Buena Vista Social Club

BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB
Presented by Tina Flores

In 1999 Wim Wenders profiled the legendary Buena Vista Social Club musicians, recording their experiences as they perform in Cuba and abroad, eventually appearing at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. This film is the story of a remarkable re-living of the classic era of Cuban popular music and resurrects musical forms and personalities that have wielded an extraordinary influence over Western music. It is the story of one of the most unique musical narratives of our time. Making the film brought a crew of great musicians out of ignominy on the island and also provided a kind of Rosetta Stone, a way to interpret the Latin influence on world music over the last half century. Scenes of Havana street life, its gloriously decaying architecture, and its colorful denizens are accompanied by texts of their most famous songs, as well as contributions from Wim and Donata Wenders and Ry Cooder. The grooves of tropical music on the continent -- Cuba has long been recognized its undisputed leader -- provide great catharsis, an affirmation of life itself, of cultural and spiritual survival.

Before and after the films, everyone’s invited to indulge in our Humanist Tea House

$5 donations are accepted