By Mary Williams
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The crowd was literally dancing in the aisles during Friday
night’s performance of “Buena Vista Social Club
Presents Ibrahim Ferrer y su Orquesta” at Royce Hall.
The energy of the music was irresistible. Acclaimed singer
Ibrahim Ferrer and his 15-piece orchestra gave virtuosic
performances, playing songs that pleased the mind with complex
rhythms and kept the body moving too.
An usher attempted to hold back part of the crowd that was
streaming down the aisle, but was overrun by the insistent
concert-goers. It was like teenagers rushing security at a rock
show ““ except the crowd was composed of middle-aged people
who paid $75 each for their seats, instead of security it was one
young woman, and instead of a rock show it was a Cuban jazz
concert.
Why was the audience so excited? Because the collection of
talent on that stage was astonishing.
The lineup Friday night was vastly different from that of the
award-winning 1999 documentary, “Buena Vista Social
Club,” that brought the group to the spotlight. For one,
guitarist Ry Cooder, who produced the 1997 Grammy-winning album of
the same name, was not present. His absence was the most notable,
but the group carried on admirably.
Backing Ferrer was a jazz orchestra that sounded great when
playing together, but really showed off when its members played
solos.
Particularly gifted was jazz pianist Roberto Fonseca, whose
performance was a treat for the audience. His solos were so
spellbinding that other members of the orchestra would move over to
his piano to watch them.
Trumpet player Guajiro Mirabel and trombone player Aguaje Ramos
propelled the show during its first several songs, which were
performed without Ferrer’s vocals. Their personality and solo
work won the audience over early in the concert.
By the time Ferrer entered the stage, a little late for a
program that carried his name in the title, the audience was
primed. With the audience erupting into cheers to finally see the
man Cooder described as “the Cuban Nat King Cole,” the
concert really got going.
Ferrer doesn’t really sound like Nat King Cole, but his
voice is powerful nonetheless. Singing with passion and enthusiasm,
his performance justified the anticipation.
He also shared the stage well with his orchestra, never keeping
the spotlight to himself. This is fortunate, because it gave the
other performers a chance to shine.
The audience appreciated the orchestra as much as they loved
Ferrer, bursting into applause and cheering after their solos.
After nearly two hours of constant cheering, and some dancing
toward the end, the audience remained on its feet for the encore,
still ready for more. The combination of the style of music and the
skill of the musicians made for a lively concert, worth seeing even
for those who wouldn’t call Cuban jazz one of their favorite
genres.