The original Buena Vista Social Club album was stretched into the early 2000s. Spiced with live recorded for World Circuit Records over seven recordings from the same fertile period, there’s days in Havana in 1996, bringing together many a tremendous and sometimes surprising variety of the great names of the golden age of Cuban to the material heard on Lost and Found. But music in the 1950s, several of whom were coaxed there is a unifying thread built around a core out of retirement for the sessions. The Album collective of legendary musicians expressing an became a surprise international best-seller esprit de corps which everyone who was ever and the most successful album in the history enchanted by Buena Vista Social Club will of Cuban music. recognise and enjoy. At the time, nobody had the idea that the record was merely the start of a musical phenomenon. In the years that followed, the Buena Vista veterans toured the world and were the subject A World Circuit Production of a celebrated feature film directed by Produced by Nick Gold Wim Wenders. Further acclaimed recordings followed, including solo releases from the Macusa and Lágrimas Negras singers Omara Portuondo and Ibrahim Ferrer, produced by Ry Cooder virtuoso pianist Rubén González, trumpet star Recorded and mixed by Jerry Boys Manuel ‘Guajiro’ Mirabal and a celebratory live album recorded at a triumphant concert at New Mastered by Tom Leader and York’s Carnegie Hall. Buena Vista Social Club Bernie Grundman had become a household name. Photography by Christien Jaspars ‘Lost and Found’ is a collection of previously Designed by House at Intro unreleased tracks recorded both at the original Sleeve notes by Nigel Williamson legendary sessions produced by Ry Cooder and during the extraordinarily rich outpouring of Archive research and additional music that followed. All the studio tracks were production by Tim Jenkinson recorded for World Circuit in Havana during the rich and prolific period of creativity that With thanks to Juan de Marcos González and followed the recording of the original album and everyone who made this record possible. 1.Bruca Manigua Buena Vista sessions and their easy rapport in solo, the son makes way for the father and of elegant nostalgia. It was recorded for 2004’s (Arsenío Rodríguez) playing together is evident. Ibrahim Ferrer, also Ruben delivers what turned out to be his nal ‘Buena Vista Social Club Presents Manuel from Santiago, adds his voice in the coro* and Juan recorded solo at the age of 80. The distinctive Guajiro Mirabal’, the solo album by the trumpeter Following the release of his debut solo album de Marcos González, band leader of the Afro- electric guitar rhythm part is played by Los whose playing was showcased on the original at the age of 72, Ibrahim Ferrer took to the road Cuban All Stars, conducts with customary air. Za ros arranger Manuel Galbán. Buena Vista Social Club album. In the end, in 2000 with a ‘banda gigante’ (the name Benny Guajiro and producer Nick Gold decided to Moré gave his 1950s era Havana big band) and shape his album as a tribute to the music of the a zzing set of orchestrations by conductor and 3.Tiene Sabor 5.Black Chicken 37 legendary composer and bandleader Arsenio trombone player Demetrio Muñiz. This song, (Ignacio Piñiero / Rolando Valdés) (Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López / Rodríguez, which is why this evocative piece written by Arsenio Rodríguez in the 1930s, was Miguel ‘Angá’ Diaz) was left in the vaults until now. featured on the album, ‘Buena Vista Social Club From the sessions that produced Omara Portuondo’s second World Circuit album ‘Flor Recorded during the sessions for bassist Presents: Ibrahim Ferrer’; but it’s fascinating de Amor’ in 2004, this track features an all-girl Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López’s jazz-tinged 2001 to hear how it developed into something quite 7. coro in the tradition of the vocal group Cuarteto World Circuit album ‘Cachaito’, the theme for Como Fue different when played live. Recorded in front (Ernesto Duarte) of a sell-out crowd at Paris’ Zenith, the joyous Las D’Aida with whom Omara performed in this improvised descarga (jam) was composed swagger of the performance is matched by the 1950s, backing Nat King Cole at