NPR Music - Alt.Latino: The Vaqueros of Hawaii

Episode Date: May 27, 2026

We don’t often get to discuss the ways that Latin American music made its way west across the Pacific Ocean. But this week we have two incredible projects that celebrate that journey. First, a Japanese band that fuses traditional minyo folk sounds with cumbia and other Latin rhythms. Then, a project that unearths a forgotten history of the 19th century Mexican cowboys who went to Hawaii to help manage livestock.Plus, a tribute to Afro-Colombian folk legend Totó La Momposina, who passed away this month at 85; an underrated Puerto Rican reggaetonero shines again; and, of course, Ana continues her Brazilian obsession with new tracks from up-and-comer Bebé.Artists and albums featured in this episode:(00:55) Bebé - 'Dissolução'(05:45) Minya Crusaders - 'From Japan With Love'(10:06) Álvaro Díaz - 'OMAKASE'(17:35) Los Cenzontles - 'Adios Ke Aloha: Waves of the Same Sea'(23:05) Orestes Gomez - 'No me fui porque quise'(28:04) Totó La Momposina - VariousThis podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.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

Okay, Anna, before we start to show, we're going to do another new music show because there's so much stuff, but also because you and I are both kind of busy for the rest of the summer. I know. It's going to be one of those summers. You're going to be up in the gym, Felix, as per usual. I'm going to be in Spain as per usual. I'm working on a couple of different stories, doing a couple of different interviews with some legends that we're going to have later on in the summer, and just doing a bunch of stuff.

So, yeah, this is, we got a pack in. Let's get some new music in. Let's get it in right now. A lot of really cool stuff, cross-border stuff this week. Here we go. From NPR music, this is all Latino. I'm Felix Contreras. And I'm Ana Maria Ser.

Let the Chisme begin. I guess the Chisema has to be new music this week. And you get to go first. What do you got, man? I can't wait. Oh, you're going to like this. Can I just not even say anything and just make you hear it right away? Let's just do that.

Yeah, let's do it. my vizil. Who's in fact evito peri'n. But engolle the Pes all the world dobrodoin in sigilo. I do so poise and I'm very tranquil.

The silence seems my dominion. Bordente in barraiserable of the raciocin I've seen people who ame and saps who I'm and so I'm

I'm doing my being so the emotion just in me with a with a rea'an Oh my My name's

It's just a way I'm going to This kid I don't kiss Curra Oh my Yeah,

Oh, my our language Our Our to look to

look direct skankarado if if go Oh, did I

win today? Did I already win? Did I win with my first before saying a single word. Oh, my gosh. What was that? Where did it come from?

What is it? Who is it? 22 years old, Bebe from, I mean, you guessed it. Brazil, obviously. This is her first album that she's ever produced herself is a big part of this. She was discovered, Felix, at age 11, by this really famous talk show host. His name is Zhao Suarez. I'm probably saying that wrong, but something along those lines.

And she basically was discovered for that incredible jazz, deep, beautiful voice that she has. And in the process, right, of making music, of establishing her career, she's obviously gone a lot more experimental in her production and a lot of what she does. But, I mean, the core of that sound is, yes, that absolutely stunning, gorgeous vocal. I mean, she's been making music, despite the fact that she's so young, she's been making music for a bit now. I'm going to play you another track so you can get a sense also of

some of her more classic that was obviously a little bit more of an experimental production moment for her That's what I liked about it I know That's why I played it But I'm going to play you another track It's called Fika na mesma

Day-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-N-N-N-N-K Never will do with you Fico Investing, I'm just to make, because continue without, and a little bit of a little bit of a

I want to come every time I decide out of saying, you're just to me just to me You and your Brazilian kick, man. You and your Brazilian kick, man. I'm telling you, Felix, I try to bring other things.

But it's like, and then I hear, oh, the next new thing from Brazil. Oh, no, never mind. I'm bringing five Brazilian artists again. I don't know what to tell you. It's like something in the water in Brazil and Argentina, man. I don't know. I was just talking to a friend of mine a while back. and he was born in Brazil.

