How Easing The Embargo Has Helped Spread & Revitalize Cuban Music In Surprising Ways

Latin Roots Celebrates Cuba’s Los Van Van As Their Founder Juan Formell Passes

Latin Roots – Venezuela’s Salsa Star Oscar D'León Continues To Improvise Every Show April 24, 2014 It is a very personal Latin Roots today with The Latin Alternative's Ernesto Lechner here to tell about one of his very favorite artists, the Venezuelan salsa singer Oscar D'León. D'León is in his 70s and still going strong with a demanding style of improvisational salsa. As Ernesto will tell us, D'León directs the band using hand gestures and…

Latin Roots –Rachael Faro on Uruguay’s Candombe On Thursday's installment of World Cafe's Latin Roots series, music producer and singer-songwriter Rachel Faro discusses an Afro-Uruguayan style of Latin music called Candombe. Separated by a river from Argentina and nestled next to southern Brazil, Uruguay experienced the same influx of African slaves as Brazil, which resulted in a similar but often overlooked musical impact. Played on sets of three drums, Candombe is highly rhythmic; it's been…

Our very popular Latin Roots series continues today as producer Aaron Levinson joins us to talk about what he says is often referred to as "Puerto Rican Hillbilly Music." It's called jibaro and it is music that originated in the Puerto Rican countryside. Although the island is getting more and more urbanized, Aaron says jibaro still has its proponents. We will hear a couple of songs.

Josh Norek talks about bilingual Latin rock tracks. Starting off, Josh plays the Santana track "No One To Depend On" and discusses its call and response nature, both musically and lyrically. Moving into the present, Josh spotlights the American pop punk band Los Abandoned.