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| Introducing...Ruben Gonzalez | 
 enlarge | Artist: Ruben Gonzalez
Label: Nonesuch
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy Used: $3.99
You Save: $14.99 (79%)
New (34) Used (26) Collectible (1) from $3.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  80 reviews
Sales Rank: 3197
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 79477
UPC: 075597947724
EAN: 0075597947724
ASIN: B000005J55
Release Date: September 16, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Some small CD scratches, but plays perfectly. Complete paper, No holes or notches, but some wear to edges of slipcase. Mailed 1st class. #79477 (#8n/X8bt)
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| Tracks:
| • | La Enganadora - Ruben Gonzalez, Jorrin, Enriquez | | • | Cumbanchero - Ruben Gonzalez, Hernandez, Rafael C | | • | Tres Lindas Cubanas - Ruben Gonzalez, Castillo, Guillermo | | • | Melodia del Rio - Ruben Gonzalez, Gonzalez, Ruben [1] | | • | Mandinga - Ruben Gonzalez, Fiffe, Guillermo Ro | | • | Siboney - Ruben Gonzalez, Lecuona, Ernesto | | • | Almendra - Ruben Gonzalez, Valdes, Abelardo | | • | Tumbao - Ruben Gonzalez, Gonzalez, Ruben [1] | | • | Como Siento Yo - Ruben Gonzalez, Gonzalez, Ruben [1] |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential recording
Cuban pianist Ruben Gonzalez has lived through this century's greatest musical windstorms, from the emergence of son to salsa to Latin Jazz and more. Born in 1919, Gonzalez also retired from playing professionally years before this, his debut CD, was even recorded. He reemerged in 1996 when World Circuit stopped in Cuba to record for several days. He ended up making a thrilling debut. This impromptu CD was cut in a day, and its limber vibe shines for all its uptempo looseness. Gonzalez plays a rainbow of Cuban rhythms and prods his percussionists and lone trumpeter to great depths of conversation and great heights of flash. --Andrew Bartlett
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| Customer Reviews: Read 75 more reviews...
Simply beautiful June 21, 2000
52 out of 53 found this review helpful
I hate to "ride the wave" of popular trends, but in the case of the musicians affiliated with the Buena Vista Social Club, the praise and adulation is fully deserved. I rented the film a few weeks ago and was blown away by the marvelous performances of these legends. I work in a CD store and I put this Ruben Gonzalez disc on our PA system at work the other day. In a span of about two hours I had at least a dozen people either ask me who the artist was or examine the CD case sitting on the counter. I've never seen such a wide variety of music fans show that kind of appreciation for one artist. Ruben Gonzalez isn't just some geriatric has-been who people are showing sympathy for due to his age -- the man would still be considered a stunning musician if he were 30! (he's 81, by the way). His command of the piano is breathtaking. Ry Cooder was right in his liner notes...Ruben sounds like a cross between Thelonious Monk and Felix the Cat. The music is sumptuous and Ruben's hands glide across the keyboard with utter grace. Whether or not you like Cuban music, it's impossible to resist the songs on this disc. I can't recommend it strongly enough.
The Incomparable Ruben Gonzalez!! September 12, 2000
50 out of 50 found this review helpful
If you know anything about Ry Cooder you can imagine that he's heard a few piano players, so discover for yourself why he says Ruben Gonzalez is "the best piano soloist I've ever heard". Mr. Gonzalez is undeniably incredible! When this CD was first released I played it for everyone that entered my home, and without exception, those who heard it immediately purchased a copy for themselves. All three albums recorded in Cuba during the 'Buena Vista Social Club' sessions would rate 5 stars here, but this is by far my favorite, if you only want one of these Cuban/Latin masterpieces, this is the one I recommend. The selections, Cumbanchero, Mandinga, Siboney, and Tumbao stand alone as inspired performances, and the remaining pieces although somewhat more subtle, are still beyond beautiful. Melodia Del Rio, and Como Siento Yo are very romantic, for those so inclined, and if you think Latin music played by old guys might be dated, just listen to Tumbao and tell me you're not expecting a killer Carlos Santana guitar solo at any moment. A very hot album indeed!
my every day need : like a cup of coffee ; my piece of mind April 22, 1999
24 out of 24 found this review helpful
when I bought this cd it was after I heard Ruben Playing with the buena vista social club. The song 'Pueblo Nuovo' opened my eyes to the fact that I was listening to the greatest Piano player in Cuban history and in Son History. I went to a box I got from my father and saw an old LP from this master pianist. Immediatly I went to the record store and bought his CD; that was his first ever after a lot of years. This emperer of the Son extracts respect from you while you listen to the way he plays the piano. If My father was still alive he would have looked up while we were listening to the music and say : ah, Ruben never lost his touch............... and lit up one.
on a desert island with Ruben Gonzalez April 14, 2000
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
Like most, I discovered Ruben Gonzales through the Buena Vista album, which I played every day to my 10-14 year olds driving them to school, then to myself, commuting (communing) 40 minutes to work. I got to know the songs very well. The more I listened to them, the more I felt I was getting closer to some hidden treasure. The two solo pieces by Ruben finally became the revelation. The move to "Introducing Ruben Gonzalez" was completely satisfying - intellectually and emotionally. Tracks 5 and 7 are true masterpieces in storytelling, dramatic development. In 5, he alludes to Dark Eyes, a sweet gypsy melody, a simple version of which my 11-year-old son had been practicing; when he heard 3 bars of "his" song by Ruben, he put the portable CD player beside the piano, and with play-and-pause he learned to play it, just like Ruben.On track seven, Gonzalez resolves a dirge-like meditation with a simple teasing refrain; it's ingenious and inspired play. You wish it will never end. I did make the mistake of buying other CD's with his name on it. Nothing - not one - can compare with this CD. They're exploitative and disappointing. I hope we get a reintroduction to Ruben Gonzalez. Life without a new Gonzalez is becoming like life without a new Saramago.
The Past Re-Introducing Itself to the Ever-Emerging Present August 22, 2003
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
Ry Cooder once described Ruben Gonzalez as, "A Cuban cross between Thelonius Monk and Felix the Cat." Ruben Gonzalez is no Thelonius Monk...and I cannot really say if he is Felix the Cat...but he is definitely an extremely rare piece of jazz history...an "endangered species" of sorts in comparison to today's lacklustre jazz scene. Thanks to the re-emergence of mostly forgotten Cuban musicians in the late 90's through such vehicles as the Afro-Cuban All-Stars and the Buena Vista Social Club, the world...or at least a portion of it...has had the opportunity to experience a truly unique skill and sound that once flourished. This description of Ruben Gonzalez's music cannot do him justice. When you listen to him either pounding out or softly lifting notes off the piano keys, feelings of excitement, nostalgia, appreciation, comfort, and reflection can all rise to the surface. His skill is difficult to match; his love of music nearly impossible to emulate. Ruben Gonzalez "is" the music he creates and plays...a living example of the musical past re-introducing itself to the ever-emerging present.
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