when he left to form the Oliver
Sound Company.
Oliver remained active in
the Oliver Sound Company
through 2009, inventing and
manufacturing a full line of
unique amplifiers and sound
equipment, including Powerflex
amps, where the amp chassis
rose up from within the cabinet
on a motor driven platform.
Eventually manufacturing
ceased, and Jess became a ser-
vice center for a long list of
manufacturers and musicians
eager to have their Ampeg and
Oliver gear repaired by “the
man himself.”
Oliver maintained a rela-
tionship with Ampeg and
was integral in the 1997 and
2010 iterations of the famous
B- 15. At the debut of Ampeg’s
Heritage B- 15 amp at Winter
NAMM 2001, Oliver was
named the “Godfather of
Bass Amplification” with a
special award.
Photo by Alejandro Perez
Cuban Guitar Icon
Manuel Galbán
Dies at 80
BY REBECCA DIRKS
HAVANA, CUBA – Manuel
Galbán died July 7 in Havana,
Cuba, of a heart attack at age
80. The guitarist was a member
of the internationally acclaimed
Cuban vocal group Los Zafiros
and was a longstanding member
of the Buena Vista Social Club.
Galbán joined Los Zafiros in
1963, fusing traditional Cuban
music with bolero, doo-wop,
calypso, bossa nova, and rock.
Following Los Zafiros, Galbán
led Cuba’s national music
ensemble, Dirección Nacional
de Música, before forming his
own group, Batey, which he
led for 23 years. With Batey,
Galbán toured the world and
became one of the key ambassadors of Cuban music.
Galbán later joined the
group Vieja Trova Santiaguera
for two years before answering
Ry Cooder’s call to take part
in a project featuring Ibrahim
Ferrer, which subsequently lead
to his joining the Buena Vista
Social Club along with Ferrer,
Rubén González, Compay
Segundo, Omara Portuondo,
and Cachaito Lopez.
Mambo Sinuendo, Galbán’s
internationally acclaimed duet
album with Cooder, catapulted
the Cuban guitarist to a house-
hold name in world-music
circles. “Galbán and myself
felt that there existed a sound
that had yet to be explored,”
says Cooder, referencing the
original sessions for the album.
“There was scope for a Cuban
band with an electric guitar to
once again convey that ’50s
atmosphere in a smooth, simple,
yet lush manner. Our group
has two electric guitarists, two
drummers, a conga player, and a
bassist—a sextet with the poten-
tial to sound like a big band and
unveil the mysteries of classical
melodies. The result is powerful,
lyrical, and entertaining music.”
For the past decade Manuel
Galbán toured the world per-
forming with the Buena Vista
Social Club Orchestra, and spent
the past three years preparing his
latest album BlueChaCha.
DUAL 6V6
19 WATTS VARIABLE HEADROOM ALL TUBE REVERB
MAN MADE IN
PITTSBORO, NC
919.545.0747
