Various Artists - Santiago de Cuba: La Reina del Son (CD)

Facts Four years before the musical adventure that led Ry Cooder in Havana to record the legendary Buena Vista Social Club, the French journalist, DJ and producer Francois Jouffa had already recorded the most important singers and musicians of Santiago de Cuba, the country's second city and the capital of son. The blending of African, European and American, but also Haitian, influences have made Santiago de Cuba's music the embodiment of Cuban-ness, the best of which is here handed down to posterity. Artists include Septeto Tipico Oriental and Conga Los Hoyos.