Alt.Latino

The Mexican folk celebration of Día de los Muertos transcends borders and cultures these days. It is so widely celebrated that you can buy plastic marigolds and papél picado (the intricately cut designs on tissue paper) and even fake sugar skulls for your home altars on Amazon. And yet that popularity hasn't seemed to diminish the actual intent: an offering to the spirits of our friends and family who have passed, as a reminder that they are still in our hearts.

Years ago on Alt.Latino we started a tradition of making those offerings through words and music for a Sonic Altar: songs, dedications, lots of emotions and more than a few tears.

This year, we dedicate our altar to the iconic civil rights icon Dolores Huerta by returning to an Alt.Latino episode from Sept. 2017, when she mixed her passion for social justice with jazz. We also make some time for a special personal dedication, and remember some prominent Latin musicians who left us this year: Ruben Rada, Roxana Amed and Willie Colón.

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As we poured ourselves into the El Tiny takeover of the Tiny Desk, a month's worth of new music piled up in our inboxes. So, this week, we dig in and bring the long-awaited debut album from Puerto Rico's Benito-approved ensemble Chuwi, the rap-electronica of Monterrey's alternative experimentalist Nsqk, and a track of resilience in the face of an earthquake's destruction. Plus, Sofía Campos, The Mars Volta, and a deep dive into the glory days of mambo in New York City.

Artists, albums and songs mentioned in this episode:

(01:00) Chuwi, 'Libertad'
(09:33) Carlos Vives, Nidia Gongora, Juliana, "Aquí Seguiré"
(12:43) Nsqk, 'mosca'
(18:07) The Mambo Legends Orchestra, "La Rumbantela"
(24:35) Sofía Campos, 'Minha Beleza'
(26:59) The Mars Volta,"Voice In My Knives - Poseedora De Mi Sombra"

This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.

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Last week we published a Tiny Desk Concert that ended up being unusual for a few reasons.

First of all, it was the final production of our sixth annual El Tiny series. This was a very emotional moment for a lot of reasons. People really love Los Tigres del Norte, to the point that playing their albums feels like sitting with family. And if you’ve seen the introduction I gave the band just before they played at the desk you can see that I wasn’t embarrassed to get emotional when I talked about what the band means to me. 

That emotional intro led to some changes in our process and format that resulted in a huge response from the audience that went viral. The result was a messy moment behind the scenes here at NPR and more than a little confusion for a lot of you.

This week’s episode looks back at last week. 

First we want to share with you, directly from us, an explanation of what happened.

But mostly we want to put the spotlight back on the band and their music because for decades they have been bringing out the kind emotions that got this whole thing started.

Give it a listen and enjoy the music. Again. - Felix

This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and edited by Jacob Ganz and Otis Hart. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.

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The Tiny Desk’s magnetism is its intimacy. We strip back lights and a big stage and get to see artists speak honestly about who they are directly to an audience around the world.

This becomes all the more profound during our El Tiny takeover of Latin Music Month, where artists whisper truths and share secrets about community, country, pain and family. Often on production days, artists share with us the importance of each individual song — the stories behind them and why they needed to be played in such an honest space.

So, this week on Alt.Latino we wanted to let you all in on the secrets. Alex Ferreira, Draco Rosa and Los Tigres del Norte shared with us, in their words, what a song they played at the Tiny Desk for this year’s El Tiny takeover meant to them. Hopefully, learning what’s behind the songs will help each show mean a little bit more for all of you, too.

Artists and songs featured in this episode:

(00:40) Mon Laferte, "No Le Regales Tu Corazón"
(04:06) Alex Ferreira, "Monte Adentro"
(13:43) Draco Rosa, "Vagabundo"
(19:58) Los Tigres del Norte, "Somos Más Americanos"

This podcast was produced by Noah Caldwell. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.

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The music of Tim Bernardes fits as easily in the poetry of the cosmos as it does in the songwriting canon of his country. Brazil has a legacy of some of the greatest most intricate, emotional songwriting there is, and if you ask me, I’d argue Tim fits right into it. So, I invited him in to play a Tiny Desk for our annual El Tiny takeover. And, of course, I took the opportunity to pull him into the studio after – I absolutely needed to know what he’s been listening to. So, here we are again playing my latest and greatest new game: a special version of our typical guest DJ episode, where I ask them to recall different parts of their lives and themselves through music. No prepared songs or ideas. Let’s call this episode a musical tapestry painted by one of the greatest Brazilian singer-songwriters of this era.  - Anamaria Sayre

Artists and songs mentioned in this episode:

- The Beatles, 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'
- Os Mutantes, 'Caminhante Noturno'
- Milton Nascimento, 'Nuvem Cigana'
- Nelson Cavaquinho, 'Eu E As Flores'
- Gilberto Gil, 'Luzia Luluza'
- Antônio Carlos Jobim, 'Saudade Do Brasil,' 'O Boto'
- Caetano Veloso, 'Minha Mulher'
- Tim Bernardes, 'Realmente Lindo'

This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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