He is considered “one of the greatest trumpeters in Cuba and the world.” Cuban musician Manuel “Guajiro” Mirabal, trumpeter of the group Buena Vista Social Club, died Monday in Havana at the age of 91, the Cuban Music Institute announced.
His “death represents an immense loss for Cuban music and culture,” laments the latter on Facebook.
“Thank you for everything dear friend”, reacted the Buena Vista diva, Omara Portuondo, on social networks, referring to her “dear brother”, a “great friend, great musician, great man”. The 94-year-old singer, known for her warm voice, ended her artistic career at the beginning of October.
The Institute said Manuel Mirabal’s funeral would take place Tuesday morning in Havana.
Born on May 5, 1933 in Melena del Sur, about fifty kilometers from the Cuban capital, he began his musical career in 1951 and played the trumpet for more than 70 years.
He was a member of important Cuban orchestras, such as the Conjunto Rumbahabana and the Riverside Orchestra, but it was his participation in the Buena Vista Social Club project that contributed to his international fame.
Most of the Buena Vista Social Club musicians are now deceased, such as Ibrahim Ferrer (who died in 2005), Compay Segundo (2003) and Ruben Gonzalez (2003).
In the late 1990s, Cuban star Juan de Marcos González, Nick Gold of the World Circuit label and American guitarist Ry Cooder persuaded these former glories of the golden age of Cuban music to reunite and return to stage, even if it means coming out of retirement for some.
Best-selling Cuban album in the world
The album recorded in six days, called Buena Vista Social Club in homage to a private club in Havana which had closed its doors after the Cuban revolution, was immediately a phenomenal success.
It won a Grammy Award in 1998 and is the best-selling Cuban album of all time. The adventure of these Cuban stars was immortalized in the film “Buena Vista Social Club” by German director Wim Wenders.