I just watched Buena Vista Social Club. Dissappointing. I was expecting much more in the way of exploring the lives of the artists involved, and much less of Ray Hooder playing his guitar like he’s in the backwaters of New Orleans, trying to steal the show just because he’s the american in the band, playing before he understands, fucking up an otherwise excellent ensemble of true genius, perhaps on the soft side if ripe but not anywhere near rotten just yet. they give the Yankee a rin for his money. It’s comical in that sense, but I still think it’s a missed opportunity for doing some really good documentary cinema.
The movie made me rememeber about my own personal Cuban experience: a long time ago, then-just-married Javier and Susana owned La Guajirita in Benidorm. Javier is from Cuba. He led a band that used to tour hotels playing for tips when he met Susana, one such tourists. Their married life in Spain started with them playing host at La Guajirita, a cuban-themed bar where one could enjoy the best mojitos in Europe while listening to Javier and Susana play live the timeless songs of his native Cuba. Day after day the same songs, yet never the same music. Always fresh. Always new.
Fast forward to 2005 and La Guajirita has long since gone. But while they were there, Javier and Susana recorded a couple of albums with the help of their friends. And it would seem that these albums have survived the bar and taken on a life of their own.
I recently found a copy of their second album, Noche Cubana, while having a look at a P2P repository. If you have an eDonkey 2000 compatible client, you can click on the album’s name above, have a listen and help spread the word.
When looking for some more stuff about La Guajirita I stumbled upon their dusty old website (UPDATE: the site is gone now). It’s still there, although some pictures are broken and you can tell time has past. Some of the content is yet more evocative than the album. Relationships long gone, aspirations that never came, dreams gone with the wind. Other people’s relationships, aspirations and dreams, to be sure. Food for thought nonetheless.
Memories long asleep are waking up, but I must go to sleep now. Usability 2005 London awaits tomorrow, and I must be at my best to take good advantage of it.
Good night, boys and girls!
