The Buena Vista Social Club group, although well known in Cuba, will make for the first time next January a national tour around the island, after a large number of international presentations. As announced by its music director, Jesus “Aguaje” Ramos, they will be on September 2 in Japan and from the 12th, they will tour the US for over a month.
This trip to U.S. territory is also intended to introduce a new phonogram containing outstanding songs from previous albums.
The Buenavista recently completed a tour of Europe, where they gave more than 20 concerts. Next October they will return there for another tour.
Eliades Ochoa said that recent presentations served to validate Cuban music, its strength and expansion throughout the world. Ochoa added that the public sympathizes with these musicians wherever they are from and expressed surprise at the warm welcome by the young people who, even without knowing the language, sing songs along them.
The objective of the Buena Vista Social Club is the rescue of traditional Cuban music, a role they have been playing for over 16 years. Currently the group has 13 musicians with the unmistakable voices of Omara Portuondo and Eliades Ochoa.
Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer and Ruben Gonzalez, mythical figures of the Cuban music scene now deceased, were part of the group at its inception.
Author
Alejandro Ruiz Chang
