Ibrahim Ferrer, Buenos Hermanos Review

Cuban music is becoming wildly popular again in 2020.  It’s a rich tradition of music that features enlivened rhythms and passionate melodies.  World Circuit Records is set to release Ibrahim Ferrer’s Buenos Hermanos.  Originally released in 2003, it was a groundbreaking amalgamation of rooted traditional Cubano music with an expansive eye towards 21^st century music. Buenos Hermanos was a follow up release to Ferrer’s first solo album Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer and was hailed at the time as a selection of fresh takes on classic songs and thrilling examples of the romantic ballads and boleros for which Ferrer was justly famed. It won the Grammy for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album that year.  Now in 2020, Ry Cooder who is widely known for his signature slide guitar, also is a songwriter, film score composer and record producer. He is a multi-instrumentalist who has draws upon many genres with traditional musicians from many countries.  Cooder has now gone back to the original tapes to re-mix the whole album, adding four previously unheard tracks from the original album sessions to a brand-new sequence, creating a completely reimagined Buenos Hermanos.

 Positives: The production value is a fine tribute to the original recordings. Cooder has added a lushness to the previously overlooked tracks and expanded its sound for the modern era.

 Bottom Line:  Cooder put his production hat on with a slant towards authenticity. The core band features an unusual ensemble that combines the Cubans Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López (bass) and Manuel Galbán (electric guitar, piano and organ), Ry Cooder (guitars), the esteemed Chucho Valdés (piano) and Miguel ‘Angá’ Díaz (congas). What recording would not be complete without the inspired flavoring of accordionist Flaco Jimenez, the gospel-charged voices of the Blind Boys of Alabama and the ambient trumpet of Jon Hassell.  “Ven Conmigo Guajira” features an inspiring version of a classic Cuban country song set to a romantic traditional dance hall style. The tune was originally penned by the renowned composer & bandleader Francisco ‘Machito’ Grillo (who died while performing at Ronnie Scott’s in 1984). “We must have been crazy to leave that out,” says Cooder of the track, “That’s the best version of that song I’ve ever heard.” Cooder has captured the spirit of Ferrar’s vocal mastery and enlivened each track for the next generation to savor and enjoy for years to come. No longer are these lost tracks in a session, but revived mastery to be enjoyed for years to come. That’s the short of it!

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