Machito : NPR

La Dame Blanche is a Cuban rapper and jazz vocalist. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Alt.Latino

New Cuban Hip-Hop Meets Old Cuban Soul

October 9, 2014 • Alt.Latino takes a trip into the vault to remember Graciela, the Queen of Latin Jazz, but also showcases a great new Cuban jazz singer and rapper named La Dame Blanche.

New Cuban Hip-Hop Meets Old Cuban Soul

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Like Being Hypnotized: Guest DJ With Juana Molina

Argentine musician Juana Molina. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Music

Like Being Hypnotized: Guest DJ With Juana Molina

October 17, 2013 • We were thrilled to have Juana Molina on this week's show to talk about her new album, Wed21, her musical influences, and how to rebel when your parents have the coolest musical tastes ever.

Like Being Hypnotized: Guest DJ With Juana Molina

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Review

Music Interviews

A Master on a Masterwork: Machito's 'Kenya'

December 22, 2007 • The last time Scott Simon spoke to percussionist Bobby Sanabria, it was about Sanabria's newest CD, which has since been nominated for a Grammy Award. Now, Sanabria wants listeners to meet a classic Afro-Cuban album: Machito's Kenya.

A Master on a Masterwork: Machito's 'Kenya'

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Review

Basic Jazz Record Library

Various Artists: 'The Original Mambo Kings: An Introduction To Afro-Cubop 1948-1954'

August 1, 2001 • In the 1940s and 1950s, some of the greatest jazz and Latin musicians performed together in New York and Havana. This festive album, The Original Mambo Kings: An Introduction to Afro-Cubop 1948-1954, features Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bebo Valdes and many others who capture the spirit of the era.

Various Artists: 'The Original Mambo Kings: An Introduction To Afro-Cubop 1948-1954'

3:04

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Review

Basic Jazz Record Library

Machito & His Afro-Cuban Salseros: 'Mucho Macho'

August 1, 2001 • Machito emigrated to the United States in 1937, after years of being a professional musician in Cuba. The timing was perfect, as Afro-Cuban jazz (a variety of Latin jazz) was on the verge of becoming popular. Machito and his band became a master of the genre, as displayed on this energetic album.

Machito & His Afro-Cuban Salseros: 'Mucho Macho'

3:02

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Mambo! Afro-Cuban Takes On Jazz Classics

Conguero Poncho Sanchez gave Frank Foster's swing classic, "Shiny Stockings," a new identity as a mambo. Charley Gallay/Getty Images Entertainment hide caption

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Charley Gallay/Getty Images Entertainment

Take Five: A Jazz Sampler

Mambo! Afro-Cuban Takes On Jazz Classics

February 22, 2010 • Jazz musicians have long mined Broadway, the Great American Songbook, and even pop music for material. Here are five Latin interpretations of songs written by jazz musicians, a process that isn't as easy as playing the chords of a jazz composition over a mambo rhythm.

Give The Drummer Some: Conga/Timbal Duos

Tito Puente, above playing in London, was one of the best percussionists of any era. Simon Ritter/Redferns/Getty Images hide caption

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Simon Ritter/Redferns/Getty Images

Take Five: A Jazz Sampler

Give The Drummer Some: Conga/Timbal Duos

May 26, 2009 • Want a great conversation-starter with a fan of Latin jazz? Ask, "What's your favorite pairing of conga and timbales?" Many long-standing percussion duos display seemingly telepathic interplay — the intensity of a runaway train mixed with the kind of swing that makes hips move by themselves. Picking five was a chore, but here they are.