Ibrahim Ferrer - Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer
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Music CD Cover Artist: Ibrahim Ferrer Edition: Music CD CD Release Date: 1999-06-08 Music Label: Nonesuch Soundtracks:
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| New | New Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $9.28 | ||
| Used | Used Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $3.43 | ||
| Collectible | Collectible Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $18.98 |
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Free Music Notes for Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer Album
Free Music Review: We must have listened to different CDs
Hit: 2 Stars
I'm one of the 13 people on the planet who have neither seen the movie nor heard the BVSC CD. I have, however, heard the inimitable Mr. Ferrer elsewhere. After listening to the opening cut of the Putumayo CD "Cuba", I thought I understood the buzz about this marvelous singer.I read the almost unbounded reviews of praise on the board here and ordered the CD. A day or so later I received it and quickly popped it into the CD player. And as quickly crashed to Earth, thinking "Am I hearing things the same way all these other folks do?" Apparently not.
I have absolutely no quarrel with Ferrer. As others have said, I could listen to him sing all night long. The problem with this CD is, that's not an easy thing to do. I find listening to it almost painful at times. Why?
For starters, the production is abysmal. Perhaps Cooder considers it atmospheric or authentic, but to me it sounds as if it was recorded in a barn. A large one. I would almost shrug it off as being a result of Cuba's less-than-leading-edge technology but for the fact I've heard other recordings from exactly the same studio that sound superior by an order of magnitude.
Okay, it's not the equipment. Hmmm. Maybe the recording engineer. The CD liner lists it as being mixed by one Jerry Boys. Well, boy, I hope his other work is better than this. Honestly, burying a voice the quality of Ferrer's deep in the mix borders on the criminal.
Or maybe Boys is actually very good and was instructed to create a sound by...
Mr. Cooder. Ah, yes. The famous Mr. Cooder. I'm neither a fan nor a detractor of his other work but one has to question why he would impose his own playing here. It's blindingly inappropriate, musically vapid, and jarringly obtrusive. I certainly don't question his appreciation for, or love of, Cuban music. But this effort smacks of either arrogance or of the little boy who gets carried away wanting to sit in with the pros. Fortunately, his presence on the CD is limited. Unfortunately, not limited enough.
The other major production error is with the instrumentalists. Who hired this horn section? Havana is full of great players; I've heard them on other efforts. Or maybe they were having a bad day. There are enough splattered trumpet notes on this CD to make an elementary school band cringe. Sheesh. And intonation? A moving target no one seems to be able to hit. Same thing with their timing. The rythmic elements often fight, rather than complement, each other. Again, perhaps Cooder feels this is authentic. Unrehearsed. Spontaneous. Well, that's exactly what it sounds like -- studio musicians sight-reading charts.
Personally, I'd love to hear the rest of the Egrem album from which Ferrer's Putumayo cut is taken. Great sound, tight horn section, great rythmn. But of course, we can't get that one here in the states due to the embar... never mind.
Political and financial diatribes aside, I have no idea what Cooder's motivations are. Whether it's financial or not, many would argue he at least has triggered a flood of interest in Cuban music. That's undeniably true, but also a shame if the vast buying public assumes this is as good as it gets.
In *spite* of all the forces working against him, Ferrer is sublime. An absolutely gorgeous voice commanded by a master stylist. We'll hopefully await a fully realized CD from the production hand of someone besides Cooder.
Either that or maybe we'll find a readily available source of Egrem imports...