Day 354: Afro-Cuban All Stars – A Toda Cuba Le Gusta
You know when sometimes you just get hit with a very nice day out of nowhere? Today is that day, things feel like they’re going well for some reason. I was in the mood to supplement that with some fun, uplifting music, and a bit of the Afro-Cuban All Stars seemed to be just what I needed – I hadn’t heard them before, but they seemed suitable on paper.
Album cover courtesy of World Circuit
Afro-Cuban All Stars was formed in Havana in 1966 by drummer and bandleader Juan de Marcos González, who was famously a key member of the Buena Vista Social Club and Sierra Maestra. He also wanted there to be an all-star big band formed of the best musicians from different generations in the Cuban music scene, starting from the golden age of the ‘50s and ‘60s, so Gonzáles formed the Afro-Cuban All Stars.
They recorded their debut album A Toda Cuba Le Gusta (‘All Of Cuba Likes It’) in March 1996 with nearly 60 performers playing at the EGREM Studios in Havana. It reached number 9 on the Top World Music Album charts and earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Tropical Latin Performance, allowing them to start touring worldwide.
The album is a high-energy celebration of Cuban musical tradition, spanning genres like Guajira, son, danzón, rumba, cha-cha and mambo, but it also features young musicians on it, with the age range of the group reportedly spanning from 13 to 81. Gonzales said that the group wanted to use their musical heritage to create the sound of the future.
I’ll be the first to admit that Afro-Cuban music isn’t something that’s particularly within my wheelhouse, I’ve probably never sat down with the intention to listen to it before, but I had a great time. Even without understanding much of the musical tradition or the language, the album translates well enough to be an absolute treat to your ears from beginning to end. It’s so good that even with two left feet, I’m on the cusp of googling local dance classes, since it feels like a bit of a shame not being able to dance to it.
Will I now start enthusiastically researching Afro-Cuban music? No, probably not with any urgency, but I could see myself deep-diving into the genre at some stage in the future. A Toda Cuba Le Gusta was a joy and I’ll definitely put it on again, I’m giving it a 9/10.