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The first episode drops March 4th.
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“I've never done the show with a glass of wine Felix.”
Is that MFCC violation? I don't see why. Let's just keep going. Don't ever know. From MFCC this is all Latino and Felix Contreras.
And I'm Anamaria Sayer, let the cheese mate begin. This is my first time seeing your brand new apartment, Felix. Welcome, feminine spaces. It's spacious. What are we doing this week?
No music. Exciting stuff. There's a lot of good stuff this week. It's a very momentous week. We had so many, there are so many great records out there right now.
“Like I can't even remember last time there were this many great records.”
But we have to get through it, so let's just get started.
You're going first this week.
I got something very, very cool. I'm going to kick things off with an album called "Los Diaz de Calor". It's dedicated to vocalist Ruben Ramos. Now he is a legend of Tejano music. He's a perfectly example of how Mexican music forms becomes Tejano.
This album features our friend Kerry Rodriguez, and Sergio Mendoza, from more Kester Mendoza, and the indie rock band, Caléxico. Now before Selena, before Little Joey La Familia, there was Ruben Ramos. This is the title track "Los Diaz de Calor".
It's really his life story. Listen to the first part of the lyrics. [Music] Serious mariachi, right? I feel like it's like you read my mind because not so spoiler spoilers that I'm bringing in the
Yadita Suicencia album. And I literally was going to say it's time we have another conversation about the way country, and northern New England, and all these genres. And right to each other in Tejano is forever that.
It is easily, naturally, always exactly that.
And Ruben Ramos epitomizes that, okay? He was born in 1940. The family history with music in Texas goes back to 1919, because some of his uncles performed in the band called "One Monwell Bedass", he lost a set in Latinos, the serenators.
And they played in that band, eventually all five of the uncles played in that band between 1919 and 1940. Now, music is a big family thing, because his mom sang, his sisters played, his brothers played. He was eventually going to put together a band in a 1969, he put together a band called the Mexican Revolution.
And an interesting bit of history, by 1981, the industry and fans referred to the music as Tejano. That's where that whole thing came from. So Ruben changed the name of his band to the Tejano Revolution.
“I feel like it's one thing I think that a lot of people don't understand.”
And this goes beyond the music, right? Like, I have a lot of people who will ask me, like, Mexicans in Mexico will ask me. They're like, it's almost like a lore thing. It's like, there's these people in California and in Texas who are Mexican, or of Mexican descent, of Mexican origin.
And they're literally like, they've been there since when it was Mexico. I think this is something that, like, culturally, conceptually, people don't fully understand that that has diverged in a whole other place. And that's its own, the Hanokultures its own culture, Chicano culture in California is its own. And then you look at this music and you follow this map that you're kind of laying out of the
years. And this is all happening in conjunction with the development of what was at the time like a burgeoning culture. Culture, cultural awareness, it was 1969 when he formed his first band on his own. This is year after the 1968 assassinations, M. O. K. and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. So, you know, social things were very, very in the moment.
And he named his band after the history of the area. And eventually, the early '80s when the term Tejano became fashionable, the industry, the fans started referring to music as Tejano. Today, Felix Tejano's novel was, I feel like Tejano had a bit of a peak.
90s, Selena time, it became really nationally popularized even something that...
right on the other side of the border and Mexico.
“Tejano does not have the notoriety it did because I think in many ways”
in some ways, it's been replaced by what is the actual importing of northeño and Banda Sinaloense and all of the genres that we've been covering, like music actually been created in Mexico that's being listened to here.
Or these young people that I'll get to in a second again,
young people, American born, who are creating Mexican sounds. What is Tejano today? It is still remnants of what Ruben Ramos did with Selena did, what a guy named Little Joel or Nondis Little Joel in La Familia. It's still that kind of mixture of the two sounds.
An influence of American music, American, R&B, jump blues, that kind of stuff, lots of horns. It's a mixture of stuff in Tejano. I think it has grown with the evolution of the demographic in Texas and South Texas, and specifically along the border.
“And that's what this record is, a celebration of that entire history.”
