It’s a cliché of sorts to say that a band could have sold out a venue three times over, but in this case it was true. What began as a Friday night booking for Sambroso All Stars turned into an extra Saturday evening show, with this matinee then added as demand for the group’s Cardiff visit kept rising.
Sambroso All Stars is the London-based Cuban music project led by Oreste ‘Sambroso’ Noda, who previously worked with Buena Vista Social Club singer Ibrahim Ferrer. While the bandleader was unavailable for this tour, there was no feeling of a compromise. This five-piece version of the collective transformed Clwb into Cuba, bringing heat to the early spring sunshine that warmed us as we made our way in.
Javier Camilo, on vocals and percussion, was an engaging focal point throughout. At the start, he beckoned the late-afternoon crowd toward the stage, telling us “dancing is free!” Not that we needed much encouragement – some impressive salsa moves were on display throughout the show as everyone forgot the time and got lost in the beat.
Around him, the band were superb. Rubert Antonio Orue Lopez’s Cuban tres gave the music a bright, wiry pulse, while Ludys Hernandez’s flute seemed to float above the groove. Alejandro Tellez anchored the songs with his basslines and Adonis Bandera Jardines’ congas made it impossible to stand still.
The set leaned heavily on Buena Vista Social Club favourites like Candela, Veinte Años, Carretero and Dos Gardenias,while also drawing on other Cuban and Latin standards. The two standout moments were Chan Chan, with its intricate guitar intro, and Quizás, Quizás, Quizás – a Cuban bolero standard from 1947 that’s better known in its English version, the much-covered Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.
What made the night memorable was not simply the quality of the songs, but the way Sambroso All Stars played them – with affection, style and total conviction. These are classics, yes, but on a Saturday evening in Cardiff they felt thrillingly alive. We left satisfied, shielding ourselves from the bright evening light like vampires… but this reviewer will certainly back for another bite of Buena Vista.
Sambroso All Stars, Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, Sat 18 Apr
words and photos KARL ELLIS
