Music Non Stop

RUBEN GONZALEZ:

INTRODUCING...

(World Circuit / 1997)

Sometimes life works in mysterious ways...

1996 Ry Cooder was supposed to do a recording in Cuba with African musicians. Africans got stuck in an airport in London and they never arrived to Cuba. Anyway something had to be done, becauce Cooder already was there and the studio was booked.

With a help from Juan de Marcos Gonzalez Cuban musicians were gathered together. Some of them were old and forgotten greats from the past, who made their living as best as they could.

That was way albums "Buena Vista Social Club" and "Afro-Cuban All Stars: A Toda Cuba le Gusta" were born. But also the third album was made.

One of the musicians invited to the studio Ruben Gonzalez, a pianist extraordinary. Ten years he has lived quietly outside the local music scene. But once he arrived to the recording studio his fingers started to work like magic.

After recording sessions were done there was still two days left to use. That time was used to make this album. And what an album it is.

Don Ruben is simply amazing. His fingers rejoice like they were owed by a young boy. Solos he is playing stir listener's mind every time with they richness and imagination. This music makes your mind wander way back to old Havanna. There you are in a hot and humid night in a small bar sipping rum and puffing a cigar.

Unfortunaly Don Ruben's health does not allow him to tour or record. He will leave behind two amazing albums. Out of which the first one was released when he was 77 years old. We should be grateful for those.