New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Buena Vista Social Club's Lost and Found is due March 24 from World Circuit Records, distributed in North
America by Nonesuch Records. Coming almost two decades after the release of the original Grammy-winning, self-titled LP, the new album is a collection of previously unreleased tracks—some of which were recorded during the original album's sessions in
Havana and others from the years that followed. Lost and Found is available to pre-order in iTunes and the Nonesuch Store (and outside of North
America in the World Circuit Store) with an instant download of the album track "Macusa."
The studio tracks on Lost and Found were recorded at the 1996 Egrem studio sessions in
Havana and during a period of rich and prolific creativity stretching into the early 2000s following the recording of the original album. Lost and Found also features live recordings from the world tours of Buena Vista's legendary veterans.
"Over the years we were often asked what unreleased material was left in the vaults," says World Circuit's Nick Gold. "We knew of some gems, favorites amongst the musicians, but we were always too busy working on the next project to go back and see what else we had. When we eventually found the time, we were astonished at how much wonderful music there was."
The original Buena Vista Social Club album became a surprise international best seller and the most successful album in the history of Cuban music. It was recorded for World Circuit Records by Ry Cooder over seven days in
Havana in 1996, bringing together many of the great names of the golden age of Cuban music in the 1950s, several of whom were coaxed out of retirement for the sessions.
In the years that followed the original release, Buena Vista veterans toured the world and were the subject of a celebrated feature film directed by Wim Wenders. Further acclaimed recordings followed including solo releases by the singers Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo, virtuoso pianist Rubén González and bassist Cachaíto López. A celebratory live album recorded at New York's Carnegie Hall was also released. Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, a core band featuring several of the original musicians, continues to sell out shows worldwide and will embark on a farewell "
Adios" tour in 2015.
Album highlights include:
Compay Segundo's "Macusa" - a classic Santiago-style song featuring Segundo and Eliades Ochoa on vocals and guitars (the same pairing heard on the original album's most famous track, "Chan Chan") - recorded during the original 1996 sessions at Havana's Egrem studio.
Omara Portuondo singing "Lágrimas Negras" - one of the best-loved songs in the Cuban repertoire, recorded during the original 1996 sessions at Egrem with Barbarito Torres on laoud and Eliades Ochoa on guitar.
Eliades Ochoa's solo voice and guitar numbers - recorded after-hours during the original 1996 Egrem sessions.
Three live tracks by Ibrahim Ferrer accompanied by the classic star-studded "banda gigante" that played with him at the height of Buena Vista's popularity in 2000 following the release of his first solo album.
Cachaíto López and
Miguel "Angá" Díaz's bass and congas duet from the sessions that produced Cachaíto's 2001 solo album. 80-year-old Rubén González in an unaccompanied performance from one of his first London shows.
González's last-ever recorded solo on a danzon style song—recorded for an unfinished album by trombonist and bandleader Jesus "Aguaje" Ramos (one of the younger members of the Buena Vista Social Club stable).
Also from the sessions for Aguaje's album: a salsa with lead vocals by Calunga (a member of the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club touring band for more than a decade).
