Ana Maria Sayer (4:50)

So then what's the connection between an Argentine sax player from the 60s and a Chilean jazz artist who studied her vocals at Berkeley in Boston in the United States today?

Felix Contreras (5:02)

Good question. Wow. I think that she's drawing inspiration from people like Gato Babieri and Justo Almario and these musicians who followed their own path and then decided to incorporate some of their own things, most specifically Gato Barbieri. He was a really big influence on bringing in South American rhythms and musical styles into jazz. And I think that the connection there is he laid the path, and over the decades, other people have followed some more successfully than others. But the fact that it's there, that that path is there, that's the connection. That's what his contribution was. And that's, I think, what. I have never spoken to any of these musicians, but I'm sure that whether or not they are would directly cite him as an influence. But they're certainly, from my perspective, listening to all this music, they're certainly following a path that he set up. And in this case, she's from the northern part of Chile, and it's a small fishing town near the Atacama Desert. And with interesting. Her interesting music background, I found an interview with her. Her family was in the hotel business, so she lived in hotels growing up. And this was the time of elevator music. She grew up with this elevator music carrying pop hits from the United States, pop hits from Mexico, from Latin America. That's a fascinating story to me. Natalia Bernal is her name. The album is called En Diablada. It's coming out in May. This single is called Masaya. Your turn.

Ana Maria Sayer (6:58)

My turn. Okay, so what I have for you today, Felix Drumroll is Peruvian artist Juan Carlos Iwasaki Puente, otherwise known as J's. He released his third album called Quisano Esparatu. This is the first song I want to play for you called Mil Procedimientos. Okay. So I wanted to play you a little bit of that first, Felix, because I think it's kind of like a nice representation of what to me is just like this really kind of nice, fun, a little bit jazzy, a little electronic, very driven by live instrumentation album that Jay's has released. It's almost easy listening in a way, but it's such a departure from his last record because he started, get this Felix in freestyle competitions is where he got his beginnings. And his last record was so grounded in electronic sounds with a lot of trap to it. It's like almost unrecognizable, the difference. And I wanted to play you this track from his last record. It's called Home Alone, and it features Susana Baca on the vocals.

Felix Contreras (8:56)

Oh, my God. The iconic Afro Peruvian vocalist. Wow. Okay. Wow. There's a lot going on there, man.

Ana Maria Sayer (9:48)

Yeah, right.

Felix Contreras (9:50)

Wow.

Ana Maria Sayer (9:52)

When I heard that, I was like, whoa, this is not at all what I was expecting. You hear moments of live instrumentation in this new record. It's kind of like he fully has leaned into that expression. I mean, check out this song. It's called Boomerang, and it's him going back to his rap roots, but in kind of a very different style. It's kind of like he's ditched a little bit more the electronic rhythms. It's a really interesting moment, I think globally, for, like, hip hop, R B, rap, generally, where, like, live instrumentation is such a big driver in a lot of these spaces. No matter where you are, it's. It's seeping in across Latin America. And I think one thing we talk about a lot, obviously, is what happens with these artists when they come to Tiny Desk in the way that they kind of explore these, like, never before heard, never before seen live instrumentation moments. And we're just seeing that more up front on records now. Like, that is something that, you know, a really good bass line with some good drums. Like, that's something that's kind of carrying a lot of these sounds today.

Felix Contreras (11:25)

Once again, we are of like minds without even trying. Okay.

Ana Maria Sayer (11:29)

As per always.

Felix Contreras (11:44)

I got something from the band called the Mars Volta. And the Mars Volta is basically a duo with a bunch of other musicians depending on the project. Omar Rodriguez Lopez is a guitar player, and Cedric Bixler Sawala is a vocalist. He plays keyboards, plays a Bunch of stuff. I don't even know where to begin to try to describe this band. It's like a cult favorite. Omar Rodriguez Lopez is a prolific musician. He's put out a bunch of stuff and they pop up in the mainstream every now and then. They had a record produced in 2003 by the Mega producer Rick Rubin. But what I like about them is that they have this ever expanding sonic palette, sometimes creatively breathtaking. I'm going to play four songs. The first song we're going to hear is the first track of the album and it's curiously called Fiend or the End. Okay, now a conga timbal mashup that of course caught my attention. This is called En Lasan Las tinieblas. Now check out what they do with that. Okay, now a down tempo vocal featuring Cedric Bixler Zavala. This is called Alma de Horace because I see life and love in your blind and small. And finally the title track, Lucro Suio Another down temple sonic exploration remains in search of a haven we're still meant for you but your family and thieves have never known no repentance this I know this I know this I know this I know don't tangle your feet with spiders that know the prick of my blade to the choke.

