to fully understand what Ibrahim Ferrer and Co. are singing about. It really doesn't matter, though -- the music's beauty shines brightly through the darkness of my ignorance.The Cuban folk music is truly a beautiful blend of plucked guitars, a light sprinkling of brass, and some soft piano and clean drumming for accompanyment. Although you may not speak Spanish, it is a beautiful language nonetheless -- another sweet instrument, if you will, that lilts and floats over the rest of the music.
This album really brings back great memories of traveling in Mexico: the images of the desert; the poor, dusty villages; the enchantment of the Sierra Madres; the amiable, heartwarming nature of the natives -- it's all here. Every listen is a trip to a place far away but not forgotten. If you have ever taken a trip to not just Cuba, but any Latin American country, I think this music should be a part of you.