Buena Vista Social Club
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Free Music Notes for Buena Vista Social Club
Free Music Review: Que L?stima!
Hit: 1 Stars
Que L?stima ver a los maestros de la m?sica cubana teniendo que aguantar a un m?sico tan mediocre como Ry Cooder, a quien se le ocurri? que una guitarra electrica (pobremente tocada con slide de blues adem?s) va bien con el mas puro son de Cuba?. Es muy triste ver lo que m?sicos tan consagrados y legendarios tienen que hacer, aceptar y soportar por un poco de difusi?n fuera de la isla. Si busca un verdadero documental sobre la musica afro cubana busque "Calle 54", es en verdad excelente.Free Music Review: OK, but there's better
Hit: 3 Stars
The best thing about this CD is the publicity it gave to Cuban music. Most of the musicians on Buena Vista were good in their day, but many are way passed their prime.
For example, listen to Compay Segundo's singing and tres playing on the classic 1950s recordings compiled on Tumbao's "Balcon de Santiago". You'll find that Buena Vista sounds pretty second rate in comparison.
Eliades de Ochoa was never very good, and Ry Cooder and his slide guitar sound very out place. If you're setting out to make a recording of classic Cuban music, I'm not sure why you'd want to add American slide guitar. Cooder sounds good on blues, I wish he would stick to what he knows.
Finally, the production is too washed out sounding. They've added so much reverb that the music lacks vitality.
So, balancing the good and the bad, you won't regret having bought this CD, but you probably won't love it either. I strongly urge anyone interested in this kind of music to seek out the original recordings - many of which are available on Amazon.
Further Recommendations:
If you're looking for a better CD with a similar concept, I recommend trying Super Uba's "Tierra Lejana" - a collection of classics from the Dominican Republic. The Afro Cuban All-stars - "A Toda Cuba Le Gusta" is also good and has some of the same musicians as Buena Vista.
Free Music Review: Ry, oh ry!
Hit: 3 Stars
oh WHY did you do this? Who flies all the way to cuba, tracks down some great musicians, makes a fantastic documentary about cuban music, then plays incongruous guitar parts all over their work on the soundtrack album?
Chan Chan is a wonderful piece of music, well rendered, with a bizarra addition of a blues slide guitar on it... oo I wonder WHO could've been the culprit. Whoever that guitarist is, he musta been friendly with the producer to get THAT onto the track...
Track 2 I thought had escaped his attention until on the second listen I hear tuneless twanging of the parts of the guitar strings the wrong side of the neck or nut. Clearly TRYing to sound like a cowbell, and doing a reasonable job. They sound a lot like a cowbell being played by someone who's not played a cowbell much before. Even more, they sound like a pasty white guy trying to get in on the party with these consummate cubanos.
Gah. That's enough for now. I'm off to listen to some nuyorican
mambo to cool down.
Free Music Review: Thank You, Ry
Hit: 5 Stars
I find that a lot of world music is eerily similar to the quality of much music here in the U.S.: not quite worth being discovered. Every now and then, though, you'll get a pleasant surprise such as this CD. What a tragic thought that these sounds and artists might have been forgotten as they had even become in their own country.
Which brings up another point: it truly takes a pseudo-enlightened brat to look at this CD, what it's done for both the artists and those who've enjoyed it, and start squalling about Ry Cooder getting his filthy white hands all over it. My God, where does arrogance of this sort grow? Ry Cooder's hand was essential in bringing this to the rest of the world...otherwise you would have found it all on your own, now wouldn't you?
Hats of to Ry Cooder & these fabulous artists who have caused my CD collection to grow and my wallet to shrink.
Free Music Review: Never far from my CD player
Hit: 5 Stars
This classic CD offers endless enjoyment, thanks to the sheer integrity and authenticity of the players. Direct from Cuba, this music is played by some incredible musicians, many of them "senior citizens." But make no mistake, these players are more lively and innovative than most musicians half their age...or even a third of their age! The liner notes are deluxe and assist those of us who do not speak Spanish fluently. Producer Ry Cooder did yeoman's work in bringing this project together, which has since spawed a number of worthy spin-offs. It's amazing how many self-proclaimed "purists" have derided this CD, simply because it was a commercial success or featured an American player. The fact is, this project introduced many people to Cuban folk music in the same way that Paul Simon's GRACELAND introduced many to Ladysmith Black Mumbazo and other South African musical treasures. For that, Cooder should be thanked.