On Latin Roots, World Cafe® host David Dye will delve into the musical styles and genres of Spanish influence with a rotating series of guests. With each segment, Dye and his guest will explore two related songs, current and old, and discuss their unique characteristics, how they relate and where they fit into the spectrum of Latin music. The first installment will feature Grammy-winning producer, musician, composer and Latin music expert Aaron Levinson who will share two Salsa tracks.
Latin Roots will feature other expert guests including Felix Contreras, a reporter and producer for NPR's Arts Desk and the co-host of Alt.Latino, NPR's new web-based program about Latin alternative music. Tom Moon will also serve as a guest contributor. Moon is a Music Reviewer for NPR and has been writing about pop, rock, jazz, blues, hip-hop and music across the globe for more than 25 years.
“English speakers tend to lump all Latin music together in a hand-waving way and call it all Salsa,” said Dye. “The goal of Latin Roots is to tease-out all the different styles and rhythms from around the globe and give us all an easy and up-to-date guide. It’s hard not to get overwhelmed by the variety. I’m excited to delve into this subject and bring new flavors to the show with every edition. I hope my listeners are ready to move their feet to some new rhythms!”
Latin music lovers can visit http://wx.pn/Q to be directed to the Latin Roots webpage for suggested artists, tracks, albums, compilations and more. The Latin Roots webpage will also link to Spotify playlists that will accompany each segment. As a follow up to today’s segment, Aaron Levison has created a Salsa playlist, a free Spotify account is required to listen. The website also features past World Cafe® interviews with Latin artists including Ximena Sariana, Ana Tijoux, Puerto Plata and Juana Molina.
For more information about World Cafe®, please visit XPN.org/worldcafe.