There are many examples of the continued influence of African music on Cuban music. One of them is the musical group Síntesis, which is among the most recognized and popular groups on the current Cuban musical scene. It is distinguished by a unique style that combines heritage and contemporary elements of Cuban popular music, blending African roots with creative approaches from different styles and genres such as jazz, rock, pop, and international music.

Grupo Síntesis was founded in 1976 by Carlos Alfonso, a vocal-instrumental group featuring keyboards, guitar, bass guitar, and Cuban percussion. Since its inception, the group has undergone numerous changes in its quest to find the paths that would allow it to meet the challenges it had set for itself.

According to French composer Michel Legrand, “Synthesis has given rock a new sound.” This has been possible because, according to Carlos Alfonso, “we talk about all kinds of music because my thesis has always been that there is a strong interrelationship between Afro-Cuban music, jazz, and rock. For me, rock wasn’t born in the United States but also comes from Africa. All the drum beats in rock are based on African music; the percussion used in rhythm & blues and rap, where numerous African-American artists stand out today, has the same batá and drum beats as Cuban music, but translated in a different way, logically transculturalized.”

Its director, Carlos Alfonso, describes Síntesis as “a band of musicians with a constant desire for improvement, where no work remains fixed, but rather renewable and open to all musical trends, with a generational, cultural, and ethnic commitment, without formalism and with a contemporary language.” He was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award for Habana a flor de piel, Best Contemporary Tropical Album of 2002.