By Antonio Paneque Brizuela
Veterans like Pancho Amat and new replacements like Yerián Luis, declared to Prensa Latina their extraordinary joy and surprise at the impact caused among the spectators of the city of Heredia, about 10 kilometers north of this capital.
The well-known sonero and artistic director of the band recognized this welcome with some amazement, “because this is a part of America where there is not exactly a process of African ancestry,” alluding to the fact that in other places that ethnic, social and artistic base justifies the taste for this music.
“The Ticos – Amat stressed – knew all of our songs, they requested them and danced to them, a way of demonstrating that Cuban music evolves over time, although its authors innovate less and work more to preserve the essences, as some like Compay did. Second (Francisco Repilado)”.
The repertoire that we presented to Costa Ricans – explained the famous tresero – had the diversity of a rainbow representative of those values of the Buena Vista Social Club that achieved fame in 1996 and won a Granmy in 1997 with an album that sold millions of copies.
“You always make a forecast of what is going to happen,” he admits, “and I knew it was going to work, because that music always works. But not with such a level of complicity between artists and the public. We communicate heart to heart. It was a collective happiness.”
The Caribbean sonero, who expressed his gratitude to Costa Rica “for the love they gave us” and in general for the welcome “that exceeded my expectations,” adds that he hopes to return with another show to this nation.
The original members of Buena Vista Carlos Calunga, Lázaro Villa, Ángel Terry, Javier Zalva and Pedro Pablo Gutiérrez also share these comments, in the midst of a visible euphoria at the Tica welcome towards the band, whose veterans revived traditional music in the 90’s Cuban, now reinforced with the new generation.
For his part, the producer of the show and also a musician, the Spanish Javier Marichal, believes that “the audience connected with the artists from the first moment. Any known note of the songs, people shouted, applauded, danced and recorded to preserve the concert.”
The former director of the Canary Islands group Los Sabandeños, of the production company Effect Sound, was also the manager, together with Pancho Amat, of the reactivation of the old project at the end of 2021.
“The relentless time – recalls Amat – took away some of the most important figures and others, as they grew older, significantly reduced their number of performances, so their presence on stage became increasingly scarce.”
The initiative forged between the musician and the producer led to the premiere of the first show, already with the name “Estrellas de Buena Vista y Más”, on March 12, 2023, whose tickets were sold out in 24 hours.
“During the summer of 2023 – says Marichal – the group offered very successful concepts in various parts of Spain, in addition to touring Belgium, Germany and Colombia.”
The well-known Iberian producer and friend of Cuba shares with Amat the reason for this group: “It was born from the need to keep the authenticity of Cuban music alive, with the individual talent of the artists who perform on stage.”
ode/apb
