Meet the ‘Born at the Right Time’ Band

Greg Kot

Paul Simon’s 1991-92 “Born at the Right Time” tour, which played Central Park in New York in the summer of ’91, is a landmark event not just for its music, but for its historic amalgamation of international musicians from several continents and dozens of genres. Here’s who they are:

Paul Simon during the performance of "Born at the Right Time."

Paul Simon — vocals, guitar: Legendary singer-songwriter who helped pave the way for the rise of so-called “world music” in the West.

Mingo Araujo during the performance of "She Moves On."

Mingo Araujo — percussion: The Brazilian musician left an indelible impression on the “Born at the Right Time” tour with his acrobatic antics.

Cyro Baptista during the performance of "She Moves On."

Cyro Baptista — percussion: In addition to building many of his own instruments, this rhythm master has performed with everyone from John Zorn and Wynton Marsalis to Trey Anastasio and Dr. John.

Chris Botti during the performance of "She Moves On."

Chris Botti — trumpet: The jazz musician was still relatively unknown when he started touring with Simon, but has gone on to have a prolific, Grammy-winning career.

Michael Brecker during the performance of "She Moves On."

Michael Brecker — saxophones, EWI: The late sax virtuoso was so revered he earned his own spotlighted song on the Simon tour.

Tony Cedras during the performance of "Born at the Right Time."

Tony Cedras — piano, keyboards, accordion: The South African multi-instrumentalist has collaborated with musicians across a range of genres, including Harry Belafonte, Miriam Makeba and Henry Threadgill.

Steve Gadd during the performance of "The Boy in the Bubble."

Steve Gadd — drums: One of the great session drummers in American music, the drummer has anchored countless classic performances by a Who’s Who of contemporary artists, including Simon, Steely Dan, Eric Clapton and Chick Corea.

Dom Chacal during the performance of "The Boy in the Bubble."

Dom Chacal — percussion: Another Brazilian percussion mainstay.

Sidinho Moreira during the performance of "The Boy in the Bubble."

Sidinho Moreira — percussion: An in-demand Brazilian session veteran who has worked with Milton Nascimento and Sergio Mendez.

Vincent Nguini during the performance of "Train in the Distance."

Vincent Nguini — guitar: The Cameroonian guitarist translated his skills to recordings by Simon, Jimmy Buffett and Peter Gabriel.

Ray Phiri during the performance of "The Boy in the Bubble."

Ray Phiri — guitar: The prolific musician, steeped in South African mbaqanga, was a key Simon collaborator during the “Graceland” and “The Rhythm of the Saints” era.

Barney Rachabane during the performance of "She Moves On."

Barney Rachabane — saxophone, penny whistle: A child prodigy, Rachabane has remained a giant in South African jazz well into his 70s.

Armand Sabal-Lecco during the performance of "Kodachrome."

Armand Sabal-Lecco — bass guitar: The Cameroonian stylist has worked with countless jazz musicians, including Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke and the Brecker Brothers.

John Selolwane during the performance of "The Boy in the Bubble."

John Selolwane — guitar: The Botswana-based musician was a favorite of trumpeter Hugh Masekela, who in turn recommended him to Simon.

Richard Tee during the performance of "Train in the Distance."

Richard Tee — musical director, piano: The jazz keyboardist appeared on myriad sessions in the ‘70s and ‘80s with artists such as Simon, George Benson and Grover Washington Jr.

The Waters during the performance of "Born at the Right Time."

The Waters (Oren Waters, Maxine Waters and Julia Waters) — vocals: The sibling vocal group has participated in more than 350 gold or platinum recordings.

Briz and Grupo Cultural OLODUM during the performance of "The Obvious Child."

Briz and Grupo Cultural OLODUM — percussion: The Brazilian carnival favorites recorded with Michael Jackson, Sepultura and Wayne Shorter, among others, after working with Simon.

Greg Kot is the editorial director of The Coda Collection. He is also the cohost of the nationally syndicated public-radio show and podcast “Sound Opinions” with Jim DeRogatis, and previously the music critic at the Chicago Tribune for 30 years. His books include acclaimed biographies of Mavis Staples (“I’ll Take You There”) and Wilco (“Learning How to Die”) and a history of the digital music revolution (“Ripped”). He also coauthored “The Beatles vs. the Rolling Stones: Sound Opinions on the Great Rock ‘N’ Roll Rivalry” and has written extensively for Rolling Stone, BBC Culture and Encyclopedia Britannica. When he takes off the headphones, Kot coaches in his Chicago-based youth travel basketball program (OTEhoops.com). In addition, he has coauthored two best-selling editions of the book “Survival Guide to Coaching Youth Basketball.”