Eliades Ochoa

Eliades Ochoa grew up in Santiago de Cuba, where his father was a troubadour who passed along the son tradition. That style mixes Spanish guitar with African rhythms, and Ochoa learned it at local gatherings before forming his own group, Cuarteto Patria.

In 1997, he appeared on the Buena Vista Social Club album, which brought Cuban son to listeners around the world. The record's success gave Ochoa a wider platform, though he'd been playing for decades in Cuba. Songs like 'Estoy Hecho Tierra' and 'Sublime Ilusion' show his straightforward, soulful approach to the form.

He has worked with musicians like Ry Cooder and Compay Segundo, but mostly he keeps recording and performing with Cuarteto Patria. The music stays close to the son roots he learned as a young man in Santiago.