Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club at Zellerbach Hall Auditorium, October 9, 2015

Cal Performances presents the Adiós Tour featuring Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club
2015-10-09
Zellerbach Hall Auditorium
U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94305
8:00 PM, Friday, October 9, 2015

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2015 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2015 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

[8:10 PM lights down, announcements]

[(wip)] [I seem to have misplaced my setlist notes, so all I can offer for the moment is the timing info below. Not to interesting, that!]

1. [8:11 PM] ?
2. [8:15 PM] ?
3. [8:22 PM] ?
4. [8:26 PM] ?
5. [8:31 PM] ?
6. [8:35 PM] ?
7. [8:42 PM] ?
8. [8:48 PM] ?
9. [8:55 PM] ?
10. [9:03 PM] ?
11. [9:07 PM] ?
12. [9:14 PM] ?
13. [9:17 PM] ?
14. [9:25 PM] ?
15. [9:30 PM] ?
16. [9:35 PM] ?
    [9:51 PM encore break]  
    Encore
17. [9:52 PM] ?
18. [9:56 PM] ?
    [10:04 PM done]

Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club

• Luis Alemañy: trumpet;
• Carlos Calunga: vox;
• Andres Coayo: congas, cajon, percussion;
• Alberto La Noche: bongos;
• Rolando Luna: piano;
• Manuel “Güajiro” Mirabal: trumpet;
• Luis “Güajirito” Mirabal: trumpet;
• Eliades Ochoa: acoustic guitar;
• Gilbert “Papi” Oviedo: tres;
• Pedro Pablo: contrabass;
• Omara Portuondo: vox;
• Jesus “Aguaje” Ramos: musical director, trombone, vox;
• Filiberto Sánchez: timbales;
• Barbarito Torres: laúd;
• Idania Valdés: vox, percussion.

Tonight's gig was a strange sort of valedictory tour, with at least a half dozen tunes “backed up” by fancy slide shows focusing on band members who have passed on in the last decade or so. It's certainly nice to pay tribute to them, and to say goodbye, but that action definitely moved the vibe away from the usual exuberance of this music towards nostalgia for days long passed. Stirring up the embers of a dying fire, perhaps? Despite the losses, the remaining members were certainly up to the task of blowing hard when the tunes called for it, and the setlist offered good variety, from classic ballads like Dos Gardenias to raging burners like the opener, which began with a particularly fiery piano solo from Rolando Luna that threatened to leave the instrument in a heap of burning tinder. What a great way to set the stage for the rest of the gig!

VIP honors, in my opinion, go to the amazing Barbarito Torres, whose delicate filagrees on the laúd made perfect accompaniment no matter the tempo of the tune. Barbarito also got a good comedic moment in when he “challenged” Carlos Calunga to a musical duel, showing him up by effortlessly playing a solo with both hands behind his back. Nifty!

Honor also goes to Papi Oviedo, who consistently laid down interesting guitar licks – mostly as background decoration, but also in a few fleet-fingered solos. And his dancing duet with Omara late in the show was pretty suave too – nice to see old folks moving with such grace and vigor!

Although they only played one set, the show was plenty long, and offering us a double encore was extra sweet – might as well stretch out the glory-time onstage, right?

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2015 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2015 event list! ☸ On to the next event!