Compay Segundo is 95 years young, and Duets is here to prove it. Not all the tracks on this charming compilation are the fruits of his 90s--one comes to us from 1950, when he and his compadres were in their sprightly 40s--but some tracks are, in the circumstances, quite astonishingly innovative. Who would have thought that Cuba and Algeria could fuse? But here they do, courtesy of Cheb Khaled's smokily Arabic tones: while Compay growls, the rai star weaves melismas above. And what is Charles Aznavour doing here? Answer--providing a quintessentially Aznavourian descant over Compay's ground bass. Cesaria Evora's presence is here, too muted for my taste--was she concerned not to upstage her host? Fellow-Buena Vista star Omara Portuondo blends altogether more comfortably, as one might expect. With American singer Lou Bega, Compay generates comedy; with Antonio Banderas he creates seduction. But all this is not so out of keeping with Compay's background--or even his name, which implies another voice, a "primo". And as Luis Lazaro points out in his liner-note, duetting is a time-honoured Cuban tradition. Long live Compay! --Michael Church for Amazon.com
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