You are here

Timeless Music From Cuba

This past weekend I watched the best music documentary I've ever seen.  I guess I can't admit to seeing very many, but this one is definitely the best.

This documentary highlights the timeless band, Buena Vista Social Club, from their homes in Havana, Cuba, to Amsterdam and then finally New York City.  It's chock full of amazing Spanish-language music and the rich history of Cuba's capitol.

The Social Club is a supergroup of sorts, bringing the best of Cuba's music from decades ago together in one ensemble.  Most of the band members are over 60, and there's a least a couple members that were over 90 years old at the time the documentary was made.  Most of these people were not playing music for the past couple decades, but many agreed to join these recordings.

The documentary revolves around the main players in the group and their most well-known songs.  The sound was amazingly produced, seamlessly transitioning from the performer singing the melody during an interview to a recording at a studio in Cuba to a live recording in Amsterdam and then back to the studio again.  Every moment of the film was filled with beautiful, timeless, amazing musicianship.

The concerts were filmed amazingly too.  The Amsterdam show almost looked like a black-and-white/sepia tone but some colored lights showed through in a couple spots.  Either it was great recolorization or an amazing sepia, glossy tone to the lighting and video which looked amazing.  Also, the film was filled with many, many scenes of Havana during interviews and songs.

If you're a fan of music, definitely rent this Artisan release or something.  It's worth it.Â