Review: Buena Bristol Social Club – Ataque Masivo! – this was a band that didn’t need to warm up.

When Cuban trumpeter Michel Padron launched this amazingly successful project he had one stroke of luck: he lived in Bristol. That gave him a lively Latin dance scene and a pool of excellent musicians to call upon, but more importantly it gave him the name of the band. Imagine if they’d come from Birmingham or Exeter … Buena Huddersfield Social Club? The name of Bristol sits very nicely, and that was the one stroke of luck – the rest, however, is down to sheer talent and they have that in bucketloads.

This gig was an extra night added to the two sold out dates already planned. It too was sold out. That testifies to the reputation the band have gained in a comparatively short time through their respectfully authentic treatment of Buena Vista Social Club numbers. Crucial to that authenticity is the ringing tres guitar sound of Juan Carlos Arenas combined with the percussion duo of Jackson Lapes’ congas and Jon Clark’s timbales. The trio’s crisp and distinctive tones, locked solidly around Sol Ahmed’s precision-timed double bass, rooted the sound in Havana even before Michel’s soaring trumpet or vibrant vocalist Luisa Santiago made their contributions.

What gave the band’s sound something extra, however, was the piano of Jim Blomfield. Jim is a top jazz player who has steeped himself in Latin piano with the result that he could deliver ringing montuno riffs while adding his own creative ideas. For the opening number – Ibrahim Ferrer’s Buenos Hermanos – he chose a smooth organ sound but following a typically incendiary solo from Michel he let rip with his own virtuoso effort. It made a powerful announcement that this was a band that didn’t need to warm up. And so it proved through a first half that featured the classic salsa Mandinga, which allowed trumpeter Jonny Bruce and saxophonist Craig Crofton their chance to shine and ended with a cracking percussion showcase (and impressive audience singalong) for Boquiñeñe.

Two real highlights of the first set allowed vocalist Luisa to show that being heavily pregnant was not going to cramp her style. The first was her perfectly tempered rendition of Quizas, Quizas, Quizas – a worthy tribute to the legendary Omara Portuondo who sang it in the original BVSC recording. This was followed by a stunning version of the bolero classic Dos Gardenias which opened with solo piano. Jim’s introduction has been developing with each band outing and is a frankly gobsmacking demonstration of why he is surely one of the best Latin pianists in the country. Beginning from the conventionally melodramatic montuno that the song requires he worked the music into increasingly intense emotions verging on the likes of Rachmaninov before resolving the whole into a launch pad for Luisa to deliver the bitter-sweet love ballad with wry passion.

If the first set was a familiar visit to established favourites, the second promised surprises. After opening with a beautifully respectful Chan Chan the band revealed Latinised arrangements of an older Bristolian musical treasure – Ataque Masivo! First off, perhaps inevitably, was a brisk montuno for Unfinished Sympathy, complete with percussion face-off and storming solos from Craig and Jonny. It was true both to the band’s sound and the original – Buena Bristol indeed. Protection rolled an easy salsa groove with some Sonny Rollins style sax work and an elaborate bass arrangement into another effective revisioning, while the percussive click and ominous piano of Teardrop were largely unchanged as Luisa gave an astoundingly poised vocal performance. The number then broke into a fast Latin onslaught, with Spanish lyrics and stabbing horns. Finally Safe From Harm rolled naturally out of Havana, leading to a spirited audience singalong and big solo – at last! – for the diligent Sol Ahmed’s bass.

If the band were thinking of their three night run they certainly weren’t holding anything back. This was a night of vibrant, joyful sunshine music vastly at odds with the wintry storm outside. Every one of the nine musicians gave their best and the results exceeded even the sum of those fine parts. The ticket sales show that Bristol knows how good this project is – let’s hope that the wider world finds out what they’ve been missing. And soon.