Customer Reviews

Rough Guide to Cuban Son

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD is not a rough guide to son. Although the selections are in most cases good by themselves it includes guaracha (Nico Saquito), cha-cha-cha from Orquesta Aragon and timba from Los Van Van. In my opinion this is just another compilation intent on cashing in the "Buena Vista Social Club" phenomenon. The CD spans almost a century of Cuban music, from Maria Teresa Vera to Cubanismo, thus labelling "son" what really is a variety of forms and styles of Cuban music. Not for somebody seriously trying to learn about "son"

I think this is pretty nice. Even if it isn't all "son" per se, (and "son" is a pretty fluid term, anyway...)this is still one of the better samplers of Cuban dance music you're likely to find on the American market, packed with solid performances by classic artists such as Beny More, Orquesta Aragon, Ignacio Pineiro, Nico Saquito and others. Although it includes a few tunes by slick modern groups such as Los Van Van, there's a perceptible tilt towards older, rootsier acoustic styles and artists that I find appealling. Sure, maybe all of the artists aren't brand-name, dyed-in-the-wool legends, but this is a very strong, no-nonsense sampler of some of the sweetest music Cuba has to offer, and one of my favorite Rough Guide discs to date. Definitely recommended.

If one were to disregard the misnomer I think any fan of Cuban music will find this disc enjoyable but not great. It is after all the rough guide. Another problem with this disc besides the varieties of styles is the time periods covered, this makes for a bit of a mixed , uneven compilation. The featured artists are some of the best in Cuban music many of whom have been making music for decades and walking this planet longer than most people. Featured and diverse artists include Beny More, Orquestra Arragon, Sierra Maestra and the Afro-Cuban All Stars amongst many others who are lesser known outside of Cuba. All in all the songs are a niice sampler of Cuban music with several outstanding songs depending on ones preference. Myself I found the interpretation of Compay Segundos classic song "Chan Chan" by Familia Valera Miranda a little subdued and hence a little less soulful than the original but still good. All in all it is a nice sampler for further exploration into Cuban music. For variety and a way of hearing other artists it is useful but as pure son it falls short. It is an enhanced CD and this portion I found quite disappointing. It seems that the technology was not utiized to it's full potential and it is little more than reading material and an advertisement for the books and such that are associated with the rough guide series. The enhanced section is not very interactive and without sound, go figure.

If one were to disregard the misnomer I think any fan of Cuban music will find this disc enjoyable but not great. It is after all the rough guide. Another problem with this disc besides the varieties of styles is the time periods covered, this makes for a bit of a mixed , uneven compilation. The featured artists are some of the best in Cuban music many of whom have been making music for decades and walking this planet longer than most people. Featured and diverse artists include Beny More, Orquestra Arragon, Sierra Maestra and the Afro-Cuban All Stars amongst many others who are lesser known outside of Cuba. All in all the songs are a niice sampler of Cuban music with several outstanding songs depending on ones preference. Myself I found the interpretation of Compay Segundos classic song "Chan Chan" by Familia Valera Miranda a little subdued and hence a little less soulful than the original but still good. All in all it is a nice sampler for further exploration into Cuban music. For variety and a way of hearing other artists it is useful but as pure son it falls short. It is an enhanced CD and this portion I found quite disappointing. It seems that the technology was not utiized to it's full potential and it is little more than reading material and an advertisement for the books and such that are associated with the rough guide series. The enhanced section is not very interactive and without sound, go figure.

Authentic, stirring dance music from Cuba. A fantastic collection, from the first beat to the last.

excellent compilation of cuban music from rough guide. It is not just the Buena Vista Social club revisted. Some of the songs are the same but are done by differnt artists than BVSC. I think they are at least as good as the artists on BVSC.