The album Ancestros Sinfónico, by X Alfonso, Síntesis and Eme Alfonso, was included this Tuesday in the list of the 15 Best Latin Albums of 2022, of the NPR Music public radio stations project in the United States.
The production, which recently won the Latin Grammy in the folklore category, has been selected thanks to its beautiful “expertly executed combination of a symphony orchestra and the music of the traditional Afro-Cuban spiritual practice known as Santeria,” according to the review published in the project’s website.
It was a heart-pounding, dance-inducing, head-spinning year in Latin music.
These are the best 15 Latin albums of 2022 https://t.co/mQM7XABkjt
— NPR Music (@nprmusic) December 13, 2022
The album was the result of the work of fellow musician X Alfonso, who “recruited his parents, Carlos Alfonso, Ele Valdés and his younger sister, Eme Alfonso, to create such an exciting and rich music program.”
From his digital platforms, X Alfonso thanked the inclusion that becomes “a reward for more than 30 years of work and dedication”; to NPR for its work and perseverance in supporting and promoting good music, as well as “all those who listen, follow and support us,” according to a report by the Prensa Latina (PL) news agency.
ANCESTROS SINFÓNICO incluido en la lista de los 15 MEJORES ÁLBUMES LATINOS 2022 según @NPR (National Public Radio)
Y las alegrias siguen llegando, recompensa de más de 30 años de trabajo y dedicación!Muchas gracias a todxs que nos escuchan y apoyan!Muchas gracias Felix @nprmusic pic.twitter.com/CzhPeHIODQ— X Alfonso (@XAlfonsoOficial) December 13, 2022
Ancestros Sinfónico also had the collaboration of the prestigious Cuban musician Leo Brouwer and researcher Natalia Bolívar as an adviser on popular religions of African origin.
Among its most notable merits is presenting the sounds of that world in a symphony format, where string and wind instruments stand out, the outlet specifies.
The album combined emblematic songs from the repertoire of the group composed by Carlos and Eme Alfonso, Esteban Puebla and Lucía Huergo, which now appear as a symphonic suite as it was released under the FacMusic label, from the CD Ancestros, recorded 35 years ago by Síntesis.
The phonogram Motomami, by the Spanish Rosalía, and the production of Puerto Rican Bad Bunny named Un verano sin ti also appear in the NPR list
The compendium includes Marchita, by Silvana Estrada, Boleros psicodélicos, by Adrián Quesada, Mi propia casa, by Noelia Recaldi, and the proposal De todas las flores, by Natalia Lafourcade.
The selection is completed with the album Nacarile, by iLe; Duo, by Claudia Acuna; Ivory, by Omar Apollo; Reencarnación, by Chucky73; Yessie, by Jessie Reyez; El Renacimiento, by Carla Morrison; El bueno y el malo, by Hermanos Gutiérrez, and Se ve desde aquí, by Mabe Fratti.