When you think about Ruben Ramos and how he came up through Texas and what he's been doing,
you know, he won a Grammy in 1999, has been part of the Battle of Super 7, which was a combination of Los Lobos, Flaco, Jimenez, Joe, Eli, country artist, a bunch of artist stuff. It was like, it was a really like a cultural mashup. And now he's getting honored, he's getting his dues, he's getting his flowers,
by Kerry Rodriguez and set home in Dosa in this record. It's really a fantastic record. And she had a special performance, he had a tribute to him in one of her laboratory performances in Austin, which I was supposed to play, but I couldn't go because of my hip operation.
That's okay, you'll be able to dance better at the next one.
That's right. You skipped this.
“I have an Aschiquita hip insert in my hip operation.”
You already made that joke, Felix. That was last week. Yeah, I was called Los Dier, the color, the artist of Ruben Ramos. Okay, once again, Felix telepathically connected. Exactly. So this song might sound like it fits a little bit
into what we literally just listened to. This is 1-800 off the new Yeti Tsai Susanti album called Metamorphosis. (singing in foreign language) , (singing in foreign language)
I'm trying not to cry. I know, I can see it in your face. But I mean, I'm trying not to cry. What about that is not country to me. I mean, you flip the lyrics.
It feels a little bit closer, honestly, to me, Felix, to some of that Latin country that you love, then really, I mean, they're like a button-a-band, I guess, is what you would call them as a annual band. That track, it's straight ahead country with a little bit
of some regional twang attached to it, let's just say. But even the lyricism of it, something about that specifically feels the yearning of it, feels a little less, and I'm drowning my sorrows in a traguito of Mariatis, of Laura Vicente, or Jose Jose, or whatever.
And it feels closer to some contemporary country artists to me. Okay, I gotta say that I was a little worried because we hadn't heard from Yeti Tsai in a long time. She made this huge splash with her and her brothers in a band. And we spent some time with her and her family
at their home in Yakimo, Washington, when we were doing the series on Mexican regional. And there was so much enthusiasm on the part of her sister, her parents, and all that stuff, and then we didn't hear from them. And then I'm thinking, man, you know, your only as good as your last
release, and I wonder where they are, and I was hoping that things hadn't turned for them, but you know what? It sounds like they waited to just put out the right thing, and that's an even stronger return.
Because this, I've listened to the record, and it's just.
It's a beautiful record. Oh my God.
“It's a beautiful record. I think I, you know,”
I feel like a little bit inundated at this point with a lot of these young,
regional artists you could say, or, or bun the artists, or there's a lot of them now, right? Like that, that had that moment, that had their their kind of rise very quickly in the midst of this explosion that I think hasn't petered out, I would say, but it's more like calms a little bit. Like they're kind of there. It's a thing. It's a present now,
but it's not necessarily like the subject matter of everyone's attention. And I think I forgot how actually just really good they are. Yeah. Like they really, and I'm going to play a track right now, called Get The Costal, which is more of a straight ahead,
you know, Corrio, what they've been doing, what they came on the scene for, and they just do it well. [MUSIC PLAYING] ♪ Get the Costal, they see me getting on my own ♪ ♪ I didn't see on this all this time ♪
♪ You're handling it, I don't think I'm sure this is all it was. ♪ ♪ I don't know, but I didn't know. ♪ They just have these really addictive pop melody, oh my god. I feel like, that was the conversation when all of this started to explode. It was this thing around you're taking the really old sound.
You're taking something you could dance, give ready, that too, that your parents, your grandparents, whoever could dance to. But it's like that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, like with a pop, like all of these choruses are like addictive pop choruses. This is a strong, sophomore album, right?
This is like a strong statement. Like, okay, we're going to wait until we have enough proper stuff, enough stuff that reflects us.
It's such a great step forward from the first record.
I'm just so happy for that, man. This is a great, great record. I'm going to hit you with one more track, feel like. Okay, let's do it. It's called, that really though.
