Biography
An ensemble of Afro-Cuban musicians performs under the name Rhythms del Mundo on a benefit album collection that carries the same title and first appeared in 2006. The series operates as a nonprofit initiative, developed with Artists Project Earth (APE), to spotlight climate change and disaster relief. Veterans Kenny Young and the Berman Brothers produced the opening volume, Rhythms del Mundo: Cuba (2006), in which associates of the renowned Afro-Cuban ensemble Buena Vista Social Club recast contemporary pop and rock selections by Coldplay (“Clocks”), U2 (“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”), Radiohead (“High and Dry”), and others. Tracking occurred at Abdala Studios in Havana, Cuba, between April 2005 and June 2006, drawing on leading British artists together with Buena Vista Social Club figures Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo plus additional Cuban singers Coco Freeman, Vania Borges, Aquila Rose, and El Lele of Los Van Van. The Rhythms del Mundo lineup further incorporates Barbarito Torres, Amadito Valdés, Virgilio Valdes, Angel Terri Domech, Manuel “Guajiro” Mirabal, Orlando “Cachaito” Lopez, and Demetrio Muniz. The follow-up, Rhythms del Mundo: Cubano Alemán (2008), mirrors the earlier approach yet applies the Afro-Cuban treatment to recent hits aimed at the German-language market by Ich + Ich, 2raumwohnung, Xavier Naidoo, Jan Delay, Rosenstolz, and Silbermond. Rhythms del Mundo: Classics shifts back to English-language material, enlisting an international roster of present-day pop and rock acts to revisit well-known older songs while limiting Cuban vocal participation to just a handful of performers.
Albums
