Ibrahim Ferrer

The host of the Freedom Time program Andrei Sharry : the man of the Day of Radio Liberty April 13 is the famous Kubinsky singer and musician, soloist of the Buena Vista Social Club group Ibrahim Ferrer. On Monday and Tuesday, he gave two concerts at the Moscow Variety Theater. In Russia, Ferrer has not been for more than 40 years. Ibrahim Ferrer was born in 1927 in the suburbs of Santiago de Cuba. He sang since childhood as part of different groups that worked in folk Cuban styles of sleep and bolero. The most famous of these groups is Buena Vista Social Club, the record of which, under the name "All Stars of Afro -Kubin Music" was nominated for the Grammy Award. The movie director Vim Venders about the Buena Vista Social Club group, according to critics, is one of the best in the history of documentary cinema. This year, Ferrer became the owner of the Grammy Award for the solo disc "Buenos Hermanos". About the man of the day Radio Freedom - My colleague Kirill Kobrin:

Kirill Kobrin: his fate is similar to the fate of compass Segundo or Cesaria Avora - other heroes of the so -called World Music, "ethnic music", "music of the whole world." Ideologically, it is the music “just for people”, “honest music”, almost folk art, without any priest and rock. However, quite international recording companies are engaged in the production of this folk art; As a matter of fact, this is its own special world, which has its own stars, its own fashion, the strict requirements of producers and managers, in the end, their own - and considerable - commerce.

The method is simple: experts find in some country - best of all, a “third world” - a middle -aged musician and create a fashion for him, a fashion in which an important place plays a life plot of approximately such a property - was born in a poor family, sang, played, half -life spent in complete obscenity, obtaining his daily hard work, and finally, a random visit of a well -known Western musician or producer, a random visit. The first entry in the West, the triumph at the World Music festival, a noisy success among the haters of Britney Spears and Eminem, glory, epigon detachments, sounds of soundtracks for cult films. Of course, I forgot to mention the main thing - talent.

Ibrahim Ferrer is one of the legendary Cuban old people, "opened" by American blues guitarist Ray Kuder and German director Vim Venders. By the time the Buena Vista Social Club, the Ferrera was the now legendary film, was in sixty, he retired surrounded by a large family and worked as part -time - he cleaned his boots. The touch of the magical guitar vulture of Kuder made Ferrer the famous touring artist and winner of the Latin Grammy Award for 2000. The prize was called - "Best New Artist".

In recent years, the fashion for the songs of the island of Freedom performed by the inhabitants of the Gavan House of the elderly, and recently died, perhaps the main character of the exciting Cuban history about sudden late glory - compay Segundo. Estes-antiglobalists now prefer the music of African Pygmies and Sufis, but what does fashion mean against talent? Muscovites were lucky - they still have a chance to see a fragile old man in a magic cap with an amazingly courageous and at the same time touching voice - Ibrahim Ferrer.

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  Andrey Shary

  I.O. Regional Director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty for Russian -Sound Content

  Andrey Shary on Facebook

  Sharya@rferl.org