Available on all digital platforms on May 9, 2025!
Alí Bello & The Charanga Syndicate is the tradition-forward, life-affirming new offering from Venezuelan-born violinist and composer Alí Bello, born of his passionate dedication to the traditional Cuban charanga ensemble style.
Joined by special guests in keyboardists Arturo O’Farrill and Silvano Monasterios, vocalists Manolo Mairena and Silvano Monasterios, flutist Eddy Zervigon, the Charanga Syndicate consists of Bello on
acoustic and baritone violins, flutist David Santiago Jr.; keyboardists Alec Castro, César Orozco, Marcus Persiani, and Gabriel Chakarji; baby bassist Abraham Sáenz, conguero Luis Mangual, multi percussionist Manuel Márquez, and vocalists Luis Rosas and Alessandro Bello.
Ali Bello & The Charanga Syndicate will be released May 9, 2025 via Circle 9 Records, a
hybrid, subscriber-supported independent label run by Grammy-winning trombonist
and bandleader Doug Beavers. Splitting the difference between classics, like the rousing
dance favorite “Gauripumpé,” and originals, like the rousing “Gina’s Groove,” this
nine-song collection breathes new life into the charanga tradition for new audiences.
Lively, dynamic, and brimming with brash energy, charanga is a flute-and-violin–driven
Cuban dance style that fused Spanish danzón with African influences before finding
renewed force in New York’s Afro-Caribbean scene, evolving in symbiosis with Latin jazz
and salsa.
Bello’s journey to charanga was anything but direct. At six, he picked up the violin, and
marinated in music from all over the world — from reggae to salsa to rock and metal.
After studying at El Sistema (the National System of Youth Orchestras of Venezuela), then
relocated to New York City, where he worked with ensembles like Los Jóvenes del Barrio
and Orchestra Broadway. In the process, he immersed himself in a range of genres —
pop, R&B, jazz, rock, salsa, and, ultimately, his beloved charanga.
It’s one thing to uphold tradition; it’s another to broaden its horizons and pen new pages
to its story. Thanks to charanga’s innate malleability and Bello’s caliber of artistry, the
result is a perfect match. Partly by way of the Chamber Music of America’s New Jazz
Works grant, the time was right for Bello’s Charanga Syndicate to step into the light.
The album kicks off with the aforementioned “Gauripumpé,” which demonstrates Bello’s
facility in recasting the violin for roles traditionally assigned to the horn. Composed by
Miguel Matamoras, the iconic son cubano song “Son De La Loma” is adorned with a
buoyant arrangement from Cuban pianist Sonny Bravo; in tandem with Bello’s sonorous
catgut, Santiago’s jubilant flute flutters like birdsong. The cha-cha “Gina’s Groove” is a
piquant tribute to Bello’s wife, in all her idiosyncrasies and sides. Multi-hyphenate
O’Farrill lends his talents to “Emiliando,” which brilliantly accentuates the Latin jazz
side of charanga’s equation.
“Tres (Y Dos),” featuring Mairena on vocals, is a contrafact of Cuban guitarist Guillermo
Castillo’s “Tres Lindas Cubanas.” The title refers to the foundational clave rhythm: three
beats in the first measure, two in the second. Another original keeps it in the family,
“Amadeus’ Rhumba” reconstitutes elements of Chick Corea’s “Armando’s Rhumba” into
an homage to Bello’s son. The Charanga Syndicate then tackles Cuban singer, guitarist,
and composer Guillermo Rodríguez Fiffe’s 1937 hit “Bilongo,” featuring a truly dynamite
solo from Bello. Featuring Monasterios on the mic, their take on Ernesto Lecuona’s “La
Comparsa” splices musical DNA from Chucho Valdés’ “Mambo Influenciado is La
Comparsa Influenciada.” Alí Bello & The Charanga Syndicate touches down with Moisés
Simons’ “El Manisero,” — generally known as a son, recast in 7/8 that skips like a stone.
“At some point, you realize, ‘This is mine!’ and you move beyond interpretation to create
something that’s truly new,” Bello reflects in Michael Ambrosino’s liner notes. “You own
the authority of what you’re doing.” Alí Bello & The Charanga Syndicate further
underlines Bello’s authority in this music — not just in illuminating charanga’s past, but
ushering this joy-springing sound into the future.
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