Review of Buena Vista Social Club (1999) by Matt R — 05 Apr 2009

Very interesting documentary about Cuban music following Castro's takeover in 1959. I found it interesting to note that the talents of these musicians were somewhat wasted by the Cuban government when they were sent off to work on other things rather than just performing music. (and thus forgotten until Ry Cooder rediscovered them) A lot of the musicians interviewed have very interesting stories to tell. And of course, the movie soundtrack is totally excellent.

Later saw Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, and Ruben Gonzales and a few other BVSC musicians performing here in Austin. Amazing that even in their old ages, a number of them were able to perform. These were probably among the their last performances (Ibrahim Ferrer and Ruben Gonzales passed away a few years ago), so I am definitely glad I got to see a few of them perform live.