His mother is Brazilian. I think his father from the United States. And he lived there for a while, but he's lived here most of the time. So he's a big fan of Brazilian music. And he says, but I don't know anything that's new. What's happening? I'm like, bro, let me send you on his playlist. Because the stuff that's coming out of Brazil right now is just astounding.

And this is a perfect example. Man, oh, man. This is going to inspire one of your vocalist playlist. Who would you pair her with? Don't know yet. I've got to listen to more, spend more time with it. This is now my new stressful task. I don't know.

That was a couple of songs off of Bebe's new album, Disolusio. Okay. We're going to go from Brazil to Japan. Oh, okay. This is a band that features traditional Japanese music mixed with music from other cultures and traditions. Their new record, features their frequent collaborators, Frente Cumbiero.

This is a track called Hanagasa Ondo. Check this one out. Okay. Felix, what the heck? Okay, the band is called Minio Crusaders. Okay. Okay. And I got to admit, I didn't really know their music, and I'm embarrassed.

Because it's the kind of cultural mashup that you know I love, right? And Minio is a form of traditional Japanese folk music is what I read in the press release. But they mix it and have mixed it from their first album in 2019 with music from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa. There's all these great, great mashups.

In fact, they did an entire EP with Frente Cumbiero in 2020. It was all Cumbia and Minio music, man. And they have a new album coming out on June 26. There are just two singles out right now. but I can't wait to hear the rest of it. Because if you go back into the back catalog and I spent a lot of time with it this week,

man, why didn't I know these guys? And they dress in this traditional stuff. It's a whole thing, man. Well, this is really interesting, Felix, because currently there is kind of like a weird, I don't know if I'd go as far as to say, like, explosion or interest in Latin music in Japan. Like there's a couple festivals that are happening

that are bringing a bunch of Latin. Latin artist to Japan. I'm currently in the process. I haven't brought it up because I'm trying to understand what it is and where it's coming from. But this somehow feels like it fits quite nicely into that.

So I will report back with more information. I've been asking people, I'm like, what is the weird like Japan likes Latin music now situation? Well, you know, there's this subculture thing because they're, they, young people in Japan

for a while, they were really into the whole Cholo thing. Southern California and Chicano youth, Cholo, dress, you know, everything about it. And the old, oldies that go along with it, right? The real oldies and then stuff like these and Sears and stuff like that.

So there's, you know, it goes in like waves, I guess. I don't know. I don't understand it. I know that my own experience is that there's, Japan is a very, very big jazz country. Tokyo is an incredibly big jazz city. So I know that there's always interest in other cultures and other things. But when you mix it up, the tradition like this with the costume and the singing. And don't lie, man.

That singing fits perfectly with cumbia, right? Absolutely. That's why I was like, that's part of it that feels so, it feels more natural than just people who are interested in combining Japanese music and cumbia. It feels like there's something there. And that's the part that I'm curious about. Like, is there a larger connection there? Is there like a root connecting these two things? I honestly, I don't know.

Time for a deeper dive somewhere sometime. Can you go in Japan or what, Felix? Let's go, man. The band is called the Mino Crusaders. Their album that's coming out in June is called From Japan With Love. The track we heard is Hanagasa Ondo. So in addition to learning Portuguese, we might have to be learning a little bit of Japanese. I wish I knew how to say, check it out in Japanese.

So I don't know how I guess we're always telepathying. Because weirdly enough, this next album I'm going to bring is from Puerto Rican rapper, regattonero, pop maybe. artist, I don't know, all the things, Alvaro Diaz. And it's his new album, Omacase, Felix. Okay. Like, what?

