late
"The flowers of life come to everyone. One has to be ready not to miss them. Mine arrived after I was 90"
[Compay Segundo]
Latin music does not really do it for me. I can't therefore say I am a fan of Compay Segundo, who died on Sunday night aged 95.
I have a very fond memory of meeting señor Segundo in Paris. It must have been 1997, and I was part of a comedy trio performing our own original material. We had a weekly slot in a bistrot in Les Halles and one night Compay Segundo and his whole band were dining there. After the show he summoned us to join him at his table and thanked us for the laughs, adding that even if he did not understand French he thought we were funny and full of energy. He was a nice man.
Tuesday 15 July 2003 at 3:19 pm
The Buena Vista Social Club never quite did it for me (although, ooh, a-l-m-o-s-t, and God knows I tried) until I saw the film about 2 weeks ago. All those wonderful old, OLD men, playing the music they loved once again, absolutely in the prime of their lives once again, the years just rolling back, the spring in their steps and the life in their eyes - oh, just so life-affirming & inspirational. Until then, "Compay Segundo" was just some world-music-Amazon-recommendation-we-think-you-OUGHT-to-like-this name to stick on a list. 95? Seriously, I would never have guessed. There's hope for us all.