25 Years of Buena Vista - Jazz FM Voices

The history, authenticity and mystique of Buena Vista Social Club burns as brightly today as ever for fans both new and old.

On 26 March 1996, the trio of Cuban bandleader Juan de Marcos González, American producer and guitarist Ry Cooder, and British producer and label owner Nick Gold assembled an impromptu group of Cuban musicians at Centro Havana’s historic 1950’s EGREM/Areito studios. The majority of those gathered were celebrated veterans of the golden age of the Cuban music scene of the 1940s and ’50s. None of them had any idea that the recordings they were about to produce would change the lives of many people, themselves included, and would forever change the standing of Cuban music in the world.

In a Jazz FM Voices special, Tim Garcia and Nick Gold come together to discuss the legacy of this album which became the best-selling Cuban music album of all time.

It was clear from the atmosphere of the recording sessions that something very special was taking place, but no one could have predicted that ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ would become a worldwide phenomenon – awarded a Grammy in 1997 and, at 8 million copies, outselling any other record in the same genre. The impact of those sessions is still felt 25 years later, and the vibrance and seductive allure of Cuba’s rich history and culture shines as brightly as ever in these definitive recordings. The acclaim of the original album has elevated the artists (including Ibrahim Ferrer, Eliades Ochoa, Compay Segundo, Rubén González & Omara Portuondo) to superstar status, inspired an award-winning film by Wim Wenders, and has contributed to popularising Cuba’s rich musical heritage. Produced by Ry Cooder for World Circuit, the timeless quality of the music and the sheer verve of the veteran performers have ensured that this will go down as one of the landmark recordings of the 20th century.

25th Anniversary Editions

World Circuit Records have released 25th Anniversary Editions of the album comprising 2LP + 2CD Deluxe Book Pack, 2CD Casebook, 2LP Gatefold Vinyl and Digital Formats. These definitive editions are timed to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the album’s recording, and will also contain the original album as remastered by GRAMMY Winning engineer Bernie Grundman, as well as previously unheard tracks from the original 1996 session tapes, including “Vicenta” out today. Other features across the formats include new liner notes, unseen photography and lyrics, with further biographies, art prints and a written history of the legendary original Havana club available exclusively within the Deluxe Book Pack format.

Click here to find out more.