(Transcript from World News Radio)
The worldwide musical phenomenon that is the Buena Vista Social Club is saying adios.
Almost 20 years after their unexpected rise to stardom, the famed Cuban musicians are embarking on their final tour - but hope they've created a melodic legacy that will outlive them.
Karen Ashford has the story.
(Music)
It's a sound that's familiar to millions - a syncopating rhythm forged in 1940s pre-revolutionary Cuba and opened up to new audiences through a happy accident.
Noted US roots musician Ry Cooder and UK producer Nick Gold had travelled to Cuba to record some Malian artists, but visa trouble meant no players and an empty studio - so they decided to seek out some locals.
They uncovered a trove of uncelebrated talent.
Some were even the original creators of the Buena Vista sound, long retired and whiling away their senior years shining shoes on Havana street corners, or playing termite-infested pianos in small cafes.
Little did they know this unexpected recording session would make "retirement" a distant memory and pave the way for two decades of international stardom.
(Music)
Theirs is a music that seems to have enduring appeal.
(Music)
"It will never be old. It will never die. Because of the energy it produces...the melody... and it has lots of sex appeal."
At 84, diva Omara Portuondo is the embodiment of the sizzling Cuban sound.
She's one of BVSC's original members, outliving Compay Segundo who made it to 95, Reuben Gonzales , 84, and Ibrahim Ferrer who passed on aged 78.
"Younger " players in their 50s, 60s and 70s have stepped up to carry on the tradition.
Laud player Barbarito Torres is a sprightly 58, and credits his pep to walking at least three kilometres a day at a cracking pace, often lugging his instrument with him.
"I walk a lot, I walk a lot every day. And that keeps me fit. Besides, I have a body age and a different mind age. In my head I am 18 years old" .
It's this infectious energy that's set to grace Australia in coming weeks, from the Womadelaide world music festival, to performances along the east coast - a schedule that would daunt artists half their age.
But the pair say they're buoyed by the enthusiasm of audiences who revel in the band's cultural authenticity.
"(Portuondo) We are Cuba, not just a part. We are completely Cuba. We like it, we love it. Don't you agree? (Torres) "Yes, yes, we are Ambassadors who take the music to the world.
Record producer Nick Gold says at home in Cuba they were musicians regarded as past their prime - but to the ears of the rest of the world, it was a very different story.
"We knew we had something amazing and wonderful to get out there and try and share with the world, so we did what we could and the successful was incremental - we had no idea of the phenomenon that was awaiting it."
Stardom really kicked in following an acclaimed self-titled documentary - it helped propel their album sales to more than 8 million.
But Nick Gold says 16 years of international touring is now drawing to a close as Buena Vista prepares to say hasta la vista.
"A lot of the musicians were in their senior years to start with, and a lot of musicians have passed during the time, so there's the obvious factor of the musicians getting older and wanting to end with a dignity and elegance. And also it might sound bizarre, but a lot of them have got their own solo projects as well so they're very busy - it just seems like the right time to say adios."
They're leaving their fans with the musical gift of an album which goes back to their earliest sessions, aptly titled Lost and Found.
Trombonist Jesus "Aguaje" Ramos says it's a way of ensuring the band's legacy lives on, a tribute to its members past and present.
"The last album is a gift even to ourselves, because it gives us the opportunity of using all that music kept by Ibrahim, Ruben, Omara... all of those years we'll live them again."
Mr Ramos says saying "adios" is something of a bittersweet decision.
"There's no sadness at all, but no happiness either - we've been 20 years taking traditional Cuban music (to the world) and I think that legacy will continue ... the new generations, the new projects, the new stories. It's a seed we planted that is still giving fruits."
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