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CD/ Compay Segundo
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Cranky Crow World Music, CD/ Compay Segundo >>
With the passing away of Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo and Ruben Gonzalez, we can say that the Great Ones never truly die and judging from the array of recordings by these artists and their compatriots, the Buena Vista Social Club will also remain with us for many years to come. There are some people out there wondering what all the fuss is about. So, a few aging musicians get together, appear on a best selling disc and in a documentary by German Filmmaker Wim Wenders, it's all just hype, right? Guitarist Ry Cooder and his son make another music discovery, this time in Cuba and with forgotten legends, some of them fading into the background of more modern sounds. What's the big deal? The world is filled with master musicians. True, this music is extremely popular, it does have mass appeal, but it also speaks to the universal soul and it makes bodies feel good. These players are master musicians with an added spark. Charisma and masterful playing is a hard combination to beat.
It's true that the political climate in Cuba proved challenging for musicians since the golden era (prior to Castro's Cuba); it's true that the U.S. government boycott on Cuban goods, including music has added another thorn to the side of these musicians, but despite all of this turmoil, musicians such as Compay Segundo and other Buena Vista Social Club musicians were still performing music abroad and in Cuba prior to 1996. They might not have been wealthy, but they were recording and performing. When Ry Cooder came to Havana and formed a band of Superstar musicians in 1996, Ruben Gonzalez who had retired in the 1980's and Ibrahim Ferrer who had been reduced to shining shoes for a living returned to the fray and together these musicians took the world by storm based on their musical prowess and their ability to get people dancing. It certainly wasn't the case of aging rock musicians rolling on stage in wheelchairs. Despite some health problems for some of the performers, these musicians were in top form and they were going to show younger generations how it's done. Superstar is not used lightly here and I for one, am pleased to see age before beauty and hear this fabulous music. It does take decades to reach the height of one's talent and these musicians prove that. One develops into a fully realized human being only after being weathered by life and this too takes decades to achieve.
Born in 1907, close to Santiago de Cuba, guitarist, singer and composer Compay Segundo (Maximum Francisco Repilado) I believe was the oldest musician to perform with Buena Vista Social Club (a collective of musicians). According to Rough Guide to World Music (Volume 2), Ry Cooder called Compay, "the last of the best...As soon as he walked into the studio it all kicked in. He was the leader, the fulcrum, the pivot. He knew the best songs and how to do them because he had been doing them since World War One." Certainly you can see in the documentary that Compay Segundo had a larger than life personality. His smile alone which radiated like the Caribbean sun was enough to blow anyone over and then add his virtuoso guitar playing and sensual singing on top of that and he was unstoppable.
However, the songs that appear on the Cuban Essential disc range from 1974 to 1990, with some of the songs more recently composed. These songs were recorded by Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicale (Cuba) and later licensed to Escondida. The infamous Chan Chan which had Pope John Paul II rocking at the Vatican in 2000, graces this disc. Some listeners will recall the song opening the documentary for BVSC. Certainly it is a favorite with its rustic beats and virtuoso guitar, but the other remaining 14 tracks on this disc are caliente with a capitol "C" and then some. Compay aims to please his listeners with soulful vocals, classic sones, and robust guitar (and tres). "The entire world knows his fabulous sones and guarachas: Chan Chan, Macusa, Sarandonga, Yo Vengo Aqui....and many other works that have already become part of Cuban folklore history." (Liner notes). A La Casa De La Trova with its hearty call & response vocals and polyphonic beats is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Compay's tres solo will get anyone dancing.
Compay Segundo passed away in 2003 at the age of 96. I doubt we'll be bidding him farewell anytime soon. Legends never die, over time they are embellished, they become larger than life and inspire future generations. Long live Compay. Long live this fabulous music. 11/12/05 >> go there
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