Remembering Buena Vista Social Club’s Orlando Cachaito Lopez | Music | guardian.co.uk
People marvelled at why Orlando Cachaito Lopez, the legendary bassist of Cuba’s Buena Vista Social Club, who died yesterday, carried on touring when his body had obviously become frail. But to me it was obvious. While he needed to be led on stage, as soon as his hands were clasped round his bass his musical memory would shift straight into gear, his hands moving fluently. The fact was he had spent more time performing than doing anything else in his life, maybe even sleeping. And as he told me in 2000 when I was helping him prepare his biography for his first solo album: “Your fingers stiffen if you stop.”

I bought his album Cachaito (mp3 version) in 2002 and it is still one of my favorite albums of all time. Vibrant, modern with traditional roots, experience combined with youthfulness. A great album.

The article ends with this wonderful quote:

When I saw him last year on a UK tour (playing one gig every night for a month, naturally) he hugged me and said: “I’m still having the time of my life.”