FAREWELL MR. FERRER

Pictured: Ibrahim Ferrer, deep in thought.

This morning I read that Peter Jennings has died of cancer at age 67. Which is, indeed, a sad bit of news. He's a familiar face, a prominent fixture in American life. However, as I'm scrolling through the remainder of the morning news, I see a small blurb that mentions a name I know very well: Ibrahim Ferrer. The headline made my stomach sink: "Singer Ibrahim Ferrer dead at age 78."

Sure, most people probably don't care or even know who this man is. But for me, he and his fellow musicians were (are) an incredible inspiration. Ferrer was one of the guiding voices of the critically-acclaimed, Grammy award winning Buena Vista Social Club album and film. Which, if you've never heard the album or seen the film, do yourself a huge favor and pick up the boxset.

I first heard the Buena Vista Social Club record in New York City, sometime in the summer of 2000. Michelle and I were visiting our friend Jen. It was a Sunday morning and we were eating breakfast when Jen put the record on. The opening track "Chan Chan" begin playing, and I was instantly hooked. The music was beautiful but melodic, full of fire. You could hear the history and the life experience in the vocals and raw instrumentation. There was heartbreak and sorrow, but also happiness and joy in the music.

Several years later, the music played at our wedding. It was that profound of an album. I still play the album in fairly regular rotation. However, as I write this, I realize it's been sometime since I last listened. To learn more about Ibrahim and the Buena Vista Social Club, please check out the links I've included above. The obituary from the Associated Press is slightly informative. However, I'm sure better, more fitting tributes will surface as the news spreads.

Farewell Ibrahim.