**** (Four stars)
The enlightening narrative behind this profile of 90-year-old Cuban-music patriarch Bebo Valdés unspools slowly. What begins as a fairly conventional career chronology of this talented pianist, who had a hand in inventing the mambo, turns poignant at about the midway point, when exile in Europe pushes Valdés into a life considerably less star-studded than he had previously enjoyed. Another former star might have turned bitter before the spotlight had a chance to swing back in his direction (Valdés enjoyed a rediscovery around age 80), but instead this impresario exudes the easy grace of a born professional. If anything, the film suggests that humility is perhaps the most undervalued quality of true genius.—K. Leander Williams, Music writer
[This is a TONY staff review, written for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. It is not considered an official review and should not be read as such. Please think of it as a casual impression from a movie-loving friend.]