by Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club Lost and Found (PBS Feature Record)
When I first heard about the ‘new’ Buena Vista Social Club album Lost and Found I was rather skeptical about an album that was made up of tracks that did not actually make it onto the legendary 1997 self-titled LP. Some of them were recorded during the original album’s sessions (over seven days in Havana in 1996) and others from the years that followed, having been held in the vaults at the legendary Egrem Studios in Havana.
Once I listened to it however I found that the skepticism turned to surprise and confusion on many levels:
• Three classic LIVE tracks from Ibrahim Ferrer that would have been more than good enough to include on any one of his six albums that he released post-Buena Vista. Classic because despite being live recordings the tracks are crystal clear and he also has the backing of the original masters who made Buena Vista Social Club a global phenomenon
• ‘Lagrimas Negras’ – a Cuban and Latin standard by three of the surviving members of the original line-up featuring Omara Portuondo, Eliades Ochoa and Barbarito Torres would be a core track on any of their albums
• The same dynamic duo that brought us the classic ‘Chan Chan’ Compay Segundo and Eliades Ochoa have a track called ‘Macusa’ which is a hit in its own right
• I love the addition percussionist Anga Diaz and bass player extraordinaire Orlando Lopez – both masters of their own craft, former members of Cuban band Irakere
• All throughout the album the backing harmonies of Juan De Marcos Gonzalez who with the help of Ry Cooder put together the legends that make up Buena Vista Social Club.
I am pleasantly surprised these tracks or the album were not released earlier because not only will some of these tunes turn into stand-alone hits, satisfying all of Buena Vista’s current fans but also new fans they will acquire along the way on their ÁDIOS World Tour with 60 concerts confirmed.
by Mick Williams – Latin Connection
Songhoy Blues Music In Exile (Featured on The Breakfast Spread)
There is some truly spectacular music coming out of Mali at the moment (Toumani & Sidiki Diabate, Tinariwen) and Songhoy Blues’ debut album is another addition to this growing collection. Music In Exile, produced by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, has the hallmark energy of a desert blues album but with striking moments of traditional Malian drumming and singing. Despite this being their first album, Songhoy Blues are no strangers to the music scene, performing on Damon Albarn’s (Gorillaz, Blur) Africa Express Compilation in 2013, as well as supporting him on tour last year. The four members of the band met in the Malian capital of Bamako, after fleeing their hometown of Timbuktu when Islamic extremists moved into the region. In the last song ‘Mali’ you can hear that sense of homesickness in their voices, making it a powerful finish to the album. A consistent and powerful debut album, I expect we’ll be hearing much more from Songhoy Blues very soon.
by Stani Goma – Flight 1067 to Africa
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