The Japanese connection continues. This song that I'm going to play you is called C. Chef. I pass out of time, I'm going to put in a force, and it's prend a corny. Oh, and yeah, and in the school, and I'm a lot of the

china, I'm a lotchia, I'm a robao, and I'll have to have a barma, or a lot, some of years, during, in the

PISO, now for one hour, so in KINN' TocC MIRMAN- Look, FAA! A pass time and I see why

these mordid that I'm I'm too when it's I'm gonna the stufus I'm, I'm the

favorite of your favorite making sound, without the sound and they're all

like Tito in Caimitton from Tito that's come a-combed that's too that's in force yeah

to have the repopara I have the Borssa yeah that's in the ballsa yeah

subestim So Albrador Diaz to me, Felix is like one of the most consistently underrated artists. Like every single album to me that he puts out is honestly exceptional. I mean, he's a big artist, right? Like he says in that song, he's like, Soil Favarito de tu Favortico. Like he is the guy who like is so respected in Puerto Rico. Everyone works with him. Everyone loves him.

Everyone recognizes his genius. He just hasn't reached the levels of, like, let's say, a Raou Alejandro or a fade, but he's so innovative in everything he does. I'm going to play you another song. It's called Pienso in T. Pianso in Tiber. Can I say that when I hear stuff like this,

and you know that reggae and hip-hop, you know, something that I've come to learn and appreciate. So it's not my go-to, right? But when I hear stuff like this and the way he's floating, like all these different sound textures, it's like walking through this big house, right? And you're walking down the hallway, like, I'm going to go in here. And that's the first part of the song.

And says, oh, look, and there's a room. Oh, look, there's another door on this side. I'm on a walk and then there's a completely different sonic texture. But the narrative is still following me, right? It's just the sonic textures. Man, that is, I'm just a sucker for that stuff, man. Well, and there's the people who are trying to just throw together a bunch of sounds right now because it's Demo da, it's like, oh, let me just, you know, genre bending, we say 10 million times,

and oh, let me just pull from everywhere and do all these things. And then there's people like Alvaro, or maybe not people like, maybe there is Alvaro who does this so intentionally. Like this entire album is a discourse. It's a, if you go through it, he's like rar in the beginning and then he gets more emotional. And for example, you hear a song like this where it's like kind of like this really interesting,

distorted rock nod to certain like earlier 2000s indie rock punk pop sounds. And then you're like getting charchetas in the background and you're like, am I listening to a cumbia? Like what's happening? And that's what he does, right? And in the song I'm about to play you, Felix, he does this thing where he even plays with like a lot of Mexican sounds.

And I heard a lot of Mexican sounds on this album, I thought it's myself. He's from Puerto Rico. But of course, he's working with, you know, Benjamin Aller and, you know, Julian Bernal, who are really prolific producers in Mexico City. He's working with Manuel Lara, who is from Venezuela, Lada project, but has worked on a lot of Mexican and Puerto Rican projects. So it's really just like it's representative of him and his ingenuity and his kind of like really just creative mind, but also that all of these producers and writers who are so experimental in not only the sounds that they use, but in the histories, in the ancestry that they involve and all of these things. I mean, it's just so natural.

And it's like the way he brings in that Mexican sounds to me, it's like very distant and distorted and really interesting. and it's not just like your classic throw-up, banda, something onto a dembo and whatever. Right. It's like really intentional and intricate. I'm just blown away, honestly. Yeah. Honestly.

Okay, I'm gonna play you one more song to take us out because I really, it was really hard for me to pick. This song is called In a Row 62. that I'm padriffel for your body entire I'm gonna'r to get to house to present a whew-

to get a hug, that I'll be able first, start with your best that's so, that's a minute your eyes chino, mama,

I always I want, I'm, I, I, that's what I want, I, want,

I, know, you're, you know, you're a lot, tell you to tell you to

that's in my lune and that's in your life that I want that I want to that I'm that I'm

that's my love, Right? Yeah. Like, I heard this and I was like, what is he doing? Yeah, you know, I'm going to have to listen to this whole thing because I'm, I'm intrigued. He's got my attention, man. That was a couple of songs off the new Alvro-Dia's album, Oh, Makase. It's a lot to take in.

Gonna have to think about it. I'm going to need a break. to think about it. Okay, and we're back. Okay. Do I have to keep saying it every week? Man, the variety of musical expressions just, it's overwhelming. The reason I say it's because the next track I'm going to play

draws on Mexican history in Hawaii. Oh, my God. Right? This is from Los Sentzotlis, the Bay Area Band and Cultural Center, run by Eugene Rodriguez. I can always count on them for some, amazing music, fascinating stuff. This time, there's an album dedicated to the history of Mexicans in Hawaii.

