AfroCubism's lineup is impressive: Eliades Ochoa on guitar; Bassekou Kouyate on ngoni; Lasana Diabate on balafon; Toumani Diabate on kora; Kasse Mady Diabate on vocals; and Djelimady Tounkara also on guitar. Making up the full complement of 13 musicians are Osnel Odit, Baba Sissoko, Alain A. Dragonite and the members of the Cuarteto Patria (Eglis Ochoa, José A. Martínez, Jorge Maturell and Lennis Lara). The album, which of course bears the name of the group, will go on sale on 21 October after having been showcased on the first night of the Mar de Musicas Festival in Cartagena, Spain, on 9 July at the Parque Torres auditorium. So what is it about the history of AfroCubism that makes it so special and quite a curious case? In 1996, Nick Gold, the founder of the label, had the idea of making a record with musicians from Bamako in Mali and Santiago de Cuba. However, when everything was set for the go-ahead, the visas for the Malian artists failed to arrive on time and Gold had to change his plans. Since his producer, Ry Cooder, already had experience recording music legends with a particular focus (Talking Timbuktu by Ali Farka Touré, for example), he decided to revive the heyday of Havana's social clubs, with the collaboration of Juan de Marcos Gonzalez. The result was Buena Vista Social Club, which gave the world a different perspective on Cuban music, garnered critical acclaim internationally, inspired a Wim Wenders documentary and enabled a generation of musicians to relive their youth. Needless to say, the musical and commercial expectations of the new project are enormous.
