Afro-Cuban All Stars is a Cuban band led by

Juan de Marcos González Juan de Marcos González (born Juan de Marcos González-Cárdenas; January 29, 1954) is a Cuban bandleader, musician and actor, best known for his work with the Buena Vista Social Club and in the 2021 Sony Pictures Animation film '' Vivo'' as the ...

(formerly

tres Tres may refer to: * Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument * Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy * "Tres" (song) by Juanes * "Tres", a song by Líbido from their album ''Hembra'' * TrES, the ''Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey'' * Templi R ...

player for

Sierra Maestra The Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. The range falls mainly within the Santiago de Cuba and in Granma Provinces. Some view it a ...

). Their music is a mix of all the styles of

Cuban music The music of Cuba, including its instruments, performance, and dance, comprises a large set of unique traditions influenced mostly by west African and European (especially Spanish) music. Due to the syncretic nature of most of its genres, Cuban mu ...

, including

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

, chachachá,

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

son montuno Son montuno is a subgenre of son cubano developed by Arsenio Rodríguez in the 1940s. Although ''son montuno'' ("mountain sound") had previously referred to the ''sones'' played in the mountains of eastern Cuba, Arsenio repurposed the term to den ...

timba Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban ''son'' with ''salsa'', American Funk/R&B and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Timba rhythm sections differ from their salsa counterparts, because timba emphasizes the bass dru ...

, guajira,

danzón Danzón is the official musical genre and dance of Cuba.Urfé, Odilio 1965. ''El danzón''. La Habana. It is also an active musical form in Mexico and Puerto Rico. Written in time, the danzón is a slow, formal partner dance, requiring se ...

rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba ...

and abakua. They are known internationally for their 1997 album ''A Toda Cuba le Gusta'', which was recorded at the

Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club is an ensemble of Cuban musicians established in 1996. The project was organized by World Circuit executive Nick Gold, produced by American guitarist Ry Cooder and directed by Juan de Marcos González. They named the g ...

sessions. Members have included Rubén González,

Orlando "Cachaíto" López Candelario Orlando López Vergara (February 2, 1933 – February 9, 2009), better known as Cachaíto, was a Cuban bassist and composer, who gained international fame after his involvement in the Buena Vista Social Club recordings. He was nickn ...

Ibrahim Ferrer Ibrahim Ferrer (February 20, 1927 – August 6, 2005) was a Cuban singer who played with Los Bocucos for nearly forty years. He also performed with Conjunto Sorpresa, Chepín y su Orquesta Oriental and Mario Patterson. After his retirement in ...

Raúl Planas Enrique Raúl Planas Fernández (September 18, 1920 – February 28, 2001) was a popular Cuban singer and songwriter. He performed and recorded with many bands and musicians, including Carlos Barbería y su Orquesta Kubavana, Sonora Matancera, ...

Pío Leyva Pío Leiva (May 5, 1917 – March 22, 2006) was a Cuban singer and the author of the guaracha ''El Mentiroso'' ("The Liar"). Leyva was part of the Buena Vista Social Club, and composed some of Cuba’s best known standards. Biography Leyva was bor ...

Manuel "Puntillita" Licea Puntillita (Manuel Licea Lamouth; January 4, 1921 in Yareyal, Holguín – December 4, 2000 in Havana) was a Cuban popular singer. Puntillita was active in the 1940s and 1950s, and later gained notice when he joined other elderly Cuban musicians ...

Félix Baloy Félix Baloy (born November, 12, in 1944 in Mayari, Holguín, Cuba) is a Cuban singer, sonero, and percussionist. He has a Havana urban accent. He has been a vocalist with many groups, including Chappotin y Sus Estrellas, Revé, and Adalberto ...

Yanko Pisaco Yanko may refer to: *Yanko (name) Yanko (Bulgarian: Янко) is a surname and given name. It is a Bulgarian version of the Serbo-Croatian Janko, Hebrew Janka, or Belarusian Yanka. The name may refer to the following notable people: Given name *Ya ...

and more recently

Caridad Hierrezuelo Caridad Hierrezuelo (10 August 1924 in El Caney – 6 February 2009 in Havana) was a Cuban popular singer. She was the sister of Lorenzo Hierrezuelo and Rey Caney, two famous trova musicians. Her career began in 1947 as a member of the ''Tr ...

and

Pedro Calvo Pedro Calvo is a popular Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is l ...

