When an old gentleman wearing a white moustache and a smart suit jacket bottomed up to the neck appears on stage to present his virtuoso guitar playing, he can create a unique atmosphere that cannot be repeated. (The name Barbarito Torres was repeated so many times during the concert that it surely remained in everyone?s memory.) What?s more, he is surrounded by nearly a dozen other gentlemen more or less matching in age and outfit, plus a younger woman; all of them true masters of their instruments. The charm of Cuban music permeates and intensifies this exceptional setting at concerts by the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club. No wonder that their concerts have remained ever so popular despite the fact that fewer and fewer of the band?s original world-famous members are alive or able to perform on stage. The band?s hits, such as Chan Chan and Toma Chocolate, have been played endless times on tape, radio and film, and who knows how many times they have been performed live, yet they always sound fresh and uplifting.
Part of the secret is that each show is a full experience even if one already knows each and every element of the performance. At this year?s Sziget show, Julienne Oviedo Sanchez was the only woman on stage most of the time and she performed a range of Cuban dances reminiscent of salsa. The three members of the brass section, including the probably unsurpassable trumpet player Guajiro Mirabal, discreetly presented a dance at the side of the stage during one of the songs. And there was the usual interplay between Barbarito Torres and Juan de Marcos Gonzales at the end of the show: Gonzales was slurring Torres?s playing so much that the latter handed over his instrument, but then showed off his virtuoso skills by playing with hands in the back.
All of the above has been part of the show at most Buena Vista concerts for some time but now a new feature has also been added. At one point, Omara Portuondo entered the stage, dressed all in orange, and as soon as she joined in, she also stole the show. It was impossible to focus on anything else but her: singing in a deep and husky voice and dancing slowly. As if she wanted to say: ?You see, even at more than eighty, I can still dance.?
It is no surprise that the concert?s best moments were connected to her (and the majority of the best sounds). At first, she sang in a duet and then performed a slow dance with Juan de Marcos Gonzalez. One can guess that wherever they appear, they present the same dance and act out the same little conflict on stage. Still, the entire concert feels like a one-time event. Everything fits perfectly in place.
