Buena Vista Social Club, Adiós Tour

In 1996, Cuban bandleader Juan de Marcos González, American guitarist Ry Cooder, and British producer Nick Gold assembled a group of old-guard son musicians to record a collection of classic mambos, cha-cha-chás, and boleros, a tribute to Havana's vibrant club scene in the 1920s and '30s. Buena Vista Social Club emerged as a near-perfect record: the album was certified platinum, won the GRAMMY for Best Latin Album, and was the subject of an acclaimed Wim Wenders documentary. Many of the original ensemble members - including trumpeter Guajiro Mirabal, laúd virtuoso Barbarito Torres, guitarist Eliades Ochoa, and the incomparable singer Omara Portuondo - embark this year on an ambitious Adiós tour, the end of Buena Vista's life on the road. This special concert will feature those charter members plus a twelve-piece band, in a musical celebration sufficiently memorable to fill the grand Durham Performing Arts Center. The New York Times says of the Buena Vista experience: 'The stage is awash in such intense joy and camaraderie, you become convinced that making music is a key to longevity and spiritual well-being.'