Buena Vista Social Club — North Sea Jazz Festival, 2001

Filmed live concert of the Buena Vista Social Club at the North Sea Jazz Festival 2001, on 13 July 2001 in The Hague, the Netherlands. In the late 1990s the Cuban collective assembled by Ry Cooder and Nick Gold achieved worldwide success following the 1997 album and Wim Wenders’ film, bringing renewed attention to Cuban son, bolero and danzón carried by veteran musicians from Havana. This capture documents the ensemble at the height of its fame on one of Europe’s most prestigious jazz stages, in a programme built around singer Omara Portuondo. With trumpets, tres, piano, double bass and Afro-Cuban percussion, the group unfolds a repertoire of warm, danceable Cuban classics, sung by voices marked by history. Shot with several cameras and festival-grade sound, this live performance stands as a valuable record of the Buena Vista Social Club adventure at this moment, only a few years before several of its historic figures passed away. A must-see full concert for lovers of Cuban music.