In April 1965 Ernesto "Ché" Guevara leaves Cuba to start a revolution in the Congo. On October 3rd, Fidel Castro, revolutionary and Cuban head of state, reads a farewell letter from his former comrade-in-arms. Singer-Songwriter Carlos Puebla, moved by Castro's speech, composes a tribute to the guerrillero in one sleepless night. The title "Hasta siempre, comandante" ("Until Forever, Commander!") is inspired by Guevara's motto "Hasta la victoria, siempre!" ("Until victory, always!").
Guevara's revolutionary endeavours in the Congo and later in Bolivia fail. In 1967 he is murdered by Bolivian military. After his death, Guevara becomes a pop icon and "Hasta siempre, comandante" an internationally known anthem, covered by a wide range of artists. Wolf Biermann writes a German text and sings it at his 1976 concert in Cologne, immediately preceding his expatriation from the GDR. In Cuba the song is still part of revolutionary folklore to this day.
The bassist who's spent much of his career pushing against jazz traditions finds value in embracing them, to some degree, with a nimble quartet of fellows. Bandcamp Album of the Day Dec 7, 2016