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You'll Hear It

Buena Vista Social Club

4/6/202659 min

Buena Vista Social Club: The album so good it's life-affirming. And it almost didn't happen.

In 1996, an American musician landed in Cuba to record a music project with Malian musicians. But when they didn't show up, Ry Cooder and his producer, Juan de Marcos González, went looking for replacements. 

That's when they found Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer and Rubén González, who had seen their musical prime decades earlier in the 40s and 50s. Compay was nearing his 90s, and some believed he had died, until he showed up on Buena Vista Social Club...

Clips

Eight Million, Starbucks Joke
The Happy Accident Origin
Spicy Lyric, Language Rant
Rubén’s Miraculous Return
Pushback And A Retort
Omara’s Onstage Dedication
Desert Island Bombshell
Mythbusting The Narrative

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Adam Maness· Host0:00

    [upbeat music] There was a time when Compay Segundo was presumed dead. Ibrahim Ferrer was shining shoes. Rubén González hadn't played for years and didn't even own a piano. They were men that time forgot, voices from a bygone era. They would have one of the greatest comebacks in music history, and it was a complete accident. Compay, Ibrahim, and Rubén, together with a diva, a cowboy, and the nephew of a legendary bassist, in a studio for six days. The album they would make together would go on to sell eight million copies, win a Grammy, and become the subject of an Oscar-nominated documentary. How did this accidental album of music nearly lost to time become a global phenomenon? This is Buena Vista Social Club. [upbeat music] I'm Adam Maness.

  2. Peter Martin· Host0:57

    And I'm Peter Martin.

  3. Adam Maness· Host0:57

    And you're listening to the You'll Hear It podcast.

  4. Peter Martin· Host0:59

    Music explored.

  5. Adam Maness· Host1:00

    Explored, brought to you today by Open Studio. Go to openstudiojazz.com for oh, your jazz lesson needs, Peter. Big day.

  6. Peter Martin· Host1:07

    Yes, sir.

  7. Adam Maness· Host1:08

    Big day.

  8. Peter Martin· Host1:08

    Oh, my God.

  9. Adam Maness· Host1:09

    [laughs] Big day, big day.

  10. Peter Martin· Host1:10

    Always big day, but really, really big day.

  11. Adam Maness· Host1:11

    How do you say big day in Spanish?

  12. Peter Martin· Host1:13

    Well, no, you don't even know how big of a day it actually is. And I can see there's a little glimmer in your eye.

  13. Adam Maness· Host1:17

    I am excited.

  14. Peter Martin· Host1:18

    But the, I didn't even tell you in our, in our extensive, uh, pregame ritual of, of getting to know each other's feelings about the, the record and- Mm-hmm ... and how we wanted to do this, I didn't even mention this, and I'm gonna keep it a little

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