NPR Music - Alt.Latino: A Banjo, Bomba, Bardo y Más

Episode Date: April 16, 2025

Anamaria continues to impress Felix with new female voices, while he shares more jazz and Puerto Rican bomba fusion.Featured artists and songs:• Queralt Lahoz, "LA FE"• Bardo, "Renacer" (feat. Combo Chimbita)• Vanessa Zamora, "GRAVEDAD" (feat. Çantamarta)• BEATrio, "Archipelago"• Mon Laferte, "Otra Noche de Llorar"• El Laberinto del Coco, "Todo Se Nubla" CreditsAudio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Simon Rentner. Our project manager is Grace Chung. NPR Music's executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Sometimes when you're prepping the music, Felix, I feel like I'm getting ready for like a dance class or something. It's like, all right, we're getting going. Let's go, Felix. It's time for the routine. Let's go. Just check the levels and... Do your stretches, put on your jazzercise outfit. Yeah, got my outfit on it, doing my stretches. From NPR Music, this is all Latino. I'm Felix Contreras. And I'm Anna Maria Sayer. Let the Chisme begin. Wait, hold up, I'm still stretching. Hold on.

I am so excited. I have not been this excited, actually, Felix, about an album in a while. This artist, Gerald La Jost, is from Spain, and this is her song LaFey. Felix, just wait until you hear in this record. Felix, just wait till you hear this record. First of all, I have to give credit where credit is due. I did not find her. Otis Hart, our colleague, dropped me this single, I know.

He dropped me this single a little bit ago, and ever since I have been on an entire rabbit hole of Kerala Los, this is a single, it's called 9.30 p.m. And let me tell you, Felix, this album confirmed this feeling that I had, which was that this was going to be the year of just absolutely excellent Spanish language pop. And this was like the tipping point for me. We started with Amaya from Spain. There's a couple other albums that I cannot name yet that I have heard that are coming shortly. Spanish language pop at this point is marked by incredible musicality, beautiful, like strong, powerful vocals

and really creative beats. I mean, everything that this album is, Felix, I think face value, this single sounds a bit Nati Peluso, maybe you in Rosalia, but that doesn't even crack the surface of what this is. It's ballads, it's bachata, it's percussion, it's strings.

I'm going to play you another track because I just need you to hear one other one. It's called La Fuente Lampo. What my sojito Fierr My heart no lo He said

My heart I'm saying to my Pater That you no me convene That you not me convened What my

my sohito Fierr My heart no forget My heart Yeah me know

to say to my Pair that you not me convene that you not me convenia I know. Wait, just wait.

You have to keep it going because there's a switchup you need to hear. Yeah. Yeah. That voice is so authentically flamenco to me. I was like, there's no way she's not from Andalusia. And of course, living in Barcelona from Andalusia, and that is the thread to me.

She does all kinds of genres on this record. but that voice is so strong, it's so distinct, it's so undeniable. She could do anything, and it would be anchored, and it would sound consistent, and it would sound tight because of that voice. These musicians that are in the pop vein that are considered pop, whatever that means anymore, but are making incredible music like this, this music is just blowing my mind, and I'm hearing it for the first time. I never want to discount the artistic vexed.

value of something just because a lot of people like it. Like, if anything, to me, you know, we talk about this with the Bad Bunny record. That was a beautiful, musically beautiful record, and it's something that meant a lot to a lot of people. But if a lot of people are into something, just because it's good and just because they connect with it, I think that's a success. And I think that's art. The album was just so good I had to bring in two. That was La Fuente Leampola by Get Out La Jos and before that, La Faye.

I'm all for it, man. I always go back to, like, growing up, you know, 1968, I'm listening to the Jackson Five, right? And you can't get any more bubble-gummy pop stuff than a 10-year-old boy band, right? I mean, it was just, but as I grew older, and we've talked about this, as I grew older and I learned more about music, the musicianship underneath, all of that Motown stuff was amazing, just amazing. So it was pop music, but high-quality musicianship. My little classmates in the sixth grade were going around singing their little Michael Jackson songs, not knowing that guys like, you know, James Jamerson, the bass player,

is playing this amazing bass part, right? You know what I mean? What's underneath is, like, it's just phenomenal. And that's what's happening with a lot of this stuff that you bring in, man. I just, again, if you could see me, my hands are going, like, mind-blower. I still remember when he broke down that Jackson 5 track for me, it's like my favorite, it's my best party trick. I'm like, but you wouldn't believe what's happening in this song.

