Afro-Cuban All Stars - Biography
Better late than never, right? It’s a shame that some of the greatest artists only receive broad recognition in the twilight of their careers; it’s an arguable tragedy when truly profound work goes unrecognized during an artist’s lifetime. Sure, most of us will avoid a hideous Ghost of Christmas Future moment, and some kind words will sprinkle on our graves, but when you’ve spent your time on Earth spreading joy, it must be nice for the accolades to arrive while you’re still around to appreciate them. The various members of the Afro-Cuban All Stars were as revered in Cuba as the musical traditions they sustained and vivified, but it took the phenomenal, trans-cultural success of the recording sessions, albums, and documentary feature film surrounding the Buena Vista Social Club to propel them to international prominence. They wholly earned the moment, and please don’t think that the ongoing infatuation with the Afro-Cuban All Stars is based on some sort of ossified nostalgia. The ensemble is a breathing, vibrant work in progress, with an influx of young members who are helping to illuminate and extend a robust array of music for the 21st century.
The bandleader of the Afro-Cuban All Stars is the legendary Juan de Marcos Gonzalez. He was previously a core member of Sierra Maestra, a ensemble formed in the mid-1970s to celebrate the classic sound of son music, popularized in the east of Cuba in the 1920s; de Marco continued this revtalizing theme when he started his own group in the early 1990s. However, de Marco’s aesthetic agenda was and remains widely inclusive of all Cuban music, from son, bolero, rumba and salsa, to timba, danzon, chachacha and guajira. He was emphasizing the heart and soul of the Cuban spirit, and some of its greatest icons passed through the group’s ranks, most notably Ruben Gonzalez, Ibrahim Ferrer and Compay Segundo.
By 1996, de Marco was already assembling several large-scale projects, highlighted by the ambitious A Toda Cuba le Gusta (1997 Nonesuch), which features over 60 of the greatest musicians in Cuba. When American musician Ry Cooder arrived in Havana to make the initial recordings that would constitute the album, Buena Vista Social Club (1997 Nonesuch), de Marco and the All Stars were ready and willing to contribute. The core members would all participate, and also appear in the subsequent 1999 Wim Wenders documentary, Buena Vista Social Club. These catapulted the Afro-Cuban All Stars to heights of international celebrity, which was augmented by an extraordinary touring ensemble that included the singers Felix Baloy, Ibrahim Ferrer, Pio Leiva and Raul Planas; the wonderful Guillermo Rubalcava played piano; the percussionists included Carlos Gonzalez, Angel Terry, Roberto Valdes and Amadito Valdez. Variations on the lineup continue to tour the world, record, and represent the multi-faceted music of Cuban with finesse and passion.
The brilliant and crisp Distinto Diferente (1999 Nonesuch) is a wonderfully accessibly follow-up release that garnered the group additional airplay throughout much of North America and Europe, expanding an already far-flung audience. The essential live experience is captured on the concert DVD, En Vivo: Live in Japan (2004 Globe Star Recordings). The glow of success was short lived for several luminaries, including Ruben Gonzalez, Caridad Hierrezuelo and Ibrahim Ferrer, who all passed in their 80s; however, younger members continue the tradition. And what of those progenitors of the Afro-Cuban All Stars for whom the recognition and acknowledgements were posthumous? Maybe that’s not such a tragedy after all. Within a lifetime of joyous sound, they imparted invaluable cultural traditions and left a rich, vibrant, and fertile legacy of celebratory hope. Surely that’s a supremely gratifying reward, in this life, and the next.