Ana Maria Sayer (14:35)

The percussion alone is just like absolutely next level. Like the way they thread things, but in a really unique. And each. Each expression of it feels distinct, but there's something there that's always threading commonly across all the tracks. It's really, really interesting.

Felix Contreras (14:52)

Oh, and. And there are 18 tracks on this album. They're so sonically different, but the same. I couldn't even write any notes up for it to talk about this band because always have a hard time trying to describe the band and what they do. I usually just tell people, find them and then dip your toe into it because no matter where you find them, it's going to sound different the next time you hear them. That's the glory of this band. You never know what to expect. But it's always, like I said, it's so creatively challenging, adventurous, all that stuff. I'm just such a big fan. The album's called Lucro Susio Los Ojos del Vasillo.

Ana Maria Sayer (15:30)

Okay, so what I have next, Felix. It's a little bit of a part two from what I just brought. So after I got into this whole Jay's rabbit hole, I started looking at his collaborators and he has this guy, his name is Diego Mama, who wrote and produced on all of the songs on his last album, I want to play you one of the songs that feels really distinctly Diego, now that I've also been on a Diego rabbit hole from Jay's album first, and then I'll get into what Diego has. So this song, which is also off of Jay's record, is called El Secreto Escondido de Very nice. So, okay, after that, I spent some time with Diego's music, and he released his first ever album. It's called La Montana, and it's mostly all instrumental, just like these beautiful kind of like, sweet guitar tracks. And for context, he's collabed with a bunch of these Argentine singer songwriters like Zoe Gotuso, the kind of like, indie scene down there. But he's also worked with Julieta Vegas, David Byrne, people like that. Anyways, his album La Montana was just released, and this is a song off of it called La Forma de Quererte.

Felix Contreras (18:03)

I hear the thread going through that.

Ana Maria Sayer (18:05)

Right. You can hear it with. It's. It's very distinctly his style, I think, across the record, but especially with that last track. Okay, there's one more I want you to listen to. Till there was you.

Felix Contreras (18:39)

Sam. So it's an instrumental.

Ana Maria Sayer (19:07)

Mm. Just instrumental. I just loved it. It brought me so much peace today. I love it. He's simple, he's sweet. Like, he has some pretty piano arrangements throughout on top of the guitar, but really, it's just like a nice. It's La Montana. It's very. It feels very. From the Southern cone, from. From the nature out there. Really, to me, I just. It's really, really sweet.

Felix Contreras (19:27)

You know that's a Beatles song, right?

Ana Maria Sayer (19:28)

Of course.

Felix Contreras (19:29)

Okay.

Ana Maria Sayer (19:31)

And you're like, just checking valid detect.

Felix Contreras (19:35)

But, I mean. And it kind of goes back to what we were talking about earlier, about how the influence from other countries all. And specifically England in the British Invasion, how it just. The Beatles were everywhere, man.

Ana Maria Sayer (19:46)

It felt so random to me when I heard it. And then I was like, this is really fitting on this record. Like, it very much caught me by surprise. It was like. Oh. Kind of grabbed my heart a little bit, like, oh, my God. Till there was you.

Felix Contreras (19:57)

It is kind of mind blowing, like someone from your generation is latching on to the beauty of that composition. Good call. I'm a fan now. Okay, you got me.

Ana Maria Sayer (20:22)

Those were two songs from the album Montana by Diego Memoir. Okay. Break time, Felix.

Felix Contreras (20:29)

Yes. Yeah, we gotta take a break. All right. We're gonna come back with more music right after this. Okay, we're back. And, you know, on it, I want to Just. Just while I'm thinking about it, the fact that you played that song. That's a song we used to play in our Beatles band. We got some gigs coming up. We have to do some acoustic stuff. That's a perfect. We're gonna have to dig that one up. Thank you for.

Ana Maria Sayer (20:49)

Tell Diego that you're gonna sing. Steal his arrangement. Watch out, Diego. Get your lawyers ready.

