Rhythms del Mundo are a band of Afro-Cuban musicians featured on a charity compilation series of the same name that debuted in 2006. The
Rhythms del Mundo series is a nonprofit project intended to raise awareness for climate change and disaster relief in conjunction with Artists Project Earth (APE). Produced by music industry veterans
Kenny Young and
the Berman Brothers, the first album in the series,
Rhythms del Mundo: Cuba (2006), finds affiliates of the Afro-Cuban superstar group
Buena Vista Social Club reworking a bunch of contemporary pop/rock favorites by
Coldplay ("Clocks"),
U2 ("I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"),
Radiohead ("High and Dry"), and others. Recorded at Abdala Studios in Havana, Cuba, from April 2005 to June 2006, the album features a star-studded lineup of British talent, plus
Buena Vista Social Club favorites
Ibrahim Ferrer and
Omara Portuondo, and fellow Cuban vocalists
Coco Freeman,
Vania Borges, Aquila Rose, and El Lele of
Los Van Van. Moreover, the
Rhythms del Mundo band includes
Barbarito Torres,
Amadito Valdés, Virgilio Valdes, Angel Terri Domech,
Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal,
Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez, and
Demetrio Muniz. The second album in the series, Rhythms del Mundo: Cubano Alemán (2008), is similar to the first, albeit with contemporary pop/rock oriented toward the German-language market. It features Afro-Cuban versions of recent hits by some of the biggest names in German pop/rock, including
Ich + Ich, 2raumwohnung,
Xavier Naidoo,
Jan Delay,
Rosenstolz, and
Silbermond. The third album in the series,
Rhythms del Mundo: Classics, is a return to English language that finds an international lineup of contemporary pop/rockers covering well-known hits from yesteryear (i.e., "classics"). Unlike the first album, there are only a couple Cuban vocalists features on this one. ~ Jason Birchmeier