A concert hall in Havana, Cuba, which no longer exists, the Buena Vista Social Club gave its name to a Wim Wenders film. The film showcases the finest jazz musicians of Cuba, the superabuelos (super-grandfathers) of Cuban music.


Ry Cooder fell in love with this music and promoted it to the hilt. I fell for it and bought the CD. Ibrahim Ferrer's vocal work is nice, but this music is lame at best. There is much better Latin music out there; don't fall for the hype. (I did manage to get a pretty good price at the used CD store, due to the fact that so many other suckers had fallen for the same hype.)

However, as of 7/22/00, I can report that I've now seen Wenders' movie, and I do recommend that you see it. The music that sounded a bit lame to me on CD was much better when one could put a life behind the musician. Especially a life lived in a place such as Cuba. To see their eyes light up when they get to New York, and the tears on their faces as they get a standing ovation at Carnegie Hall; that'll tug at your heartstrings.

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