Okay, I'm going to go take us back here to the United States, but also kind of an L.A. New York thing. Oh, I'm excited about this one. Bartho Martinez is the lead singer for the band Chicano Batman. And from the beginning, from when I first heard them, I don't know, right after we first started the show, I was all in just because of the name Chicano Batman. And then I became a fan of the music.

And that was always transfixed by Barthos lead vocals. He's doing his own solo project now, and he's got a single out that he did with the band Combo Chimbita out of Brooklyn. It's called Renacer, or Reborn. Check it out, and then we'll talk a little bit about what he's being reborn to. So Bartho is exploring the Colombian side of his family. He comes from Mexican-Columbian roots, and teaming up with Combo Jimbita, who just completely electrify everything that they do. The lead vocalist, Carolina Oliveros, just always makes everything pop. Certainly makes this track pop.

And in a way, it sort of sounds like what they were doing in Chicano Batman, but it's a little funkier. Of course, the drummer of me is always listening. There's a lot more reference to the Afro-Caribbean of the East Coast and a little bit less of the Chicano soul on the West Coast. Something that a lot of people, too, don't associate with Bardo, is that he has an incredible production sensibility. like he's produced a lot for a number of artists we love.

Like Angelica Garcia, who I brought last year that I loved the album. It was one of my favorite albums of the year. He produced on that record. Even though he came up in this very Mexican-American West Coast era, he is able to express that Colombian side. He's able to work with a lot of different artists. So I think much of that is coming to life here too. Chicano Batman came in for their tiny desk concert a while back.

It was kind of funny because the theme for the day, the afternoon, was, where's Bartle? Right? Because he kept wandering off, right? And like looking at different things. But in a way that sort of reminded me of like just how curious he is musically. He really is, man. I mean, you're like, Ardoer, what are you doing over here? Oh, I'm looking at the newsroom.

Oh, what is this? Oh, I'm looking at these computers, you know? He's just a curious kind of guy, it seems like. It was a little challenging. Okay. we're going to do a run through Where's Bardo? But you know

and I know that the galaxies are all and life will flow on as long as the grass grow. And all the guys are like, yeah, they told this story

about how he almost missed a flight in Japan coming back or something because it was one of those worst. Don't they all though? That's how all these artists are. Yeah.

The track is called Renacer. It's with Bardo Martinez or who just Los de Svardo and features Combo Chimita. This is Tijuana Native Mexico City base Vanessa Samora. She's been releasing a lot of singles lately. I've been very excited about them, so I wanted to bring one on in particular that she did with Santa Marta.

This is called Gravedat. Intento no pisar las somers that see asomben back the sun. No, I know because I know when I'm reo, me more. It's more simple to be with you, The two The two tracks you brought in

There's so much involved And it sounds sparse But it's not Right There's so much to be said About what a good producer does For a song there. Vanessa Samora in many ways to me is like quintessential indie Mexico City. She collaborates with

artists that live all across the city, brings people in from outside as well. And her leveling up in this way to me is almost like the city leveling up. I can chart in some ways the progress of the indie Mexico City sound by Vanessa Samora. Like because she's so essential to the sound there, the fact that that this is what she's starting to sound like me. It's like, oh, we're all getting into our groove. Is she one of these kind of artists that you can trace her development through her recordings? Absolutely. She's always been a good writer, right?

But just much more sparse. And then she started experimenting with a lot of different types of production, a lot of different ways to kind of jazz up her sound. It sounds like it was made to last. And it really draws a line between the role of the producer, as I'm used to hearing them and the music that I grew up with because there were certainly, you know,

people like Quincy Jones or Phil Ramon or anybody like that, right? They had a specific role. Those guys read music, they had charts, they did all this stuff. They were concerned about the notes on the page and how it all reflected in the musicians, the instruments, etc.