Havana’s in the studio by Cachaíto and conga player Another live track featuring Ibrahim Ferrer, who the surges in the audience’s applause, rst as Tropicana nightclub on one celebrated occasion. Miguel ‘Angá’ Diaz, whose own experimental had always dreamed of singing bolero in front Ibrahim takes the stage and then again as he The reason for its exclusion from the album was album ‘Echu Minga’ appeared on World Circuit of a big band in the style of his musical hero, treats them to his trademark dancing. that it was considered too energetic and high in 2005. Angá, whose twin daughters now record Benny Moré, whom he heard singing this classic octane for what was essentially a collection as the duo ‘Ibeyi’, died of a heart-attack at the song composed by Ernesto Duarte in the 1950s. of slow-tempo, smouldering love songs. tragically young age of 45. The daring violin part A highlight of Ibrahim’s live show, this version 2. Macusa is by Pedro Depestre, another sad loss who died was recorded on stage in Paris with a wonderful (Francisco Repilado) on stage during his rst concert outside Cuba group that cruises with the effortless elegance 4. Bodas De Oro with Cachaíto’s group in Switzerland in 2001. and streamlined power of a luxury ocean liner. From the original Buena Vista sessions recorded (Miguel Faílde) Amadito Valdés on timbales, Carlos González at Havana’s Egrem studio in 1996, this is a classic on bongos and Virgilio on maracas make up a A classic danzon recorded for Jesus ‘Aguaje’ son in the traditional Santiago style written by dream percussion section. 8. Ramos’s un nished debut album in 2001. Guajira en F Francisco Repilado, better known to the world as (Alegre All Stars) Compay Segundo. He’s accompanied on guitar Trombone player ‘Aguaje’ was a mainstay of Rubén González’s band and for many years has Based on a recording by the New York-based and two-part vocals by Eliades Ochoa, the same 6. been musical director of the Orquesta Buena Habanera ‘Alegre All Stars’ from their 1965 ‘Lost and Found’ duo heard on Buena Vista’s most famous track, (traditional) ‘Chan Chan’. Eliades and an at-the-time-down- Vista Social Club, a role he continues to ful l album, this driving salsa comes from the on-his-luck Compay had joined forces as a duo on the band’s 2015 ‘Adios’ tour. Much of the Sepia-tinted images of the local brass band sessions for Jesús ‘Aguaje’ Ramos’s un nished in Santiago about a year before convening for the piano on this track is played by Rubén González’s in a town square in Cuba around the turn of the album. The lead singer is Carlos Calunga who son Rubencito; but when it comes to the main 20th century are conjured by this lovely piece has been singing with the Orquesta Buena Vista
Social Club touring band for more than a 11. 13. decade, and the trumpet solo is by Miguelito Mami Me Gustó Como Siento Yo (Arsenio Rodríguez) (Rubén González) Valdés, who happened to visit the studio during recording and who contributed his solo as a The Orquesta Ibrahim Ferrer bursts A characteristically expansive but nuanced rst take without even a run-through. As with irrepressibly out of the traps on this rocking live piano solo from the late Rubén González, all studio tracks on this collection the band take on a favourite Arsenio Rodríguez song. recorded in London on his rst concert played ‘live’ at Egrem Studios in Havana. Ibrahim recorded the song at Egrem for his rst tour, following the release of ‘Buena Vista solo album; but once again, playing the song Social Club’ and his own debut solo album live every night took it to invigorating and ‘Introducing Ruben Gonzalez’ which was 9. Quiéreme Mucho adventurous new places. With Ibrahim in ne recorded immediately afterwards at Egrem (Gonzalo Roig) voice and potent solos from ‘Cachaíto’ on bass, in 1996. After coming out of retirement in his ‘Aguaje’ on trombone and ‘Guajiro’ on trumpet, late 70s, the greatest joy of Ruben’s later years the band swings with swashbuckling potency. was to play live for an audience and he was particularly appreciative of how intently the 10. PedacitoDe Papel audience would listen to him, with the kind (Francisco Simó Alberto Damirón) 12. Lágrimas of hushed respect more usually reserved for If Rubén González was generally the rst of the a classical recital.
