Buena Vista Social Club Biography
Less a band than an assemblage of some of Cuba's most renowned musical forces, Buena Vista Social Club's origins lie with noted American guitarist Ry Cooder, who in 1996 traveled to Havana to seek out a number of legendary local musicians whose performing careers largely ended decades earlier with the rise of Fidel Castro. Recruiting the long-forgotten likes of singer Ibrahim Ferrer, guitarists/singers Compay Segundo and Eliades Ochoa, and pianist Rubén González, Cooder entered Havana's Egrem Studios to record the album Buena Vista Social Club; the project was an unexpected commercial and critical smash, earning a Grammy and becoming the best-selling release of Cooder's long career. In 1998 he returned to Havana with percussionist son Joaquim to record a solo LP with Ferrar; the sessions were captured on film by director Wim Wenders, who also documented sell-out Buena Vista Social Club live performances in Amsterdam and New York City. (Wenders' film, also titled simply Buena Vista Social Club, earned an Academy Award nomination in 2000.) The public's continued interest in Cuban music subsequently generated solo efforts from Segundo and González as well as a series of international live performances promoted under the Buena Vista Social Club aegis. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
Peace orchestra Biography: With the Kruder & Dorfmeister collective apparently unwilling to produce a studio album as a duo, Peter Kruder debuted his Peace Orchestra alias in 1999 for a self-titled album of blissfully stoned...
Hawkwind Biography: Any sci-fi fan with long memories probably remembers those 1970's DAW paperback editions of Michael Moorcock's sword-and-sorcery novels, with their images of heavily armored, very muscular warriors,...
Queen latifah Biography: Queen Latifah was certainly not the first female rapper, but she was the first one to become a bona fide star. She had more charisma than her predecessors, and her strong, intelligent, no-nonsense...
Tin machine Biography: Even in a career defined by its detours and departures, it nevertheless raised eyebrows when David Bowie formed Tin Machine in 1989, briefly forgoing his long and successful solo career to...
Dog fashion disco Biography: The D.C. alt-metal band Dog Fashion Disco doesn't play into classy decor or music mainstream. Their vigor cites the same intensity as Clutch, Tool, and Nothingface, taking shape for new millennium...
Uzeb Biography: A three-piece jazz/fusion group from Canada made up of bass, guitar, and synthesizers, Uzeb's musicians are very talented players, making the music above average for this style. ~ Paul Kohler, All...
Amoeba Biography: Amoeba was one of the results of a multi-decade on-again, off-again collaboration between multi-instrumentalist Rick Davies and ambient composer Robert Rich. The two first met in 1979...
Say anything Biography: Say Anything is the pop-punk brainchild of singer/songwriter Max Bemis. The band first started up while its members were still in high school and has had a rotating cast of characters throughout its...