In the 1940’s it was one of the most popular dance halls in Havana. 50 years later musicians Juan de Marcos González and Ry Cooder, one Cuban the other American, brought the Buena Vista Social Club back to life to make a recording that has since gone down in history. It was an event that came to revive traditional Cuban music on the international scene. Here’s an introduction to some of the key players, I hope it inspires you to find out more yourself on your next Cuban holiday.

The Artists of the Buena Vista Social Club

Many people who arrive on a luxury holiday in Cuba are content to explore Havana’s vibrant centre. Yet take the train to nearby Marianao and you’ll discover a populous suburb which a vast number of Cubans call home. It’s off the beaten track and definitely not top of the list for most Cuban holiday itineraries. Yet it was here, in the 30’s and 40’s, that a real golden age of Cuban music occurred; described by pianist Rubén González as "an era of real musical life in Cuba, where there was very little money to earn, but everyone played because they really wanted to". Trying to find the location of the club is, bizarrely, not as easy as you’d assume. Even the locals are in disagreement as to where it once stood, your best guide is to follow the rough claim that it lay, "on Calle 41 between 46 and 48", but do not throw away days of what should be a luxury holiday in Cuba searching in vain! The musicians that played there had long since dispersed by 1996 and were a diverse and talented group that truly represented of their era. Here are some of the principal players:

Juan de Marcos González – A passionate advocate of his native Cuban rhythms, it was the (relatively) young González who was responsible for tracking down many of the surviving musicians from the Club’s heyday. His contacts in the international music scene made the entire project possible.

Ry Cooder – The widely respected American guitarist worked alongside González to make the entire project happen, producing the album was to him a real luxury, holidays in Cuba being relatively seldom for North Americans.

Ibrahim Ferrer – Born at a dance in 1927, Ferrer was living in retirement and shining shoes for a living when González found him. The master vocalist was only too happy to return to the stage, and was even awarded a Grammy in the U.S. at the age of 77.

Rubén González – After financial pressures forced him to abandon his Medical studies, Rubén González decided to pursue his passion for music. He was quickly established as a virtuoso piano player and is regarded as having helped lay the foundation for the Mambo. He too lived in quiet retirement until the project was announced.

Compay Segundo – With a name deriving from the Spanish word Compadre (meaning friend or Godfather), Segundo is famous for his energy and longevity. In his youth he made a living working tobacco field and cutting hair. Once his musical career took off he established himself as an elder statesman of Afro-Cuban music.

Wim Wenders – The German film-director Wenders was responsible for an acclaimed documentary on the creation of the Buena Vista album, thus bringing the story to an even greater audience.

If have not heard the album or seen the documentary I cannot recommend it highly enough. It was responsible for reigniting interest in the Cuban scene and directly benefited the people of Havana by stimulating a fresh interest in Cuban holidays and Cuban tourism. There can be few more inspiring stories than this golden age in Cuban history living once again upon the stage.

There are many more artists, too numerous to cover in this article, that took part in the music of Buena Vista. If you’d like to read more then feel free to look up: Eliades Ochoa, Omara Portuondo, Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal, Orlando "Cachaito" López, Manuel "Puntillita" Licea, Pio Leyva, Barbarito Torres and Amadito Valdés. Or ask around the streets of La Havana as soon as you arrive on your Cuban holiday!