And this track is called Vacero Paniolo, or the Panyolo Cowboy. Tells a little bit of that history, and I'll explain more. But check this out. Okay, Mechikana Subis to Riae Acki

A cabas On the One of a Auxa Toerer Srinata Scuranda And cruisandol

And Soe Toe We know Toe You actually get a little bit of History on this one on them In 1790s,

The British Sea Captain Transported cattle imported from Spain that were settled in Santa Cruz. They took it to Alta California, right? It's when it was still part of Mexico. And then from there, he went to Hawaii. He delivered some of these cattle to the king that was in Hawaii at the time. Within 10 years, they procreated so much. They were actually out of control. There were like 25,000 cattle just roaming the island, eating the vegetation, doing all this other stuff. So the king that came after him, had traveled to California, and he saw these Mexican vajeros, right, because it's still Mexico.

And he saw them handling, doing all this stuff with cows. He said, we need some of those guys to come over and take care of our cows. So he transported a handful of these guys, these vokeros from Mexico, because it's, you know, 18, it was before it became part of the United States. They mixed in with the culture. They taught people how to work with cattle. They did all that stuff. So a little bit of Mexican vikero history ended up in Hawaii.

I never knew that. And the brilliant people at Los Sentosotless, Eugene and his crew, along with David Idlego from Los Lobos, Taj Mahal, the great blues player, and some Hawaiian musicians. The whole album is like a mashup of Mexican music and Hawaiian music,

slag key, guitars, the thing, all this stuff. Yeah, it's really a great record. The record's called Adios, Ke Aloa, Waves of the Same Sea. Wow. Isn't that cool? Cool. Also, like, this, everything we just said about the Mexico-Japan connection, I'm like, huh. And now we're bringing Hawaii into the mix. Like, this all feels like there may be some

relationship. I think we need to go to Hawaii, then we need to go Japan. That's what I'm hearing. So, my up, mom. Our executive producer's not in the room, so let's just make an executive decision right now. That was one of your good ones, Felix. I won't lie. That was good. The album, again, is called Adios Que Aloha, waves of the same sea, Los Sensotless, featuring David Idalgo,

Taj Mahal, and a bunch of other musicians. That track was called Makero Paniolo. I do have to say one more thing about that, actually, because I can't help but keep thinking about it. It's so fascinating to me because Hawaii has been so popularly in the discourse of Latin music in the past year because of Bad Bunny in this lokele-a-i phenomenon, and it brought a lot of Hawaiians

into the conversation as there was that connection, right, between like just general colonialism, the effect of U.S. colonialism and all the territories that have been impacted. And so it's also fascinating to me in that sense because that migration story, I think, fits into that story as well. And I love when you can see that take form in the music.

In a way that was more organic and not, I'm just going to say imperialistic, because this was Mexico before it was the United States, right? Yeah. So that was like, We need you guys. Come and help us. And there was no, okay, now we're going to take over the country.

We're just going to work with the cows, and then we're going to hang out. Maybe learn how to surf. Who knows what they were doing back then, right? They're just going to work with the cows, hang out, learn how to surf. Wow. What a dream. Okay. Your last track.

Okay. So I actually already mentioned this artist last week, I think, that I went to his show. But I realized, I thought I had talked at some point about his album on the show, and I really haven't. So Venezuelan percussionist Orestes Gomez, it's time we talk about him. I'm going to play you a track from his latest album, No Me Fui, which obviously referenced to Venezuela, this track is called Perornah. Yeah, I'm not What you think in the

I'm gonna I'm gonna' Yeah, I'm compared to all the world Seniors, I'mari, I'm gonna put in the world. I'm gonna'all'

Respectam in the carrae'all' Yeah, right? It's a lot coming at you, man. Very. So it's hard to even consume, absorb, conceptualize. So the person you're hearing singing is Marie La Carajita. She's a Venezuelan artist who started as like a Quatro virtuoso. And then she turned into kind of this like really as you can hear, amazing rapper, kind of more urban artists.

