In 1999, “Buena Vista Social Club” was released, a documentary film about the first tour of the fabulous group, punctuated by the legendary concert at Carnegie Hall in New York. Behind the camera was director Wim Wenders, spurred on by his “American friend” Ry Cooder, who brought the project the colors of his slide guitar.
In 2015 and 2016, taking advantage of the farewell tour of the “Buena Vista,” called the “Adios Tour,” director Lucy Walker embarked on filming a new documentary. The main idea was to revive, through the stories shared by the living today, the memory of the departed heroes.
The film both relates and summarizes the band’s journey in the captivating musical history of Cuba, as its members reflect on their remarkable careers and the extraordinary circumstances that brought them together.
These Cuban “old-timers,” brought out of obscurity or retirement, delightfully performed classic “son” music, the people’s music of Cuba and the ancestor of salsa, and enjoyed their sudden and late success, touching the general public deeply.
But “Adios,” where we see the Buena Vista at the White House in October 2015, for the first concert by Cuban musicians there in more than half a century, also aims to embrace the present.
Thus, in “Adios,” Ibrahim Ferrer (who passed away in 2005), Compay Segundo (2003), Ruben Gonzalez (2003) come back to life through the magic of film and the narrative provided by guitarist Eliades Ochoa (71 years old) or singer Omara Portuondo (86 years old), survivors of the original adventure and stars of this farewell tour.
But did they ever really leave? Ibrahim Ferrer, with his collection of caps, slightly raspy soft voice, and tender heart, Compay Segundo, with his humor, cigars, and Panama hats, Ruben Gonzalez and his impeccably tailored suits… These images are indeed etched forever in the collective unconscious.
Nick Gold, the producer of the Buena Vista records, revisits in “Adios” the genesis of this saga, born out of chance, at a time when another project was planned. “It was fabulous from the first take,” he says about the meeting of musicians who had not interacted for ages.
Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, who was in charge of casting Buena Vista at the time, compares the chemistry between the group members to “a physical phenomenon” where two separate particles can vibrate together when only one is touched.