History

In early 1996 Nick Gold, head of World Circuit Records, invited

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...

to participate in an experiment combining Cuban and African musicians. A group of Cuban musicians had already been assembled, including Rubén González as the selected pianist. However, since the African musicians had experienced difficulties in obtaining visas, the focus changed to recording Cuban music instead."Interview with Ry Cooder in Los Angeles"
by Betty Arcos, host, "The Global Village" Pacifica Radio 27 June 2000. ''Buena Vista Social Club'' site.

Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educati ...

(PBS). Retrieved on 13 September 2014. So, in March 1996,Sleeve notes from ''A Toda Cuba le Gusta – Afro-Cuban All Stars'', World Circuit Records WCD 047, 1997. Gold and Juan de Marcos González (previously the

player of

) produced ''

A Toda Cuba le Gusta ''A Toda Cuba le Gusta'' is the first studio album by the Afro-Cuban All Stars, produced by Cuban bandleader and musician Juan de Marcos González and Nick Gold, and released on April 9, 1997 on World Circuit Records. This album was the first ...

'', the first album by the Afro-Cuban All Stars, recorded at the EGREM Studios in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

and featuring Rubén González (piano),

(bass), along with a big band of veteran Cuban musicians and singers, most of whom had careers that went back to the 1950s

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

scene:

, Manuel 'Puntillita' Licea, Raúl Planas,

, and José Antonio "Maceo" Rodríguez. Cooder also played slide guitar on one track, "Alto Songo". In the sleeve notes, de Marcos González, who directed the project and played tres, wrote: "This album is dedicated to Rubén González, genius of Cuban piano". During follow-on sessionsNigel Williamson. Sleeve notes from Wim Wenders' ''Buena Vista Social Club'' documentary, Road Movies Filmproduktion, Berlin. Licensed by FilmFour Ltd, 1999. also held at EGREM Studios in March 1996,Sleeve notes from ''Buena Vista Social Club'', World Circuit Records WCD 050, 1997. Cooder then produced the Grammy winning ''

'', featuring Rubén González (piano),

Compay Segundo Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz Telles (18 November 1907 – 13 July 2003), known professionally as "Compay Segundo", was a Cuban trova guitarist, singer and composer. Biography Compay (meaning ''compadre'') Segundo, so called because he w ...

Omara Portuondo Omara Portuondo Peláez (born 29 October 1930) is a Cuban singer and dancer. A founding member of the popular vocal group Cuarteto d'Aida, Portuondo has collaborated with many important Cuban musicians during her long career, including Julio Gu ...

and

Eliades Ochoa Eliades Ochoa Bustamante (born 22 June 1946) is a Cuban guitarist and singer from Loma de la Avispa, Songo La Maya in the east of the country near Santiago de Cuba. He began playing the guitar when he was six and in 1978 he was invited to joi ...

, supported by much of the same band that had recorded the Afro-Cuban All Stars album, and with Juan de Marcos González now acting as A & R Consultant. Cooder played guitars on all but one track. Finally, in April 1996 and using left over studio time after the sessions that had produced the previous two albums, the solo album '' Introducing...Rubén González'' was recorded in just two days, live with no overdubs.Nigel Williamson. Sleeve notes from ''Introducing...Rubén González'', World Circuit Records WCD 049, 1997. On the album's outer cover, Cooder is quoted as saying: "The greatest piano soloist I have ever heard in my entire life. A Cuban cross between

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", "B ...

and

Felix the Cat Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in 1919 by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer during the silent film era. An anthropomorphic black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin, he was one of the most recognized cartoon charac ...

".Outer cover of ''Introducing...Rubén González'', World Circuit Records WCD 049, 1997. All three albums were released on Nick Gold's World Circuit Records in 1997. In early 1998,

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...

filmed a documentary entitled ''

'', and the entire group of Cuban artists became famous worldwide.

Discography

* ''

'' (1997) * '' Distinto, Diferente'' (1999) * ''Baila mi Son'' (Featuring Felix Baloy) (2000) * ''Bajando Gervasio'' (Featuring Amadito Valdes) (2002) * ''Live in Japan'' (2005) * ''Step Forward'' (2005) * ''Absolutely Live'' (2009) * ''Absolutely Live II'' (2017)

References

{{Authority control Afro-Cuban culture Cuban musical groups World Circuit (record label) artists