Alberto Naranjo

[1][2] 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).

The orchestra was created by Naranjo in response to the emergence of a plethora of salsa amateurish bands, that often offered pale imitations of foreign groups, as he wanted to start a total musical movement with all-round musicians and singers.

[1] Naranjo made arrangements for the groups Conexion Latina, Guaco and Mango; pop-artists like Ilan Chester, Simón Díaz, Oscar D'León, Ricardo Montaner, María Rivas, Aldemaro Romero and Adalberto Santiago, among others, and also performed with jazz people such as Jeff Berlin, Dusko Goykovich, Danilo Pérez, Arturo Sandoval, Bobby Shew and Dave Valentin.

[1] Besides, the Trabuco and other bands that Naranjo led alternated with musicians like Barbarito Diez, Estrellas de Areito, Larry Harlow, Eddie Palmieri, Son 14 and Chucho Valdés.

[1] Since the 1990s, Naranjo was an active participant in diverse artistic and musical outreach endeavors of Venezuela, not only as a player, but also as an historian, educator, and urban chronicler on radio, books and newspapers.