Manuel Galban – Blue Cha Cha [CD]

Description

‘Blue Cha Cha’ celebrates the life of legendary Cuban guitarist Manuel Galbán. Special guests on his final recording include Omara Portuondo, Rosa Passos, Trío Esperança, Eric Bibb, Sissoko Ballaké and Marcelo Mercadante, among others.rrWhen you first listen to ‘Blue Cha Cha’, what strikes you is the variety of styles that show us once again the very best of Manuel Galbán, who led a highly successful sixty-year career. He shot to notoriety as a member of the famed Los Zafiros, then astounded the world with Buena Vista Social Club and, subsequently, with Ry Cooder on their sensational 2003 album, ‘Mambo Sinuendo’. For this project, there was nothing better for him than going over his career and choosing the music that meant so much to him – Afro-Cuban, bolero, Latin American, rhythm and blues – and inviting some of the biggest names from these styles to perform on the albumrrThe bonus DVD that accompanies ‘Blue Cha Cha’ helps the album to come to life, with interviews and a historical documentary DVD filmed in Havana, Cuba and Paris, France. Galbán, through personal anecdotes shared by his dearest friends and musical influences, reflects on his lifelong, milestone-tinged career which ultimately altered the landscape of popular Cuban music.