Hi Joni; I'm glad to see that you're enjoying these two great albums. To answer your question, although both records came out at approximately the same time, they don't have anything (that I know of) to do with each other.
Starting in about '97, alot of Latin music started hitting the shelves, which led to the current Latin craze that we're in right now. The Buena Vista Social Club and The Afro Cuban All-Stars were just the two records which were promoted most heavily and moved the most units, but Jesus Alemany's Cubanisimo, Jimmy Bosch, Virgina Rodriguez, and the entire Puntamayo compilation series pretty much started coming out at the same time. All of the record companies pretty much started paying much more attention to their stable of Latin artists, giving well established but once relatively unknown artists like La Banda Gorda, Grupo Niche, La Sonora Carruseles etc.... exposure that far unsurpassed anything that they received before. Now, everyone suddenly wants to take Bachata and Salsa lessons like they did with the Lambada 10 years before! Of course, mindless drivel from pop drecks like the Crespos, Martin's, Lopez's, and Marc Anthony's also crawled out of the collective woodwork, but we won't go there (yeah, I think they suck, but that's just my opinion).
The Buena Vista Social Club got the huge, well deserved props that it did mostly because it's a Ry Cooder collaboration, and Warner knows that anything that Ry Cooder touches turns to gold. As if for the popularity of the Afro-Cuban All-Stars, I don't really know why that one enjoyed the huge success that it did, but it would certainly be interesting to hear from other listees who have more insight on it.
Finally, I haven't heard very many of the offshoots of these projects, but one album that I did purchase is Ibrahim Ferrer's latest (he's the male singer on the Buena Vista project), and I find it brilliant. Actually, I much prefer it the the Buena Vista Social Club. Simple, earthy, beautiful music that puts a smile on your face! I've wondered about the other solo records, but there's only so many records a person can buy. If any of you have heard and/or bought the Compay Segundo or Ruben Gonzalez solo projects, I'd love to hear your opinions on them. I think I'm gonna go put on that Ibrahim Ferrer and start the weekend off with a smile!
Happy listening,
Stimp
----- Original Message -----
From: joni .
To: acid-jazz@ucsd.edu
Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2000 12:12 PM
Subject: slightly OT: Buena Vista Social Club
Hey guys,
This may not exactly be Acid-Jazz but, I just recently got turned on to Afro Cuban All Stars and Buena Vista Social Club. These guys (and gals) are incredible masters of latin jazz. I'm interested in two things. 1 Are these two groups related to eachother and if so how? 2 Does anyone know which of their albums are best or is there a particular album that is better to pick up from these latin Gods!?
thanks
joni
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"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long
plastic
hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like
dogs.
There's also a negative side."
-- Hunter S. Thompson
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