♪ I, you're good in all, do it with love ♪ ♪ But it's really, really love ♪ ♪ I, you're good in all, do it with love ♪ ♪ You're good in all, do it with love ♪ ♪ You're good in all, do it with love ♪ ♪ You're good in all, do it with love ♪
♪ You're good in all, do it with love ♪ I don't know the way they've been for a couple of years, but I'm glad that they took time to put together a record.
“I think it's worth noting the fact that they were kind of like”
the subject of controversy. They made some comments about not like you Mexican food. People in Mexico are very defensive of their food and more, so I think there's a sensitivity that we really got into when we did this series.
There's a sensitivity around, you know, singing the music or using the music, creating the music, building popularity in Mexico, and then also not fully understanding the culture, or not being perceived as fully understanding the culture, maybe because you're degrading the food,
or you're degrading things about it, which I think was a fair argument at the time, also they explained themselves. I think what happened is they took a lot of time away. They haven't really been on the spotlight as far as I've seen
in the past it's been a couple of years now. That was in 2023, that all of that happens.
“So I think they took a break, they've gotten a bit older,”
at this point, and I mean, that voice still shines. I think that it's this paradox, they're so young, but taking time off showed maturity. That was a few songs from Yeti Taisu Sanchez, new album, Metamorphoses.
Okay, we're going to change geographic location for a second,
because we're going to go to the Caribbean. I love the Caribbean. Okay, you just started dancing. This is an album called "Recono Volume 2." The saxophone is Jonathan Swazo.
This track is called "Mimusica Baya." He's part of a wave of young Afro-Caribbean musicians interpreting Afro-Caribbean culture through jazz. Okay, check it out. This track says it all.
[Music]
Felix, I think I wasn't paying attention that hard, because that's not when you entered that, because that's not what I was expecting. Really? No. No, and you know with an intro like that, where you're waiting for the end boom come in with the drums,
and then they hit you with the freaking jazz.
Oh my god, that was amazing.
He's part of this movement, and he did a whole show on this, the musicians from Latin America, interpreting their cultures and their traditions through jazz.
“I think it's the most exciting part of jazz right now.”
I'm just going to say it. There's a lot of stuff in jazz, young jazz, you know, but right now, there's stuff that the musicians that are doing, especially in a record like this, where there's a jazz sensibility, there's scales, there's melody, there's all this stuff,
but he starts with Plano, and then he ends up going into Afro-Caribbean Santeria. And within like 90 seconds, and it's flawless, it's effortless. I can't say enough about this stuff. I'm just so excited about it.
Feel extra remember like a while ago, maybe six months ago, or a year ago, or five who knows. I asked you why you like jazz so much. You said something like it's everything that you communicate without the words, and I struggle sometimes.
That I hear it perfectly, I get it. Like what you just played, I hear it, 100% I hear the feeling, it's there. And the context is that you go back to the late 1940s
when Afro-Caribbean music was combined with jazz for the first time.
And then you move forward a little bit later. There's Boston, Nova, and there's jazz and all this stuff. And then nothing really happened to combine the two, and Latin jazz was considered just strictly the Afro-Caribbean style. And maybe 10 years ago or so, musicians started doing this.
And now it's a full-on movement, man.
“And I think this record is just a perfect example.”
It's like a statement, it's a mission statement. And I think that a lot of musicians who are doing this can get behind it. The album's called Recono Volume 2, it's out May 8th. We heard the track, Mimusica-Bella.
Break. Oh, break. Okay, let's take a break. We'll be right back. From WQXR and Carnegie Hall comes classical music happy-out. A new podcast hosted by me, pianist, Maniacs. Each episode will speak with a special guest,
listen to musical gems, play music inspired games, and answer questions from our listeners. The first episode drops March 4th. Listen on the NPR app. Okay, and we're back. Let it's your turn.
Okay, I'm bringing someone who is risen to,
“I think he's on his way to legend status in Brazil.”
His name is Luca Santana. Oh, yeah. He's released over 10 albums at this point. So this is his latest, it's called Braciliano. And this is one of my favorite tracks on it, Dan's Lysu.
(singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) So Felix, you're familiar with Luca Santana. He's been around since the '90s. When he was actually discovered by literally,
I mean, two of the most legendary Brazilian artists. There are Gilbetto Gil. (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) They found Luca Santana when he was in his early '20s,
they actually invited him not only to work on their albums, but to go on tour with them.
Since then, he's become an incredible force in the Brazilian music scene.
He started releasing his own solo project over 15 years ago. And this latest album to me is really a testament. Not only to, obviously, his experience, his significance on the scene, but his ability to adapt. I mean, I really, like, that last time I played you, Felix,
It's beautiful, but it's production-wise.
It's pretty contemporary, it's innovative.
I'm gonna play you another track. It's called Aihistoria, Dan Ocelingua. And he actually literally performs this opening track with Gilettoji. (singing in foreign language)
(singing in foreign language) , I really hope this record raises his profile in this country and beyond Brazil.
“I think he's loved and adored and respected in idolized in Brazil.”
Justifiably so. But outside, you know, sometimes people have a limited view of the musicians they accept from other countries. If you have a certain amount of space for Brazilian music, and maybe that's not one of the artists you want to do,
I hope that this really raises his profile. 'Cause he certainly deserves it. Well, and I think what we've been talking about right is we're in a unique moment right now where I think that the doors are opening a little more in both directions. We're talking about Brazil being isolationist, and it's cultural, you know.
Both how it leaves the country culturally and how it accepts other cultural items. I think we're in a moment where we are seeing Brazilian music make its way outside of Brazil.
An artist like Luca Santana, who is basically an institution,
who does have all of these years being beloved in the country. It would make sense that he would be one of the first artists that people would meet. So I think it's a natural step.
“I think him releasing this album in this moment that is again, like I said, contemporary”
feels like it lives and breathes with some of the production styling that exists now, in a lot of Latin America, but is essentially Brazilian. Okay, me and the listeners are counting on you to follow through on 2026. You know, it's my Brazilian. Yes, is it, okay?
You already know. I've been setting the pace. Okay, and we need to point out that as Roberto Gio, the iconic Roberto Gio, was featured recently on Tiny Desk Brazil, produced by our friends down in Brazil, lots of great Brazilian music.
You can't go wrong. Check it out. That was a couple of songs from Luca Santana's new album, Brazilian. Okay, I'm going to bring it back to Mexico to close it out. Lila Downs has a new record coming out.
Lila Downs is a standard bearer for Mexican music tradition. Absolutely. With Rootson Waxaca, her music reflects lots of folk traditions from across Latin America. She's been known for that forever. Her first single from a new record is inspired by an archaeological discovery in Waxaca,
a discovery of long, lost gold, and mistaken sample tech artworks. And the track, she says, is an urgent need to protect the cultural legacy of Waxaca and Mexico. This track is called Tungba Siete. (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language)
Okay, I got to say that Liladown's has this operatic voice, right?
She's known for having this really powerful operatic voice.
This track, I really enjoyed because it's not, it's the opposite. She's almost got a little electronic effect, too, that almost sounds like auto tune, but I'm sure it's not, and she's very, very subdued.
“The record, I think, is an example of an artist”
who's been making music for a long time. How do you stay creative? How do you recreate that spark? Not necessarily recreate your music in your sound, but they generate that spark again
that makes you passionate for music.
She's at that point, she's almost 60,
she's been making records for a long time. And it reminds me of, I'm bringing this up all the time, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, in the '80s, these musicians who have been playing stuff for a long time, I could go to they do to move into that next thing.
“This record, man, I think that this is her, her statement,”
and her approach to music, and I've honestly felt like, she should try something different, she can do something a little different. This thing is just what I hear so far, really nails it. - I play enough this reminds me of a conversation I had
with Mehmed El-Le-Ali. - From Cafe Tacuba. - And when he first played me his record, he released a solo record last year. I still remember, he sat me down, he played me the record,
and I was like, your voice, it changes constantly, not only from what we all have known, right, historically, from his band Cafe Tacuba, but within the record itself, it feels like it takes on a different persona,
an era of energy, a feeling, and he was like,
I'm always trying to change my voice,
he said he's constantly in singing lessons, and it was a goal of his in releasing the solo project, you would not think that he still needs to be working in such a way, but in releasing a solo project, he wanted to present a new vocal version of himself,
and a lot of new vocal versions of himself,
“and I think that a lot of times, I hear artists”
who have long careers who are trying to stay contemporary, they do that by trying to adopt the latest production style or genre thing people are excited about, but to hear an artist stay themselves, and stay refined and true and honest in their sound,
but to try to metamorphosis themselves in a vocal capacity is really fascinating to me. - That's a straight ahead combia, I mean, you can't even get more basic than that, right? And what she does with her voice.
