Buena Vista Social Club Orchestra
Royal Albert Hall, London
Many of the musicians who helped to launch the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon at the now legendary Carnegie Hall concert in 1998 are no longer with us. That’s unsurprising, given that some of them were well into their eighth and even ninth decades at the time. The loss of singers Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo, together with pianist Rubén González and guitarist Compay Segundo, certainly left a massive hole to be filled. Nevertheless, musical director and trombonist Jesús “Aguaje” Ramos set about the task confronting him with gusto, aided in no small part by Manual Galbán on piano and Guajiro Mirabal, who leads the four-strong trumpet section.
Nowhere was Mirabal’s contribution more in evidence at this Royal Albert Hall gig than on a “dirty” “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White”. Composed by another great Cuban trumpeter, Perez Prado, it provided the spark to an evening that had, until then, been slow to ignite. That was despite the exhortations of charismatic singer Carlos Calunga, who absolutely looked the part in a pre-revolutionary cut white suit.
The stop-and-start nature of the performance was again highlighted as Ramos sidled up to shimmering diva Idania Valdes for a duet and a slow dance – beautiful in just about any other context but seemingly ill-timed in this one.
On occasions, Buena Vista felt less than a concert and more like an extended “descarga” or jam session, with all 13 band members encouraged to demonstrate their individual virtuosity through extended solos. Still, when people are playing at this elevated level, that’s a minor moan
And there were no complaints at all when Mirabal again stepped forward to deliver a spellbinding solo on “Autumn Leaves”. The audience wanted more and this time they were not disappointed, as the band finally gave them what many had obviously come for. “Chan Chan” and “Guantanemera” ensured that no one went home without having first getting to their feet in order to dance in celebration. Even the champagne swiggers in the hospitality boxes were unable to resist. Also not shy in coming forward was laud player Barbarito Torres who performed a cheeky – but compulsory – “behind the back” solo to thunderous applause.
This is not music as spectacle. You have to feel it. And it is so much better to feel it in the Cuban sunshine with a large mojito in your hand than inside a venue where, despite – or perhaps because of – its size, the music struggled, at times, to make itself heard. That said, I hope a recording of this evening will be produced by the excellent people at World Circuit records, who have been tireless in their promotion of all the artists involved with Buena Vista over the years. It would make an interesting addition to a superb catalogue of music – one which can only be enhanced with a good cigar and a glass of rum.
Cary Gee
