Cuba, a place full of desire, passion and pride, is a paradise abounding in marvellous music and giving birth to the greatest musicians in the world, though not well-known to all. Havana, during the end of 20th century, as what the documentary, Buena Vista Social Club, presented to spectators, is indeed a city mixed with old and modern fashion, where sea waves splash its costal line, roads narrowed in those ancient buildings, inhabitants in casual pajamas wandering alone in the street. Here, every normal people would improvise a tune with Cuban style, everyone is an excellent singer of his own. Ry Cooder caused an international sensation when he introduced the world to Cuba's son musicians with his 1997 CD Buena Vista Social Club. The CD, which met with extraordinary critical and popular success, went on to win a Grammy,and fueled America's current love affair with Latin music. In 1999 Wim Wenders released his documentary of the same name, in which he profiles the legendary Buena Vista Social Club musicians, recording their experiences as they perform in Cuba and abroad, eventually appearing at New York's Carnegie Hall. Hailed as "splendid ... a sheer delight" (New York Post), "glowing-embers documentary " (Washington Post) and "more incisive introduction to the peculiar world of Buena Vista than any live performance could provide" ( The New York Observer). Just like what Ibrahim Ferrer, the lead singer, described his childhood in the documentary, "I, Ibrahim Ferrer Planas, was born in a small town in Sandiago de Cuba, San Luis ... At the age of twelve, I lost my mother, I had already lost my father.I was an orphan ... But I had to abandon my studies then ... You had to fend for yourself ... " Actually, almost each member of the BVSC has led a hard life in his member. Eliades Ochoa Bustamante, the guitarist in his middle age, was born a country boy, playing the guitar for living even in the red light district. Those individualities poor but with full passion for music came together from different regions formed the BVSC. Fortunately, the film helped immortalize both the music and its now-famous practitioners who had been living in near poverty, all but forgotten in their own country. Ibrahim said, "We Cubans can be thankful, I don't know, to the Man up there...that we are the way we are. If we cared about possessions, we would have disappeared long ago. But we Cuban are very fortunate. We're a small country,but we're very strong. We've learned how to resist the good and the bad." Cuban had long been excluded from the United States by ongoing trade and travel embargo, which resulted in a bad influence on the relations between these two countries . There is one background you may not know about the documentary. In 1996, Ry Cooder had been invited to Havana by Britishworld music producer Nick Gold of World Circuit Records to record a session where two African High-life musicians from Mali were to collaborate with Cuban musicians. On Cooder's arrival, it transpired that the musicians from Africa had not received their visas and were unable to travel to Havana. Yes, a brave nation consolidated these old together. These old men grew with their country, the tune they hummed and the instruments they played with.All these are watching them from the hard youth to the declining years, whilst they never die in silence but with passion and those good memories. They worth the appreciation around the world. Let us hail for there splendid lives.
View more about Buena Vista Social Club reviews
