Luis Frank Presents Sonores De verdad - A Buena Vita: Barrio De La Havana. INFO | PRESS | IMAGES | BUY NOW  Unless you've been comatose or in an Amazonian Indian village for the last three years, the words "BUENA VISTA" will instantly spell out CUBA! and particularly CLASSIC CUBAN MUSIC. They will probably also recall poignant moments from Wim Wenders' film of the dignified old gents (and one old-ish diva) whose lives were turned upside down by the record they made with Ry Cooder. That disc came from nowhere and has sold over 3 million copies and it's no coincidence that, today, Cuba is the world's hottest - and coolest destination, for salsa holidays, charity bike rides, and Manic Street Preachers gigs (to the delight of their newest fan, Fidel Castro).Every new Cuban release proves that the island possesses a seemingly bottomless well of great songs and brilliant musicians to match, and this release is no exception. No-one could have predicted the incredible response to "The Buena Vista Social Club" album, or that we'd all be on first-name terms with Compay, Ibrahim, Ruben, Omara, and the dread-locked JUAN DE MARCOS GONZALEZ who pulled the whole thing together. Now the respected German label, Termidor Records, has produced another take on the story with this gorgeous album, "BUENA VISTA, BARRIO DE LA HABANA". The title song pays tribute to the Havana neighbourhood: "If you visit Havana, you'll come to Buena Vista...to watch the Social Club, It's already famous around the world." Directing the project was LUIS FRANK ARIAS - former singer with Compay Segundo's band Los Muchachos (the Boys!), a man with a soaring, golden voice, who follows in the tradition of the great Cuban soneros. Frank dedicates it to Juan De Marcos, who joins him, singing and playing nifty tres guitar, on the old-fashioned bolero, "LONGINA". Luis Frank had a great time selecting the musicians and was particularly privileged to include two star Buena Vista vocalists from the "Golden Age of Cuban Music" - 85-year old PIO LEYVA and MANUEL 'PUNTILLITA' LICEA. Puntillita tragically died before the record saw light of day, but is now immortalized in his song, "BILONGO". Their well matured, high country voices linked for the first time in nearly 50 years with RUDY CALZADO, who left Havana after the Revolution and established his reputation in New York through the world-famous Afro-Cuban jazz bands of MACHITO, MARIO BAUZA, RAY BARRETTO and MONGO SANTAMARIA. Calzado joins Pio Leyva and Luis Frank in some glorious singing on "MARACAIBO ORIENTAL", which also features the tres guitar of the man who wrote the song for Cuba's most famous singer, BenyMore, 60 years ago. Calzado sings lead on his composition, "LINDAALBORADA" (Song of the Beautiful Dawn), and the bolero "LA MAS BELLA CANCION" (The most beautiful song). With Luis Frank's focal voice out front on most other songs, the record is a vocalists' delight. But this wouldn't be a Cuban record if every single member of the line-up wasn't a virtuoso on his instrument. The line-up is simply spectacular. Apart from the guitarists, there is the teenaged conga player, YULIEN OVIEDO SANCHEZ, who made his hard-hitting mark on the original Buena Vista album when only 14. From Luis Frank's group 'Tradicional Habana', is the guitarist MANUEL DE LA CRUZ (who also performs with Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo); bassist RICARDO QUEVEDO; and tres guitarist MANUEL 'MANOLITO' HERNANDEZ. From Los Bocucos where Ibrahim Ferrer was the back-up singer, came percussionist RICARDO MARTINEZ and conga player PATRICIO MATIENZO SAAVEDRA. From Juan de Marcos's AFRO-CUBAN ALL STARS, came the young bass player RICARDO MUNOZ, and the diminutive flute player 'POLO' TAMAYO, who recently wowed Londoners in bass player CACHAITO's band. From the Afro-Cuban All Stars parent group, Sierra Maestra, is the wonderfully old-fashioned, unmistakably Cuban trumpet of DANIEL 'EL GORDO' 'Fatty') RAMOS, who has played with all the great Buena Vista soloists. And, finally, the rhythm pianist, GUILLERMO 'RUBALCABA' GONZALEZ, born into a dynasty of musicians in 1927, and whose son Gonzalito is one of the great Latin jazz stylists. He closes the album with a lyrical piano solo called "RUBALCABA". This beautifully packaged CD, with an appropriately old-fashioned, and richly informative booklet to accompany it, marks another historic union of the generations and styles of Cuban music (son, guajira, afro, and trova) from the East and West of the island. It's a gem, which will soothe and inspire. Favourite track? Hard question, but La Sitiera probably gets my vote! Sue Steward. April 2001. author of "SALSA - MUSICAL HEARTBEAT OF LATIN AMERICA" (THAMES & HUDSON) |
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