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 (music), guajira, danzón, Cuban Rumba, 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 sessions. Members have included Rubén González (pianist), Rubén González, Orlando "Cachaíto" López, Ibrahim Ferrer, Raúl Planas, Pío Leyva, Manuel "Puntillita" Licea, Félix Baloy, Yanko Pisaco and more recently Caridad Hierrezuelo and Pedro Calvo.

History

In early 1996 Nick Gold, head of World Circuit (record label), World Circuit Records, invited Ry Cooder to participate in an experiment combining Cuban and African musicians. A group of Cuban musicians had already been assembled, including Rubén González (pianist), 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 (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'', the first album by the Afro-Cuban All Stars, recorded at the EGREM, EGREM Studios in Havana and featuring Rubén González (pianist), Rubén González (piano), Orlando "Cachaíto" López (bass), along with a big band of veteran Cuban musicians and singers, most of whom had careers that went back to the 1950s Havana scene: Ibrahim Ferrer, Pío Leyva, Puntillita, Manuel 'Puntillita' Licea, Raúl Planas, Félix Baloy, 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 ''Buena Vista Social Club (album), Buena Vista Social Club'', featuring Rubén González (piano), Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo and Eliades Ochoa, 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 and Felix the Cat".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 filmed a documentary entitled ''Buena Vista Social Club (film), Buena Vista Social Club'', and the entire group of Cuban artists became famous worldwide.

Discography

* ''A Toda Cuba le Gusta'' (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