Now that the Buena Vista adventure is finally coming to a close with a farewell tour (and many of the original artists unfortunately having passed on – singer Ibrahim Ferrer, pianist Ruben Gonzalez, singer Compay Segundo, percussionist ‘Anga’), the time is ripe to release this selection of brilliant songs which, for one reason or another, were omitted from the original album or the solo ventures of the musicians who made up the ‘Club’.
The album is another triumph for World Circuit - no cobbled together set of outtakes here. As the eloquent and evocative sleeve notes explain, virtually all numbers were omitted for artistic rather than quality reasons. The swinging version of ‘Tiene sabor’ by Omara Portuondo (incidentally also a highlight of the recent exemplary World Circuit archive release ‘Cha Cha Cha’) was only kept off the record because it was “too upbeat”. Her version of Lagrimas Negras is a modern classic and was omitted because the song was ‘too well known”! Those being my personal favourites, other highlights are the series of live tracks featuring Ferrer, tasty instrumentals by Jesus Aguaje, Ruben Gonzalez and Manuel Mirabel and an intimate after-hours vocal performance by Eliades Ochoa.
There seems only the slight hint of nostalgia and sentimentality here; with musicians of this quality playing some of the best songs ever written with such ease and life (and fantastically recorded and mixed by Jerry Boys) the result can only be a set that demands to be listened, and danced, to.
If you need reminding why the Buena Vista Social Club records were such a triumph, you must buy this album. Rather than an addition to the original release, it stands alone as a superb set in its own right. Once again World Circuit’s commitment to quality at every level has resulted in an album that generously brings some glorious music to a grateful audience. ‘Ta bueno, compay!
Dave Willetts for CubaSi Spring 2015