But she's not really the point of the song. The point of the song is Orestes. Because this entire album is his record. I mean, he doesn't ever sing. It's not his thing. He doesn't put any vocals on. I mean, he invites artists like her to come and rap on things. But really, it's about his percussion, his drums.

And what I explained when I talked about his show last week is that watching even his show, like he was the center of the audience. He was this clear center of the performance. But he plays with all of these just fascinating, percussive sounds from everywhere from the Caribbean, from the globe. I want to play you another song from this album because I think it represents. nicely what he does also with kind of more traditional folkie Venezuelan sounds. This song is called Estrejas.

Wow. Wow. Right. And I say folkloric, right, Felix, in the sense that, you know, the Afro-precussive, coastal, you know, Caribbean thing is really important in Venezuela. It's so integral to what is the folkloric sound, what is the traditional sound of Venezuela that is not always at the forefront.

And I think this record does a really great job in so many places. And I want you to hear the whole thing because it's really amazing. And incorporating that, right? And making that a part of the Venezuelan story. And again, like I said, you know, the record is called, No Me Fui because I Kise, which is I didn't go because I wanted to, obviously in reference to Venezuela. So it's very Venezuelan, this record.

And Orestes does go from time and time. He's in Mexico City, but he's in Venezuela in Caracas sometimes. And it feels very representative of a lot of pieces of that experience of what is Venezuela right now physically in the country still. Anyways, I'm a huge fan of this album. It's really cool. It's really cool. And it's important to play stuff like this, I think, or to listen or seek it out and give it some space. because of all the stuff that's going on politically

that's happened there, obviously, we've talked a lot about that, but then also when you consider some of the artists in Cuba that's sort of out there as well, it's important to turn back to the music and the musicians to figure out what's going on and how people are feeling. So, yeah, this is, I'm there for it.

That was a couple of songs off of Orestes-Gomez's new album, No Me Fui, because Ikees. Okay, we're going to end the show a little differently this time. We're going to do a tribute, to Toto Lamo Pincina. She passed away in Mexico City at age 85. She was one of the great voices of Latin America.

She was a practitioner of Afro-Columbian music. She was born, Sonia Basante Evides, but the world knew her as Toto, Lamoponcina. She had recorded a handful of records in Colombia, and in 1993, she recorded an album for musician Peter Gabriel and his Real World Records label,

and that catapulted her, to international fame. This is the title track, La Candela Viva. She was from Colombia's Caribbean coast near a town called Montposh, from which she took her stage name. And she came from a musical family that specialized in the Afro-Columbian traditions of that area of the country, which we play a lot in the show, a combination of heavy percussion, those indigenous flutes called Gaithas, the very call-and-response vocals, going back to Africa. And she was a popular collaborator with a whole new generation

of Colombian pop and folk artist. I'm going to play a little mix right now. Here's a very small sample. This is her and Lila Downs and Celsso Pina from 2011 in the track called Zapata Sequeda. Her voice lends this, like, grandiosity to this graciousness, right? Here's another track, and it features. There's Colombian vocalist, Monica Hidaldo.

This is called, Asi Lo Canto Yo. Bitsa Machelo of Afro-Venezuelan music. These folk musicians, they have a majesty to their voice. Now I'm going to play something from 2010. This is Latino America by Caya 13, one of my favorite tracks. This is when I first heard of her. This is with Totola, Mompucina, Susanna Baca, and Mariajita.

We're featured on track. This is just so powerful. And at 85 years old, just this past December, She released her last batch of recordings, an EP called Mono Colorado. This is a track called La Verdo Laga. You have been listening to Alt Latino from NPR Music. Our audio editor is Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Saria Mohamed.

Executive director, Sonali Mata. As always, we love hearing from you. If you enjoyed this episode in these bands, we always appreciate a positive review on Spotify or Apple, or wherever you're listening or send us an email, man. Stay in touch, alt latino at npr.org. I'm Felix Contreras. And I'm Ana Maria Sayer.

Thank you for listening.