But nowadays, they're so sound rich. Like, how do you even describe that? What is that stuff? That was Gravedad by Vanessa Samora, featuring Santa Marta. Okay, we're going to take a quick break, and then we'll be right back. So I brought in a track, it's a trio. They call themselves Beat Trio, or capital B-E-A-T, and then R-I-O, Beat Trio.

Three musicians, Edmar Castaneda, a Colombian harpist, Antonio Sanchez, who's a jazz drummer from Mexico City. Most notably, he plays with Pat Mathini and his own Bad Ombres. And a guy named Bela Fleck, who plays banjo. He sort of reinvented the banjo repertoire. So we're going from all these great, incredible, like, lushly produced stuff to these guys who have their instruments and they're just, again, like, ignoring genres and doing something different. They've never played together officially. They all have their own careers.

But they're putting this together. They're doing a little tour. This is the first single from the record is called Archipelago. They are ignoring genres. ignoring boundaries, ignoring the rules as they should be. And they do it individually as well with their own musical collaborations. Edmar Castaneda is taking a traditional Colombian harp and he's putting it in the jazz context.

Same with Antonio Sanchez. He brought in his band Bad Ombre with all the electronics and the vocalist. He's a jazz drummer, but he comes from Mexico City so he has like some of that Mexican tradition. I'm just fascinated by what the... they do and how they break the rules. The bad hombres of it all, I definitely hear, for sure. Bela Fleck has, like, reinvented the sound of the banjo.

He's played it in all kinds of different contacts with orchestras, with Chick-Correa, even with the tabla players, Zakir Hussein, from India. The track is called Archipelago. The album Beat Trio is coming out in mid-May. Go out and check it out. So for my last song, I don't really even need to say much about it. I think the song really speaks for itself. It's Christmas.

We have a new Mondeferte single. The song is called Otra Noche de Yorard. Stop it. I just need you to hear her. Just let it go. Oh my God. Yeah. This is coming off of a year where she was on an award sprint.

Her album Autopoetica was incredible, one of the best albums of the year. She got nominated for Album of the Year at the Latin Grammys, ended up walking away winning Best Alternative Music album. She actually got a Gringo Grammy nomination also this past year for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album for the same record. And honestly, Felix, that voice is a Grammy-winning voice. She works so closely with her producer Halil. Just that voice, just singing to the heavens being heartbroken, has everything.

This particular track reminds me of people like Frank Sinatra and Nell Fitzgerald in their relationship with this orchestrator named Nelson Riddle. He created the strings behind their music and it lifted their voices up to the heavens. I'm going to say it, man. She's walking in that same sphere with Frank Sinatra and Elefichich Charles. Which is, no, to me, it's a big deal. Because I've always been a fan of hers. It's the voice.

It's always the voice. And I have to shout out one of my best friends in the world, Nacho Sotelo, he's her mixer as well. And he always mixes her right. He always does those vocals right. It's incredible. That was Otra Noche de Jorad, which, by the way, the title says it all,

by Mon La Verte. Okay. We're to close the show by going to Puerto Rico. Sorry, I just. get excited every time so much is worth of my job. The Lavarito de Coco has a single out called It's a drummer's ideal track. Check it out. Hector Cocoa Marese is a percussionist, obviously,

and most notably he was the percussionist in Calle Treese's touring band way back in the day. And I met him when he came in for a tiny desk for a band from Richmond, Virginia, of all places. A band called Biorepmo was a song. straight ahead salsa bandit. And he stayed in touch. And even back then, I can't even remember the year,

but he was telling me, yeah, putting together this idea. It has to be with Bomba. We're going to do all these different things. And he was so excited to tell me about it. The music that they make, and they performed all over the place, they performed all over the island, all over the world, really, is, again, it goes back to, like, that essence of what the island's all about. And then again, expanding it with funk, with jazz, with R&B, with hip-hop.

The band is called La Barbarinto de Col. and the track is called To Doze Nuble. And that's going to wrap us up for this week, you think? I think that might be it. I think I really put it all out there this week. You've been listening to Alt Latino from NPR Music. Our sound editor is Simon Retner.

The woman who keeps us on track is Grace Chung. Sorrel Mohammed is the executive producer of NPR music. And our hefein chief is Keith Jenkins, VP of Music and Visuals. I'm Felix Contreras. And I'm Anna Maria Sayer. Thank you so much for listening.