World Report

Cuba's Buena Vista Social Club Enjoys Continuing Musical Success

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ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: Latin music is enjoying a boom in popularity around the world. For many youngsters, names like Ricky Martin and Gloria Estefan are synonymous with Latin rhythms.

RALPH WENGE, CNN ANCHOR: But there is one Cuban band made up of some old timers, and it's making inroads, changing perceptions and winning international recognition.

Cubavision has their story.

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GEORGINA TOCRIANTE, CUBAVISION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the traditional Cuban song says, "young is anyone capable of dreaming," and this suits to a tee The Buena Vista Social Club, a project created a little bit more than three years ago, with all musicians over 70 years of age.

ROBERTO GARCIA, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (through translator): The forefather of this project, Juan de Marcos (ph), inspired himself in a dance song created long ago (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of the Buena Vista Social Club.

IBRAHIM FERRER, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (through translator): I was already retired, then he told me that he wanted me to make a contribution to the CD. He insisted so much that I finally joined the group. When I got there I found Ruben Gonzalez (ph), Eliez Ochoa (ph), and Gompas Enundo (ph), whom I didn't know and I met there.

TOCRIANTE: In 1997, this group recorded its first CD, with traditional music and a wide gamut of successful Cuban rhythms of the '50s, when the club which bears its name was very popular.

GARCIA (through translator): It was a club for people of color, where people went to dance.

TOCRIANTE: The Buena Vista Social Club held birthday parties, parties for 15-year-old girls, or simply entertainment games for the area's black workers. A few pictures ended on song that lent its name to this project, included in this disk, is what is left of the club located in Havana's Buena Vista neighborhood.

FERRER (through translator): This disk has made me famous around the world and has also helped me make a little contribution to my country.

OMARA PORTUONDO, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (through translator): I think we owe this homage to Cuban Music. I'm very happy to have contributed to the success of this project, because our treasure is our music and our capacity to play it with passion and love. Look how successful it's been. Cuban music really deserved that homage and we had been waiting for it for a long time.

TOCRIANTE: Under the sponsorship of a Wall Street firm, and guitar player Ry Cooder, The Buena Vista Social Club has been a hit worldwide. In 1999, this music received Grammy award.

FERRER (through translator): I sometimes pinch myself and think that this is not true, I think that I'm dreaming.

FILIBERTO SANCHEZ, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (through translator): I think that this is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.

TOCRIANTE: The truth is that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and good taste draw these musicians together in a music project that seems to have been conceived to make history.

This is Georgina Tocriante, from Cubavision International, for CNN WORLD REPORT.

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