NPR’s Alt.Latino takes over the Tiny Desk concert events for the subsequent 4 weeks in celebration of Latino Heritage Month.
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UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL GROUP: (Singing in non-English language).
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
At the moment marks the beginning of Nationwide Latino Heritage Month. That may imply many issues to totally different folks, however for our mates at NPR Music’s Alt.Latino, it means a takeover of the favored Tiny Desk Live performance sequence. By means of the second week in October, all the performances shall be some sort of Latin music that has been handpicked by Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre, who be part of us this morning to fill us in on all that we will hear. Welcome, guys.
FELIX CONTRERAS, BYLINE: Hey, there.
ANAMARIA SAYRE, BYLINE: Ah, thanks for having us.
RASCOE: So, initially, 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 abruptly realized they have been speaking about El Tiny Desk. They only shortened it. In order that simply caught with me, and we simply sort 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 all types 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love and loss for his nation, Venezuela, or an artist like Daniel, me estas matando who’s doing a reimagining of a very outdated fashion of lovesick music.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 bought 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 are actually deep and significant and impactful and emotional, however he at all times 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 all of that. And so he actually, actually represents that properly for us.
RASCOE: And, Felix, I perceive you could have some Latin music from Canada.
(LAUGHTER)
RASCOE: Inform us extra about that.
CONTRERAS: OK. Effectively – and, you understand, after all, you understand, Canada does have diplomatic relations with Cuba. So a number 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 dwelling 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 aspect, and so they have been mainly simply absorbing the stuff from the older musicians which have been dwelling there. They’ve their very own tackle Cuban music. It’s extremely conventional. It is primarily based on, you understand, what they name the sanctity of religion and the music and all that, but it surely’s additionally, like, so many different totally different world parts that you may 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: Undoubtedly.
RASCOE: (Laughter).
CONTRERAS: Most positively.
RASCOE: And the perfect concert events at all times finish with a bang, on a excessive notice. What is going to El Tiny have?
CONTRERAS: We’ve Juanes. Verify this out.
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JUANES: (Singing in non-English language).
CONTRERAS: For over 20 years, Juanes has been mainly 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 inside him simply got here out throughout and stuffed the room, actually. And we had a number of enjoyable with him, and I believe he had a number 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. The complete schedule of 11 reveals shall 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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