Ibrahim Ferrer was 'the Frank Sinatra of Cuban music'

HAVANA - His charm, soulful melodies and contagious romanticism coaxed audiences out of their seats from Iceland to Israel. Singer Ibrahim Ferrer, 78, relished the worldwide attention that came late in his life so much that he never canceled a show, even in his final tour through Europe last month when he had to be pushed to some concerts in a wheelchair.

In Havana on Sunday, a day after Ferrer's death, friends and relatives poured into a funeral parlor in the Vedado district carrying photos and flowers in final tribute to the mild-mannered singer who shot to fame after the 1997 Grammy-winning "Buena Vista Social Club" album.

"He's the Frank Sinatra of Cuban music, I always told him that," said fellow Buena Vista band member Barbarito Torres. "He was an ambassador of Cuban music who took traditional Cuban sounds to the farthest corner of the world."

Ferrer performed with famous Cuban bands in the 1950's, including the great Beny More. In 1962 he toured several Soviet cities with the popular group Los Bocucos and even had dinner with Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. However, by the time American guitarist Ry Cooder assembled the Buena Vista Social Club ensemble Ferrer had fallen into obscurity, supplementing his miniscule pension by selling peanuts and shining shoes.

Like other members of the breakthrough album, Ferrer embraced his extraordinary comeback, touring extensively and releasing two more albums in 1999 and 2003. In 2000 he won a Latin Grammy for best new artist.

Over the last year Ferrer fulfilled an enduring wish: He recorded an album of romantic ballads, something music producers had long discouraged him from doing, explaining that his high voice was better suited to upbeat songs. The album, tentatively titled "My Dream," does not yet have a release date, Ferrer's manager Daniel Florestano said.

"He said with ballads one could express more about love, about life," said Ferrer's grandson, Mortimer Hayne, 30.

Friends and relatives on Sunday described Ferrer as a generous and humble man who loved playing dominoes, dancing and was a devout follower of San Lazaro, one of the most venerated deities in the Afro Cuban pantheon.

"Anyone could come to his home, from a beggar to a millionaire, and he would treat them the same. He'd help anyone," Hayne said. "He never raised his voice to anyone."

Ferrer was feeling ill during his European tour and died Saturday, three days after returning to Havana. On Sunday he was laid in an open coffin, wearing a white suit, purple shirt and his signature white cap. He was to be buried Monday in Havana's historic Colon Cemetery.

Ferrer's wake was held in the same Havana funeral parlor where his former Buena Vista companions, singer Compay Segundo and pianist Ruben Gonzalez, were laid in 2003.

Like Compay and Gonzalez, Ferrer's fluid melodies and grace transported audiences to a Cuba of yesteryear whether he was singing ageless ballads or vibrant, fast paced classics like "Candela" and "El Cuarto de Tula."

New York-based music producer Rachel Faro, who has worked with many Cuban bands, credited Ferrer with helping to introduce the richness of Cuba's traditional rhythms to a worldwide audience.

"That music had been considered sort of like your grandfather's music: not that respected, old fashioned, corny," Faro said. "For me the most important thing is that this kind of music and singer became valued again."

Saxophonist Javier Zalba, who was with Ferrer during his last tour, said the crooner never took the music, or his fame, for granted.

"He enjoyed it until his last moment," Zalba said. "He was wheeled in his wheelchair but when he arrived on stage he became a different man. He even danced a little."

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Vanessa Bauza: vmbauza1@yahoo.com

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(c) 2005 South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.