super groovy delicious bite: buena vista social club

Ry Cooder violated an embargo to record this tour de force with Juan de Marcos González and other traditional Cuban musicians. 'Buena Vista Social Club' began as a collaboration between African and Cuban musicians; but the musicians from Mali could not get visas and so the project turned to local musicians in Havana. Cooder had to go to Mexico to gain entry into Cuba because it was forbidden by US law. The album was recorded in six days at Egrem Studios in Havana, an old RCA facility with vintage equipment.

The musicians included Compay Segundo on vocals, guitar, and congas; Eliades Ochoa on vocals and guitar; Ibrahim Ferrer on vocals, bongos, and clave; Ry Cooder on acoustic & electric slide guitars, guitar, oud, bolon, mbira, and percussion; and Ruben Gonzalez on piano; with Juan de Marcos Gonzalez as conductor, as well as on guiro and background vocals; Julio Alberto Fernandez on vocals and maracas; Manuel "Puntillita" Licea on vocals and congas; Omara Portuondo on vocals; Benito Suarez Magana on guitar; Barbarito Torres on laoud; Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal on trumpet; Joachim Cooder on drums, udu drum, dumbeck, and conga; Alberto "Virgillo" Valdes on maracas and background vocals; with Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez and Salvador Repilado Labrada on bass.

The resulting album draws its title from the song that used to be the theme of the private music club that was a hub for musicians during the heyday of this music in the 1940's and 50's. 'Buena Vista Social Club' went to number eighty on the US Billboard Top 200, and number one on the Heatseekers, Latin Albums, World Music, and Tropical albums charts. It sold over five million copies worldwide and won a Grammy for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album. Cooder was fined $25,000 for breaking the Trading with the Enemy Act.

www.buenavistasocialclub.com