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Artist:
Omara Portuondo
While she came to global prominence as the female singer on the Buena Vista Social Club album and in the film, Omara Portuondo has a career that--like the other participants--stretches back many years. She puts her experience to good use on this record, sounding for all the world like a Cuban Billie Holiday, smoky and quietly tragic, with a history of lost love. The lush arrangements, which often sound transplanted straight from 1950s Havana, frame her voice exquisitely while guests such as Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo, and Rubén González add their inimitable talents to the mix. Her reading of "The Man I Love" ("El Hombre Que Yo Ame") is also a microcosm of the disc--slightly jazzy, with a yearning vocal that's emotive without ever being overwrought. There's little doubt that Portuondo is a world-class singer, and this is the ideal showcase for her extraordinary talents. --Chris Nickson
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Our Price: $9.97 |
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Artist:
Buena Vista Social Club
The landmark Buena Vista Social Club concert at Carnegie Hall-July 1, 1998-was both the start of a remarkable story and the culmination of a dream. This one-time-only event elevated veteran Cuban performers like Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzalez, Compay Segundo and Omara Portuondo to long-overdue status as international stars, and it transformed the BVSC's already critically acclaimed album into a commercial juggernaut. Since then, the Grammy-winning Buena Vista Social Club, recorded at Havana's Egrem Studio by guitarist Ry Cooder, has sold over eight million copies, making it the best-selling world music album ever, and the 'Buena Vista Social Club Presents' imprimatur has come to represent an unwavering mark of quality. The evening also became the dramatic heart of German filmmaker Wim Wenders' popular, Oscar-nominated documentary, also called Buena Vista Social Club. No one who saw it could be unmoved by the sight of an elderly performer like Ferrer taking in the skyscraper vistas of New York City or being overwhelmed by rapturous applause after he sang. This live set, then, is the crucial link to everything that happened before or after the Buena Vista Social Club as a group of mu...
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Artist:
Ry Cooder
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Manuel Galban
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Manuel Galban
As Cooder has written - ''You can look at this as a road trip through different worldless fantasy landscapes. Sometimes you're in bright daylight, sometimes the streets are dark & empty. You're riding with the Conjunto Sinuendo - drummers Jim Keltner & Joachim Cooder, Conga-player ''Anga'' Diaz, & bassist Cachaito Lopez, to hold you on the road. High performance Twang!'' Slipcase. Nonesuch. 2003.
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Artist:
Celia Cruz & la Sonora Matancera
Queen of salsa Celia Cruz was royalty long before the music was even called that. 100% Azucar collects 19 tracks from her '50s and '60s output on the Seeco label. Smoking even at medium tempos, the disc is full of the hot mambo rhythms of the Sonora Matancera band and the full-throttle vocals of "la incomparable Celia." Included are both sides of one of her first singles, "Ritmo, Tambo y Flores"/"Elegua Quiere Tambo," along with other unstoppable body-rockers such as "Oye Mi Rumba" and "Mi Soncito." Informed, fascinating liner notes and reproductions of beautiful vintage album covers complete this prime package. --Rickey Wright
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Artist:
Various Artists
Café Cubano is a captivating collection that will transport listeners to the charming cafes of this musically-rich Caribbean island. The album features a selection of exceptional performers who have incorporated Cuba's diverse musical traditions and distinctive styles into their music. Several of the songs feature influences from the "nueva trova" movement, in which lyrical poetry is joined with Pan-American folk traditions. Others remain true to the sultry guajiras, romantic boleros and traditional sones which were the underpinning of the renowned Buena Vista Social Club recordings. Cuban music traces its roots back to the melodies of Europe and the rhythms of Africa, and the inspiring blend that resulted from years of interaction between these diverse cultures. While many of these artists are legends at home, the collection includes several who are virtually unknown outside of Cuba. Pedro Luis Ferrer has been writing and performing since the mid 1960's and remains an inspiration for younger generations of musicians. Félix Baloy came to fame in the 1970s as the lead vocalist for Son 14, Orquesta Revé and other seminal ensembles. Armando Garzón, the Cuban-based tenor known ...
List Price: $15.98 |
Our Price: $9.54 |
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Artist:
Various Artists
List Price: $11.98 |
Our Price: $7.80 |
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Artist:
Tito Puente
List Price: $24.98 |
Our Price: $13.38 |
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Artist:
Various Artists
List Price: $11.98 |
Our Price: $6.45 |
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Artist:
Various Artists
List Price: $11.98 |
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Artist:
Omara Portuondo
Omara Portuondo, the Cuban diva and star of the Buena Vista Social Club among others, celebrates her 60-year musical career with a brand new album. With Gracias, Portuondo's aim is to revisit the songs that she has found most moving and to work with the songwriters she most admires, such as Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés and Jorge Drexler, the latter being the composer of the album's title-song, specially dedicated to Portuondo. These are not, however, the only star guests on this recording. If the list were not already impressive enough, other great names include Chucho Valdés (who performs a song composed by Portuondo's son), the brilliant African musician Richard Bona and the Brazilian maestro Chico Buarque. And what better way to celebrate such an auspicious occasion than to recruit a first-class quintet? The group consists of three musicians that Portuondo has worked with in the past - pianist Roberto Fonseca, guitarist and musical director Swami Jr. and percussionist Andrés Coayo - along with the Israeli double bassist Avishai Cohen and Hindu percussionist Trilok Gurtu.
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Our Price: $12.55 |
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