Latin Roots: The Cuban Style Of Charanga
Latin Roots: The Cuban Style Of Charanga

Cachao. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Cachao.
Courtesy of the artistSet List
- "Goza Mi Mambo"
- "Isla Del Encanto"
- "Maria Ya Sabe Bailar"
On Thursday's installment of World Cafe's Latin Roots series, Grammy-winning producer Aaron Levinson discusses charanga, a Cuban style of Latin music.
Originally evolving out of the more formal 19th-century danzon, charanga changed in the 1930s, as listeners will hear in a transformative piece by the legendary Cachao. The form has been kept alive since the early days of the Cuban revolution — when there were few places to play on the island — largely by Puerto Rican musicians in New York and Miami. Levinson dives further into charanga during the show and plays varied examples of the genre.
Listen to Levinson's essential charanga playlist on Spotify.
Latin Roots on World Cafe is made possible by a grant from The Wyncote Foundation.