Documentaries which focus on the process of recording albums or staging concerts are usually only of interest for die-hard fans and completists; it’s not often that one makes musical and political history and gets nominated for an Oscar. But The Buena Vista Social Club is significant for a number of reasons.
When Ry Cooder, the acclaimed guitarist who has seemingly collaborated with nearly everyone, traveled to Cuba in 1999 to track down the aging musicians of the titular club, much of their music had rarely been heard outside of the country due to the US cultural embargo. The album Cooder produced for them, the accompanying documentary by Wim Wenders, and the resulting concerts around the US and Europe all catapulted the musicians (including Juan de Marcos González and Ibrahim Ferrer) to international fame and acclaim, and with good reason: the music is fantastic.
The Jefferson-Madison Regional Library will screen The Buena Vista Social Club on Thursday, August 23rd at 7:00pm. The event is free and open to the public.