Old Man Bebo (2008)

Genres - Music  |   Release Date - Apr 1, 2008 (USA - Unknown)  |   Run Time - 111 min.  |   Countries - Spain  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Jason Buchanan

Explore the evolution of Cuban music by examining the life and career of one of it's key contributors in this documentary by filmmaker Carlos Carcas. Born in Cuba to a family that never even owned a piano, Bebo Valdés' nevertheless grew up to have a monumental influence on the country's music scene during it's heydays in the 1940s and 50s. It was during this time, in places like the Tropicana nightclub, that Valdés and his contemporaries began developing the style of music that would ultimately come to be known as mambo. Later, when the revolution came, the hotels and bars went dark. Valdés was untrusting of the new regime, and fled to Sweden. Once there Valdés started a family, and earned a living by playing piano at a cocktail lounge. But this was far from the end for Valdés, because thirty-four years - at the age of 81 - he would win the first of multiple Grammy awards in addition to becoming an international music sensation. In this film fans are treated to images and footage of Bebo Valdés from various stages in his career as the friends and colleagues closest to him recount personal memories, and reflect on his contributions to the Cuban musical scene.