Customer Reviews
amazing pianist 
2008-08-02
i've really been enjoying this c.d.,especially the rhythm section,but the piano is flawless.thank god ruben cut this album before he passed on. he is considered one of the top 3 pianists to ever come out of cuba.put this c.d. on,lite up a nice cigar,and it really transports you!!
Cuban Piano 2007-10-30
Lots of latin, cuban style piano music.....similar to Bebos piano, if you like piano and good latin music for listening or dancing, this is it.
You're more familiar with Rubén González than you think 2007-10-22
This is a brilliant album. You're more familiar with it than you think: I'm sitting here at my local Starbuck's and they're playing the CD in full, 11 years after its release. It's not a one-time occurrence: you hardly ever hear the contemporaneously released Buena Vista Social Club these days, but you hear "Introducing..." everywhere and all the time. González passed away in 2003 at age 84, but his legend only grows. As to why González was discovered by worldwide audiences so late in his life, well, there was the little matter of the Revolution and 37 or so lost and buried years (1959 to rediscovery in 1996).
One of the best piano players of Cuban Music 2007-09-17
I liked this CD a lot because Ruben Gonzalez is one of the best pianist Cuban has produced. The music selection is excellent. I listen to the CD often. It has a combination of easy listening rhythms with exiting Afro-Cuban. I highly recomend this CD.
An un/rediscovered gem! 2007-01-10
Having just seen the movie "Buena Vista Social Club", I needed to hear more wonderful music from the principal musicians and singers. Special thanks should go to Ry Cooder and his son for rediscovering this historic music before they all passed.( Of whom most already have.)
All the musicians and singers are very special in their own singular, as well as collective right, but my personal favorite is Ruben Gonzalez on piano. What a Gem! I urge anyone who loves Afro-Cuban Jazz to add this to your collection, you WILL NOT be disappointed!
A must buy for anyone that likes Cuban music 2005-11-28
Cuban pianist Rubén González has lived through this century's greatest musical windstorms, from the emergence of
son to salsa to Latin Jazz and more. Born in 1919, González 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. González 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
Farewell to Ruben Gonzalez 2003-12-10
On Monday, December 8, 2003, Ruben Gonzalez died at the unregretful age of 84. Farewell to an unbelievably charismatic and talented musician! His death is the sad realistic reminder that as great musicians like him grow old and die, so does a priceless era of music that will never be emulated.
Sadly no longer with us... 2003-12-10
Ruben Gonzalez no longer is with us. He passed away yesterday. At least he lived a life worth living! He was one of the best Latin pianists ever, one of those (like a friend said) that you just don't find any more. He combined technique and charm in a way that few have been able to. Fortunately for the rest of the world, Ry Cooder discovered him, along with Ibrahim Ferrer and a host of other Cuban geniuses of Latin music with his Buena Vista Social Club initiative. After that album, this "Introductory" recording presented Ruben Gonzalez's work to the world in a more focused way. You are bound to respect this gentleman once you take a listen to this album. Ruben Gonzalez: descansa en paz!
The Past Re-Introducing Itself to the Ever-Emerging Present 2003-08-22
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.
The man is a gifted genius! 2003-06-30
Ruben Gonzalez is a genius of his genre. He has class, style,and is sheer perfection. I can listen to his music all day and feel nothing but elation. This is truly a selection that any serious collecter of Cuban music should own
