Alt.Latino

The sheer volume and variety of Spanish-language music released every year is breathtaking. Even those of us with our ears to the ground are bound to miss things. So, in this episo…

This year was bookended by two major statements in Latin music. In January, Bad Bunny released DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, and followed that up with a 31-show residency in Puerto Rico ov…

Some folks think by December all the releases for the year are complete. Not quite. This week we feature a new music show with albums that should be considered along with the year’…

The annual Latin Grammy awards are always full of glamour and glitz. But they're also an ideal time to take the pulse of the industry - which is exactly what Anamaria Sayre did thi…

Spanish vocalist and composer Rosalía has been a major presence in Spanish language music since she released her 2018 album, "El Mal Querer." She started by leaning into her flamen…

Ever since I heard the Argentine saxophonist Gato Barbieri back in the Seventies, I’ve been fascinated by musicians from South America who found their way to jazz. Lately there se…

Not to sound like a broken record, but I'll say it again: the variety of creative expression in what is inadequately labeled "Latin music" continues to astound me. From the bossa…

The past month has been a whirlwind. The El Tiny takeover of the Tiny Desk... interviews with some of the most exciting artists in Latin music... and, of course, puppets! So, for t…

There's no question that Mexican vocalist and composer Silvana Estrada is special to Alt.Latino. Ever since she launched her 2022 album "Marchita" with a series of revelatory singl…

Gloria Estefan is one of those musicians whose work and mere presence in the record industry deserves without question platitudes like ‘pioneering’ or ‘ground breaking.’ In fact, w…

It's that time of year again: NPR's Tiny Desk becomes El Tiny, featuring concerts from some of the most exciting and legendary Latin artists around. So, this week Felix and Ana run…

The way new music comes to Alt.Latino World Headquarters says a lot about our slight age difference. I still get CDs in the mail, with an occasional music file sent via email. Ana…

Bad Bunny's months-long residency in Puerto Rico is coming to an end. The shows brought in hundreds of millions of dollars to the island, and sparked new debates about Puerto Rican…

This week's episode is a tribute to host Felix Contreras, who just received the Hispanic Heritage Award for Journalism from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. Co-host Anamaria Sayre…

Felix shares the music that's helped him recover from a serious illness. Anamaria shares some new exquisite (and, in one case, slightly toxic) love songs. Featured artists and so…

This week, NPR Music reporter Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento is back on the mic, bringing host Anamaria Sayre new music in the vein of her 2010s Tumblr era. Think emo bangs, bright blue…

On Alt.Latino we often discuss the way that traditions are recognized and expanded upon. Usually it’s when we’re talking about new artists. But this week we are spending time hono…

Felix Contreras is on vacation, so Anamaria decided to throw her own kind of summer bash in his absence. With NPR Music reporter Isabella Gomez Sarmiento along for the ride, today’…

Some might call it whiplash, the way we sometimes zip from one genre of Latin music to another in our New Music shows. But I like to think of it as an expression of the richness an…

Global superstar Bad Bunny is hosting an unprecedented 30 concert residency in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Fans are calling it a defining cultural moment for the island. Anamaria Sayre…