NPR’s Alt.Latino takes over the Tiny Desk concert events for the following 4 weeks in celebration of Latino Heritage Month.
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UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL GROUP: (Singing in non-English language).
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Immediately marks the beginning of Nationwide Latino Heritage Month. That may imply many issues to totally different folks, however for our pals at NPR Music’s Alt.Latino, it means a takeover of the favored Tiny Desk Live performance collection. By the second week in October, the entire performances can be some type of Latin music that has been handpicked by Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre, who be a part of us this morning to fill us in on all that we’ll hear. Welcome, guys.
FELIX CONTRERAS, BYLINE: Hey, there.
ANAMARIA SAYRE, BYLINE: Ah, thanks for having us.
RASCOE: So, to begin with, what’s El Tiny?
CONTRERAS: OK, El Tiny is one thing that we have began to name this takeover. And it goes again to a few years once we had all these musicians from throughout Latin America and Spain. And I heard them speaking, and so they have been all excited to be there, and so they saved referring to El Tiny, El Tiny. Then I all of a sudden realized they have been speaking about El Tiny Desk. They simply shortened it. In order that simply caught with me, and we simply type of redubbed that complete month El Tiny.
RASCOE: Oh, wow. You current Latin music all year-round. How is the programming of performances round Latino Heritage Month any totally different from what y’all already do?
SAYRE: This 12 months, it is fairly humorous, however we determined what we actually care about is love. Now, there’s every kind of stereotypes, clearly, round what it means to be Latino and love – the Latin lover, everybody’s heard it. However the way in which Felix and I like to consider it’s it reveals up within the music on a regular basis in these actually distinctive, expressive, essential methods. I imply, now we have artists like Danny Ocean this 12 months, who’s utilizing conceits about heartbreak to speak about his love and loss for his nation, Venezuela, or an artist like Daniel, me estas matando who’s doing a reimagining of a extremely previous type of lovesick music. So it is love, however we’re turning it on his head to indicate that we like to like deeply.
RASCOE: Let’s hear some music.
SAYRE: OK, so we’re gonna begin with that artist I simply talked about, Danny Ocean.
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DANNY OCEAN: (Singing in non-English language).
RASCOE: That is acquired some good vibes to it.
SAYRE: Oh, completely. And that is the fantastic thing about Danny – proper? – as a result of he can discuss issues which might be actually deep and significant and impactful and emotional, however he all the time does it with this actually joyful tinge to it. And I believe that that is what makes his music so communicable and so relatable and unfelt in so many elements of Latin America as a result of there’s heartbreak and there is ache, however there’s pleasure by means of all of that. And so he actually, actually represents that properly for us.
RASCOE: And, Felix, I perceive you might have some Latin music from Canada.
(LAUGHTER)
RASCOE: Inform us extra about that.
CONTRERAS: OK. Properly – and, you recognize, in fact, you recognize, Canada does have diplomatic relations with Cuba. So lots of musicians over time – and for fairly a very long time, for many years – have been going forwards and backwards between Canada and the USA and even residing in Canada. And there is this nice interaction between the generations.
And the group I introduced in to the tiny desk, Okan, is on the youthful facet, and so they have been principally simply absorbing the stuff from the older musicians which have been residing there. They’ve their very own tackle Cuban music. It is very conventional. It is based mostly on, you recognize, what they name the sanctity of religion and the music and all that, however it’s additionally, like, so many different totally different world parts that you could hear in a spot like Toronto. We introduced them in, and so they tore the place down.
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OKAN: (Singing in non-English language).
RASCOE: OK, in order that’s gonna get you out of your seat, proper? That is getting you shifting.
CONTRERAS: Positively.
RASCOE: (Laughter).
CONTRERAS: Most undoubtedly.
RASCOE: And one of the best concert events all the time finish with a bang, on a excessive notice. What is going to El Tiny have?
CONTRERAS: We have now Juanes. Verify this out.
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JUANES: (Singing in non-English language).
CONTRERAS: For over 20 years, Juanes has been principally filling stadiums and huge arenas. He is an enormous star all through Latin America, and he has the identical standing right here in the USA, so it was very, very cool to see him in a small, intimate efficiency. And that charisma, that character, that highly effective music that he has within him simply got here out throughout and crammed the room, actually. And we had lots of enjoyable with him, and I believe he had lots of enjoyable. It was actually one of many highlights of the session.
RASCOE: Oh, wow. And El Tiny kicks off on September 16 with Juanes. All the schedule of 11 reveals can be introduced quickly on NPR Music’s social media. Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre are the host of the Alt.Latino podcast, which you will discover wherever you get your podcasts, and the Alt.Latino radio present on choose NPR member stations. Thanks a lot, Felix and Ana.
CONTRERAS: After all. Anytime.
SAYRE: Aw, thanks.
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JUANES: (Singing in non-English language).
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