Alberto Naranjo

Alberto Naranjo [nah-rahn'-ho] (September 14, 1941 – January 27, 2020) was a Venezuelan musician. His mother, the singer Graciela Naranjo, was a radio, film and television pioneer in her homeland. Largely self-taught, Naranjo embarked on a similar musical course, becoming – like his mother – one of Venezuela's icons of contemporary popular music.

Career In his early years, Naranjo was influenced by diverse music genres such as jazz and classical, from Louis Armstrong to Duke Ellington and Oliver Nelson; from Bud Powell to Thad Jones and Mel Lewis; from Béla Bartók to Claude Debussy, and specially, the music created by Tito Puente, one of the greatest all-time Latin jazz leaders. Puente revolutionised the role of the drums in stage performance, when he moved the drum kit and timbales from the back to the front of stage, highlighted it as a solo instrument, and demonstrated that a drummer can also be a gifted composer and arranger.

1959–1969 With Puente as his role model, Naranjo started professionally as a drummer at age 18, playing with several local dance bands including Chucho Sanoja (1963–64), Los Melódicos (1965–66) and Porfi Jiménez (1966–67). A valuable sideman as well, he was adaptable to many different styles, including bossa nova, jazz, Latin, pop and rock genres, being able to fit smoothly into the group in which he was playing. Later in the 1960s, he was focused exclusively in studio sessions becoming one of the sought after musicians in his country.

1970–1979 Since 1970, Naranjo remained busy and performed on countless recording sessions. Besides this, he toured extensively, became a member of the Radio Caracas Television orchestra, and backed up significant artists touring in Venezuela, among others Charles Aznavour, Cándido Camero, Vikki Carr, Eddie Fisher, Lucho Gatica, Engelbert Humperdinck, Julio Iglesias, Tom Jones, the Nicholas Brothers, Eliana Pittman, The Platters, Tito Rodríguez, Ornella Vanoni and Pedro Vargas. In addition, he emerged as a record producer and jingles creator, as well as a leader and mentor of both young and veteran performers.

In the late 1970s, Naranjo was the drummer on Tito Puente's concert orchestra during a salsa all-star international concert tour that included Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Héctor Lavoe and Adalberto Santiago. Besides this, Naranjo became an active participant and collaborator in several local movements like jazz, bossa nova, rock and Venezuelan genres, and emerged as a top-notch arranger.

Awards and nominations 1973 : IX Festival de la Canción (Venezuela). Best arrangement. 1992 : Grammy Award nomination. Best instrumental composition for a motion picture (The Mambo Kings, orchestration). 1992 : Premio Nacional del Artista (Casa del Artista, Venezuela). Best Orchestrator of the Year. 2018 : Naranjo was awarded an honorary doctorate degree at the Universidad Nacional Experimental de las Artes (UNEARTE) for his contribution in the areas of music and cultural promotion for more than fifty years.

Discography Dulce y Picante Imagen Latina Oblación Swing con Son El Trabuco Venezolano Vol. I El Trabuco Venezolano Vol. II El Trabuco Venezolano Vol. III El Trabuco Venezolano Vol. IV El Trabuco Venezolano Vol. V Irakere & Trabuco, Vol. 1 Irakere & Trabuco, Vol. 2

Selected contributions Arturo Sandoval & the Latin Jazz Orchestra Los Cantos del Corazón Cosas Del Alma I Remember Clifford The Mambo Kings Mambo Nights Muaré

Others Aldemaro Romero Jazz ARTuro Sandoval Café Latino Después de la Tormenta Frank Quintero y Los Balzeaguaos Grupo Mango Simón Díaz Universal Strive for Higher Realities The Message The Rough Guide to the Music of Venezuela Tulio Enrique León Internacional