After a warm, sunny day by the sea at Sandbanks all we needed this evening was the sound of the cicadaes to bring back even more memories of Cuba.

Tonight we really were in the presence of musical royalty. On bass Orlando “Cachaito” López whose Uncle Israel “Cachao” López invented mambo music. At 75 years young Cachaito is still touring and is the only musician to have played on every track on every album in the World Circuit Buena Vista Social Club series of CDs. He was featured in the Wim Wenders documentary Buena Vista Social Club and has been a constant member of the late Rubén González’s, and Ibrahim Ferrer’s world-wide touring groups.

Manuel “Guajiro” Mirabal (another spritely 75 year old) featured on trumpet playing just as well as he did when he started his first residency with the Riverside Orchestra at the renowned Tropicana Club in 1960. He is a senior member of both the National Revolutionary Militias ceremonial band and the General Staff band of the Cuban army and has played at many welcome ceremonies for numerous heads of state, gracing the tarmac of Havanas airport with ear-splitting fanfares.

Manuel Galbán, Cuban pianist, organist, and guitarist - the founder of the Havana doo-wop quartet Los Zafiros - featured on guitar with Amadito Valdés playing percussion while Jesus “Aguaje” Ramos (one the babies of the group at a mere 57) played the trombone and lead the band. Barbarito Torres played the laud, a Cuban instrument which is a distant cousin of the lute.

So many of the great names of the Buena Vista Social Club have now sadly passed away but if tonight is anything to go by Cuban music is in safe hands.

If you love and enjoy this music please help to support it by contributing to the Music Fund For Cuba, By doing this not only will you help support young musicians in Cuba but also keep the name of Kirsty MacColl, who first started the fund, alive.

“Culture is an indispensable component of identity and quality of life, because it makes people grow”
Abel Prieto, Cuban Minister for Culture, 2003