Since their early performances in Havana, Cuba, the artists featured on the 1997 Buena Vista Social Club album have made a global impact. This impact still rings true today, as their rich history has now reached not only the Gerald Schoenfeld Broadway stage but also the Grammys for the second time. Their journey began in a small part of Havana called Marianao. This journey has been told on Netflix, and now it’s on a Broadway stage. The Buena Vista Social Club’s transcendent music has endured through the decades, and their story is being relived and reimagined in a Grammy-winning Broadway musical.
Amidst the darkest days in Cuban history, Omara Portuondo, Compay Segundo, Ruben Gonzalez, Ibrahim Ferrer, and many more Cuban musicians found themselves performing in a club while the country seemed to be crashing down outside. While a deadly revolution unfolded outside the doors, this group of musicians and others continued to perform and spread their bright energy despite the surrounding darkness. At least, this is how the story’s Broadway adaptation depicts this time.
This story is not entirely accurate, though it holds some truth. Broadway’s revival depicts Omara’s involvement with the Buena Vista Social Club establishment in Marianao in the 1950s and her relationships with the aforementioned performers. Young Omara, depicted in the show and played by Isa Antonetti, attempts to balance her rising professional career as a performer with her sister at another social club, the Tropicana, while also intent on performing more casually at the lesser-known, dejected Buena Vista Social Club. This musical follows two timelines with separate actors playing the performers at two different ages. The show covers Omara’s journey in the 50s, meeting the performers at the Buena Vista, and how they played through the Revolution when it was dangerous to be on the streets. It simultaneously depicts the historical creation of the hit 1997 album, with the older counterparts of the characters depicted in the 50s timeline.
In reality, Omara Portuondo didn’t spend time at the Buena Vista Social Club and was better known for her performances with her sister, Haydee, at the Tropicana. The way these artists came together for the album is much different; while some met in Havana in the 50s, others met during the creation of the award-winning album. Ry Cooder, Nick Gold, and Juan de Marcos Gonzalez were responsible for the smooth consolidation of these musicians. As discussed in Paste Magazine, “Both the Afro-Cuban All Stars and Buena Vista Social Club were dreamed up by Nick Gold, an executive at the London-based world-music label World Circuit Records, who called on Cuban bandleader Juan de Marcos Gonzalez to direct the ensemble” (Lindsey).
One day, de Marcos walked into a studio where Omara Portuondo was recording her CD, La Novia del Feeling. According to the article “Omara Portuondo, Multifaceted Gem of Cuban Music,” “In 1997, she was recording her CD La Novia del Feeling in the Areito Studios of Cuban record label EGREM in Havana, while BVSC was putting together their famous first album in an adjacent room. Juan de Marcos walked into the studio where she was recording and introduced her to Ry Cooder” (Acosta). This marked the beginning of the vocalist’s involvement in the album and the rise of her popularity worldwide.
Upon the release of Buena Vista Social Club, the artists were met with wild popularity amongst Cuban communities and many more. They traveled around the world, from Havana to Paris, Tokyo, the Sydney Opera House, and one of their biggest performances, Carnegie Hall. Their goal was to show how far Cuban music could travel and how important it is to society. Their first Grammy win was a major factor in the popularity of their multi-award-winning Netflix documentary. Ry Cooder said during an interview with Cuba On Record, “There’s a trance you get into [with traditional Cuban music], and it feels good like drugs or liquor or cigars” (qtd. in Cantor-Navas). Cooder goes on to say, “It’s hypnotic. The thing about Cubans is that they’re not bound up, they’re really released in a good way. These songs are like Persian miniatures in ivory, perfectly detailed stories about feeling good.” He perfectly describes the evident infectious energy in this music. The album is still so impactful to this day that it, and everyone involved in its creation, inspired a 4-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical.
So, why is this relevant? Today, society is much more mixed and integrated; there isn’t as much division between communities, which is why music from different cultures is vital to the functioning of society. This band took a rich journey from 1950s Havana, Cuba, to a Broadway stage, so this could very well be one of the richest histories of any band, with its uniquely diverse experiences. Cooder, Gold, and de Marcos did not estimate this big of an impact years down the line. Almost three decades later, their legacy continues to break records and win awards. Their goal was to revolutionize Cuban music in some way and spread their art worldwide. The creation of the Buena Vista Social Club album in the 1990s was revolutionary in the world of Cuban music and much more.