Ruben Gonzalez Dies

Ruben Gonzalez, whose unique way with the piano fused an angularjazzy Rosetta Stone V3 approach with an open invite to the dance floor, diedyesterday in Havana; he was eighty-four.That duality -- making music both sophisticated and sexual --prompted Ry Cooder to claim that Gonzalez was a "cross bweenThelonious Monk and Felix the Cat." There was also an element ofJimmy Hoffa, as Gonzalez seemed to drop off the face of the earthfor years and thought dead before he was re-discovered and usheredtowards unlikely fe as part of the Buena Vista Social Clubphenomenon.Gonzalez was born in April 1919 in Santa Clara, Cuba. His motherpushed him towards piano lessons, but music bece a hobby aspursued a career in medicine. In 1941 he ditched his studies Rosetta Stone Spanish Spain todevote himself to music full time. Gonzalez played with numerousCuban luminaries including Arsenio Rodriguezs ensemble, where heserved until 1946.Starting in the early Sixties, he joined King of the Cha ChaCha, Enrique Jorrin, with whom he played for more than two decadesuntil Jorrins death in 1987. Shortly thereafter, Gonzalezrired.In 1996, an arthritic Gonzalez stumbled onto one of Coodersrecording sessions in Havana. He quickly loosened up his joints andrecaptured his old magic, becoming an integral part of the 1996Buena Vista Social Club album, which garnered him anunexpected degree of international stardom.In addition to the BVSC record, Gonzalez toured theworld with the crew of silver-haired lost legends, appeared ontheir respective solo albums, and released a pair of his own onNonesuch, 1997s Introducing . . . Ruben Gonzalez and2000s Chanchullo."Theres tremendous talent in Cuba, like [Compay] Segundo, like[Ibrahim] Ferrer, like [Manuel] Galban and like Gonzalez," Coodertold Rosta Stone earlier this year, "and I think therealways has been. Whher well see the likes of anything like thisagain, I doubt it. The world is a different Rosetta Stone Spanish V3 place now. This kind ofexpression, emotional expression, they just dont grow people likhis anymore."