Sadly, Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer did not achieve international recognition until late in his life and career (and then only because of his appearance on the BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB project). The positive side to such late recognition is that the industry is making up for lost time by spending a good deal of energy and care compiling excellent sets like THE ESSENTIAL IBRAHIM FERRER, a double-disc collection which brings together a variety of the artist's recordings from between 1960 and 1988.
Though known primarily as a bolero singer, Ferrer was also quite adept at rhumba, cha-cha, and guaguancos. His stints with popular orchestras like Beny More's and Los Bocucos, among others, are represented here. Ferrer's range and versatility are all the more impressive given his consistently gorgeous timbre and sense of control in all of these settings. For those familiar with Ferrer's work only from BUENA VISTA and after, this is a perfect place to get acquainted with his earlier and always delightful performances.