Buena Vista musicians to arrive for a session, Negras (Miguel Matamoros) Eliades Ochoa was often the last to leave. These two exquisite, minor-key solo guitar pieces – This standout track was recorded with some 14. Ruben sings! the rst entirely instrumental and the second urgency during the Buena Vista Social Club Rubén caught singing a guide piano solo during with a soulful after-hours vocal - were recorded sessions in 1996, as lead singer Omara rehearsals at Havana’s Egrem studios. by Eliades Ochoa during a midnight session at Portuondo was about to y out for a tour of Egrem in 1998 after work on Ibrahim Ferrer’s Vietnam and her taxi to the airport was waiting rst album was nished for the day and in the street. Yet she sounds wonderfully poised everyone else had retired to bed or to the and the track blissfully unhurried as Eliades nearest bar for a nightcap. Delighted with the Ochoa (guitar) and Barbarito Torres (laoud) results, Eliades then added a few extra lines as trade the theme back and forth. If it seems overdubs, something he had never tried before. extraordinary that such a stellar performance was omitted from the original album, the of cial explanation is that the song – one of the great standards of Cuban music written by Santiago’s Miguel Matamoros – was felt to be too well * Chorus vocals known for inclusion.
MUSICIANS
Bruca Manigua,Como Fue, Mami Me Gustó Tiene Sabor Black Chicken 37 Quiéreme Mucho, Pedacito De Papel Ibrahim Ferrer vocal Omara Portuondo vocals Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López bass Eliades Ochoa guitar & vocal Demetrio Muñiz band leader, Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López bass Miguel ‘Angá’ Diaz congas trombone, coro Manuel Galbán acoustic guitar Amadito Valdés timbales Lágrimas Negras Adolfo Pichardo piano Swami Jr. 7-string guitar Carlos González bongos Omara Portuondo vocals Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López bass Jorge Chicoy electric guitar Alberto ‘Virgilio’ Valdés maracas Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López bass Angel Terry Domech congas Ramses M. González drums Pedro Depestre violin Eliades Ochoa guitar, coro Filiberto Sánchez timbales Carlos González clave Rafael ‘Jimmy’ Jenks tenor sax Barbarito Torres laoud Roberto García bongos Alberto ‘Virgilio’ Valdés maracas Carlos González bongos Lázaro Villa maracas, coro Amadito Valdés timbales Habenero Joachim Cooder dumbek Manuel ‘Guajiro’ Mirabal trumpet, coro Julián Corrales violin Manuel ‘Guajiro’ Mirabal trumpet Alberto ‘Virgilio’ Valdés maracas, coro Alejandro Pichardo trumpet, coro Enrique Lazaga guiro Jesús ‘Aguaje’ Ramos trombone, coro Caridad Valdés Menéndez coro Guajira en F Como Siento Yo Javier Zalba alto, soprano sax Yaremi Alfonso Nápoles coro Jesús ‘Aguaje’ Ramos band leader, Rubén González piano Pantaleón Sánchez alto sax Idania Valdés Casuso coro trombone, coro* Rafael ‘Jimmy’ Jenks tenor sax Riena Hernández Centeno coro Carlos M. Calunga vocal Tony Jiménez tenor sax Roberto Fonseca piano Ventura Gutiérrez baritone sax Bodas De Oro Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López bass Jesús ‘Aguaje’ Ramos band leader, Manuel Galbán electric guitar Macusa trombone, coro* Miguel ‘Angá’ Diaz congas Eliades Ochoa vocals, guitar Rubén González piano solo Amadito Valdés timbales Compay Segundo vocals, guitar Rubencito González piano Carlito Gongalez bongos Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López bass Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López bass Enrique Lazaga Guiro Ibrahim Ferrer coro Manuel Galbán electric guitar Manuel ‘Guajiro’ Mirabal trumpet Juan de Marcos González coro and conductor Miguel ‘Angá’ Diaz congas Alejandro Pichardo trumpet, coro Carlos González bongos Amadito Valdes timbales Miguelito Valdes trumpet solo Joachim Cooder dumbek Carlito Gongalez bongos Luis Alemandy trumpet Alberto ‘Virgilio’ Valdés maracas Enrique Lazaga Guiro Yanko Pisaco Pichardo trumpet Manuel ‘Guajiro’ Mirabal trumpet Yaure Muñiz trumpet Alejandro Pichardo trumpet, coro Miguelito Valdés trumpet solo Luis Alemány Conde trumpet Yanko Pisaco trumpet Yaure Muñiz trumpet * Chorus vocals
WCD090