- And yet it feels so distant. - Yeah, and the whole idea of going back to Wahaka, and like, digging in, okay, this is where, because she's performed stuff from the Latin American songbook, you know, all of that stuff, she's just respected
in so many different ways, by so many different people,
she has this amazing cross-cultural audience.
You go to her shows, there's people from all over, but she's digging in, and she's doing something very specific, I'm there for it, man, I can't wait to hear the rest. The track is called tomba siette, the album is called cambias mi mundo,
and the artist is the great Lila Downs. - Okay, speaking of legends, we really have kind of hit that a little bit today. I'm bringing in a track from the new, I need that the shoe, E.P.
The album is called novement isiette, which aptly named 'cause she's returning to a lot of her earlier hip-hop 90s roots in this, and I'm gonna play a little bit of a song called aphagon. (upbeat music)
, (upbeat music) , and it is you can do no wrong. - No, Nunca, yeah. I was really excited when I heard this, E.P. because this is her.
“I think, you know, we covered her last record”
when it came out top of 2024.
It was the first record she had released
and I think nine years. A lot of people had asked where did she go? She's like, I don't know, I'm raising my kids, I'm writing a book, I'm doing all these things. She comes back, she releases this record,
that's very happy, that's very dance, it's very singing. Her roots are hip-hop. They're hip-hop, they're playing like she does on this, E.P. with a DJ, DJ Dassel is on all of the tracks.
And that's really where she shines, I think at this moment where she just moved back to Chile, she releases this E.P. a couple days after the new president takes office. I mean, there's a lot of things about it
that feel really appropriate for me that she would then return to sonic roots, literal roots, she lays about to experience a huge change. In a lot of ways, and she, you know, I've spoken with her about that,
she's aware of that, she's aware of that change, she's moving back in that change. And so to go back to the origins of her protest music, really, which is hip-hop, which is her rapping, I mean, that is how she made her name is being an artist
who spoke out on a mixed tape.
Is what she is, it's what she does.
And so I'm really excited, you know,
“this E.P. feels like the beginning of something,”
it's clean, it's natural, it's her, the beginning of something big for her, and also assign that yet.
Again, never too late too long in a career
to reinvent yourself or to go back to what you are. I have a special fondness for Anatizhu, 'cause she's the first quote-unquote Latin alternative artist I interviewed before the show even started, okay?
“And she was also one of my introductions”
into Latin hip-hop along the way.
And so being able to follow her,
follow her career and have several conversations where they're over the years, either on tape or hanging out somewhere at a music festival. You know, we're both jazz fans, huge jazz fans. And so hearing how she interprets all of this stuff
all her influences, and then like bringing me along
on her hip-hop journey, I totally appreciate it.
I'm like, okay, I'm there, I'm gonna follow. And the sonically, what I've heard so far on the record, it is exciting, it's something that's new
“and it's something that I think that I wanna hear more.”
- That was the track Apagon from Anatizhu's new E.P. Noen Thaisiette. (upbeat music) - You have been listening to all Latino from N.P.R. Music.
Our audio producer is Noah Caldwell. - Sorry, Mohammed is the executive producer of N.P.R. Music. - And she's sitting right across the table from us today. As is Noah right here on the right side.
- He's just quiet. - He's just very quiet. - It's right next to him. - Yeah, he's just quiet. - Yeah, he's just very quiet.
(laughing) - So Natalie Meta is the N.P.R. Music executive director. I'm Felix Coctreras. - And I'm Anamaria Sair. - Thank you for listening.