Felix Contreras (21:00)

I have a record. You know, I don't know how these emails or texts or whatever, they come to me, and this is one of those emails that just sort of popped up out of nowhere. The band is called the Roomba Madre and it's a trio from Nashville. And the trio is a guy from the Basque country of Spain, a guy from Colombia, and a guy who grew up in Puerto Rico and in New York. They defy specific description. And the only musical acknowledgement is the rumba. And the name references flamenco rumba, not Afro Cuban rumba. They have a new song out. It's called Abuela, and it tells a story of the journey of a woman who had to flee Franco, Spain in 1930s to settle in Mexico. And it's just one story among 500,000 people who fled Spain, who left to escape the fascism of Spain in the 1930s. Again, the band is called the Roomba Madre. This is called Abuela. And hold on, because it's going to startle you right at the beginning. Hold on. It's a nice beginning. Check that out, man.

Ana Maria Sayer (22:38)

Incredible. Very in the style of the bastard region in my opinion, too.

Felix Contreras (22:43)

What blew me away about this, just listening sonically reminds me of the early 90s bands that were part of the rock and Espanol movement. Bands like Mano Negra from Spain and their featured lead singer, Manu Chao. Plus from some bands from Mexico like Malita Venad. They combined all of these different influences. They're singing in Spanish, they're singing in French. You hear ska, you hear Afro Caribbean, you hear Mexican folk. In this case, that whole trumpet, you know, the. The bull fighting trumpet thing at the beginning, all of this stuff is like. It's a really heady mix. But what may surprise some folks, these guys are from Nashville. Ugh.

Ana Maria Sayer (23:18)

Of course, Our favorite town of burgeoning Latino sounds.

Felix Contreras (23:22)

There's a large and creative Spanish speaking community there from all over. Again, the band is called the Rumba Madre. The track is called Abuela.

Ana Maria Sayer (23:58)

Amazing pick, Felix. I love it.

Felix Contreras (24:01)

I like these guys, man.

Ana Maria Sayer (24:03)

Okay, I'm gonna close this out with some rap, Felix.

Felix Contreras (24:07)

Okay.

Ana Maria Sayer (24:08)

You know, originally I had like Three rap picks for the show. And I was like, maybe I need to calm down for Felix's ears. But this guy I'm really excited about, his name is Junior Samora. And this song is called Salsa y Class.

Felix Contreras (24:29)

Classic. Contrary to what you may think, okay, you're not bringing in a lot of rap. I really like this. There's so much going on. There is so much going on.

Ana Maria Sayer (25:22)

There is so much going on. I mean, it's. It's always more dynamic than just rap, right?

Felix Contreras (25:27)

Yeah, absolutely.

Ana Maria Sayer (25:29)

I mean, so he's from Cali, Colombia, which, I mean, you know, at this point, a lot of people associate Colombia with reggaeton and then more recently with afrobeats. But there still is a really vibrant rap trap scene in its own right in Colombia, especially in Cali. And to me, what Junior does is really just, like, keeping alive that essence of, like, what is a very healthy, wonderful trap rap scene in Latin America, in places like Colombia specifically. I think it's important, right? Like, we talk about this, really, this marriage between American hip hop and especially in Puerto Rico, there's like, a really tight closeness I talked about recently. But this. It's distinctly Latin American hip hop for me. I told you, I just saw Anita Chilean rapper Anatisu perform last night. And there's something really important to keeping that essence of a South American rap alive. I want you to listen to one more track because he does a song with our incredible Jay Noah from the Dominican Republic. This one's called Feelings.

Felix Contreras (27:22)

Gotta love Jane, right?

Ana Maria Sayer (27:24)

Like, she just sets every track on fire. Like, literally just her presence. When her bars come in, it's like, okay, everyone take a step back.

Felix Contreras (27:34)

Exactly.

Ana Maria Sayer (27:35)

And I love his style. I love a funky bass like that. It's awesome. It just carries so, so nicely. It adds something really rich to the sound. That was two tracks from Junior Zamora off of his second album, Jullas del Barrio.

Felix Contreras (27:50)

Nice mix. I can dig it. A lot of stuff.

Ana Maria Sayer (27:53)

We like it.

Felix Contreras (27:54)

Yeah, a lot of stuff covered.

Ana Maria Sayer (27:55)

A lot of stuff.

Felix Contreras (27:56)

Absolutely. You have been listening to Alt Latino from NPR Music.

Ana Maria Sayer (28:01)

The woman who keeps us on track is Grace Chung.

Felix Contreras (28:03)

Sara Mohamed is executive producer of NPR Music.

Ana Maria Sayer (28:07)

And the VP of music and visuals is Keith Jenkins.

Felix Contreras (28:11)

I'm Felix Contreras.

Ana Maria Sayer (28:12)

And I'm Ana Maria Sayer. Thanks for listening.