Felix Contreras
Felix Contreras is co-creator and host of Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture since 2010.
In addition to his post behind the mic, Contreras programs music from the Latin diaspora for the acclaimed Tiny Desk concerts and hosts a weekly Instagram Live interview with a wide-ranging roster of guests.
A knowledgeable international ambassador for Latino heritage and arts, "Tio Felix '' travels extensively in search of new talent and new music and captures important legacy performers in jazz and Latin genres. Various national and international publications have quoted his expertise on the contemporary influences of Latin culture, music, and media.
His a recovering TV journalist whose first post at NPR in 2001 was as a Producer/Reporter for the NPR News Arts Desk. He is also NPR's resident Deadhead and performs around the DC area with his Latin music Beatles cover band, Los Day Trippers.
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Since the legendary singer began his career in the 1960s, he won Grammys in the jazz, pop and R&B categories. Just one clue that Jarreau, who died Sunday, was impossible to categorize.
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With Folkways curator Dan Sheehy as a guide, Alt.Latino explores how the music of West Africa has influenced Latin America and the Caribbean.
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In the wake of Fidel Castro's death, Alt.Latino looks at the artists who remained in Cuba after the revolution and those who've left — and how their music reflects both realities.
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Alt.Latino goes mining for new sounds in the less prominent categories of this year's Latin Grammys.
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Music from across the Latin world, plus an unforgettable "tribute to little brown girls everywhere."
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Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras shares some classic gems and some new tunes that both pay tribute to Puerto Rico's traditional sound and expand the island's musical tradition.
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Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras teams up with NPR classical music maven Tom Huizenga to talk about composers from Mexico, Puerto Rico and Brazil, delighting host Linda Wertheimer.
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Outlaw, "Okie from Muskogee," poet of working-class values and a fixture in country music for 50 years, Merle Haggard died Wednesday, April 6, his 79th birthday.
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Famous for its live jams, the band also benefited from spontaneity in its business dealings — especially once it realized fan loyalty could be used to create new fans.
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A member of the Count Basie and Duke Ellington Orchestras, Terry also enjoyed a long freelance career which included jazz education and a featured slot in NBC's Tonight Show band. He was 94.
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The beloved musician had a slight frame, an almost feminine voice and a late revival after a promising start and years of neglect.
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As the host of a weekly public radio program pairing conversation and duet performances, McPartland brought many jazz greats to an audience of millions. For more than 40 years, she offered an intimate perspective on the elusive topic of improvisation.