Born in 1927, Ibrahim Ferrer Planas began his singing career at the age of 12 in the streets of Santiago de Cuba. His role as an elder musical statesman in the Buena Vista Social Club and Afro-Cuban All Stars projects is now the stuff of legend, but ¡Que Bueno Está! (recorded in Havana in 1960-61) reveals the singer in his youthful glory, as a member of Electo Rosell's Chepín y Su Orquesta Oriental. Alas, the truncated album notes fail to list the accompanying personnel or the particulars of the recording, which oversight makes it primarily a disc for the diehard aficionado. Notable are several classic Rosell son montunos and danzones: "El Platanal de Bartolo," "Rosana," "Monte Adentro," "Habana Camilo" and "Bodas de Oro." This release does capture the vibrant character of Cuban big-band music and composition at the onset of the revolution, and the suave contribution of one of its reigning sonero spirits. - Michael Stone

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