Afro Cuban All Stars: Distinto, Diferente

By now, many are familiar with the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon, in which the aging American guitarist Ry Cooder traveled to Havana, Cuba, assembled a group of legendary Cuban musicians—many all but forgotten even in their native land—and recorded a Grammy-winning album. The project has spawned a film and various companion projects by its virtuosic contributors, including the astounding piano player Ruben Gonzalez, singer Ibrahim Ferrer (the "Cuban Nat King Cole"), and nonagenarian tres player Compay Segundo. While some have criticized the means by which these musicians have gained their notoriety (Paul Simon employed Ladysmith Black Mambazo on Graceland to back his songs about bourgeois baby-boomers' angst), there can be no denying that the recordings are of the absolute highest order. And the fact that a new generation has been exposed to the treasures of one of the most vital musical traditions in the world—some of whose members no longer even owned instruments and were working as shoe-shiners in Havana's streets—can only be seen as positive.

Its arranging and organizational force, Juan De Marcos, released the first Afro Cuban All Stars album, A Toda Cuba Le Gusta, at the same time as the Buena Vista recording. This time around, on Distinto, Diferente, De Marcos, very much conscious of his crew's status as the unofficial Cuban musical ambassadors to the world, has widened the focus. The repertoire has been expanded to include representative songs from a number of different historical periods, including more contemporary dance styles. Accordingly, the personnel has expanded to include a host of formidable younger talents.

By attempting to cover so much ground on one album, listening to Distinto, Diferente can be a schizophrenic experience, as we are shuttled between eras and styles on nearly every track. But, as always, the playing and arranging are impeccable. Particular highlights include the Afro Cuban jazz track "Candinga, Mondongo y Sandunga," the danzon "Variaciones Sobre un Tema Desconocido," featuring main hombre Ruben Gonzalez on piano, and De Marco's tribute to his father and his Abakua religion, "Warariansa."

After the release of Distinto, Diferente, it may truly be said of Juan De Marcos and his All Stars that they are no longer "A toda Cuba le gusta," but also "A todo el mundo le gusta." (World Circuit)

—Joshua Jelly-Schapiro

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