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If I had to pick a concert that was the most memorable, I would choose two, both at the same venue (Northrop Auditorium). The first was John Lee Hooker, opening for the Robert Cray Band, sitting in a chair with his electric guitar, his earthly growls captivating a sold-out crowd. The other was The Buena Vista Social Club, a collection of elderly Cuban musicians given the opportunity to go on a world tour after their eponymous documentary and subsequent album brought their music to the world stage.
Like Hooker, most of the original musicians from the original Buena Vista Social Club have since passed, but the original musical director of the tour, Jesus “Aguaje” Ramos was at the Uptown Theater on Thursday with his Buena Vista Orchestra, continuing the tradition of spreading the traditional music of Cuba to a new generation.
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Cody Jasper
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Jasper is working on a new album, and he played a new song from it, “American Dream” in which he infused a Spanish guitar solo into the middle of the blues vibe. Then it was a cover of “House of the Rising Sun” with a guitar solo sounding like it could be part of a Spaghetti Western chase scene.
Ramos and his band next took the stage with the first song from the original Buena Vista Social Club album, “Chan Chan”. Immediately, they won over the crowd. And from there it was over two hours of music that caused some to slide out of their seats and salsa along the refurbished brick walls of the former movie theater.
Joining Ramos on stage was a fellow alum of the BVSC, Fabían Garcia, sitting in a bar stool, playing the upright bass, a bass as big as him. Then there were the vocalists to fill the shoes of Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo from the original tour. Both were up to the challenge: Aldo Isidro Miranda Alvarez breezing through the verbal and incendiary lyrics of “El Carretero” and “Candela” and Geidi Chapman holding the audience rapt with “Mi Amor” and “Dos Gardenias,” a personal favorite “Besame Mucho” brought the room to a standstill.
Younger musicians filled out the group with trombonist Lorena Lazara Ramos Diaz playing a rare duet of trombones with Ramos as they both took turns to play an interlude of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
With everyone on the front line singing backup as Alverez and Chapman and Ramos sang about heartbreak and love and more love, it reminded everyone in the crowd that traditional music from Cuba is as still vital today as it was during the original tour.
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| dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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