Alí Bello & The Sweet Wire Band – Inheritance (Agba Music, 2021)
Venezuelan violinist Alí Bello intertwines Venezuelan traditional music styles with Caribbean genres and jazz. His latest album is titled Inheritance.
Although Alí Bello is a violinist, he is drawn to fiery rhythms and the sound of drums. On Inheritance, he uses a wide range of Afro-Venezuelan drums.
The album features several Venezuelan genres such as fulía drumming from coastal Venezuela, joropo from the plains region, merengue caraqueño, and calipso de El Callao, as well as the always popular pan-Hispanic bolero, jazz fusion, blues and bossa nova influences.
The lineup includes Alí Bello on acoustic, electric, and baritone violins; Gabriel Chakarji on keyboards; Gabriel Vivas on bass; Ismael Baiz on drum set; Manuel Márquez on fulía, cumaco, clarín, paila, bumbac, congas, bongos, güira, bell, and maracas.
Featured artists: Regina Carter on violin; Jaleel Shaw on soprano and alto saxophones; Jeff Lederer on clarinet; and Jorge Glem on Venezuelan cuatro.
Additional guest artists: Javier Olivencia on soprano & tenor saxophone; Jeremy Smith on maracas; Manuel Rangel on maracas; Eddie Venegas on trombone; and Bambam Rodríguez on bass.
The album’s title seems odd. The Spanish term herencia can be translated as both inheritance and heritage.
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Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.