Felix Contreras
Felix Contreras is co-creator and co-host of Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture since 2010 and a curator for the acclaimed Tiny Desk Concert series.
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. He appears regularly on NPR's award-winning newsmagazines, All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Various national and international publications have quoted his expertise on the contemporary influences of Latin culture, music, and media.
He's 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 the other NPR Music resident Deadhead and an Afro Caribbean percussionist who performs around the DC area with various jazz and Latin jazz bands.
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Known affectionately as El Judio Maravilloso, "the marvelous Jew," the Brooklyn-born pianist, arranger, producer and activist helped to popularize the music that would become known as salsa. -
The musician rose to fame in the 1960s and '70s, bringing global attention to his hip-shaking style of music. -
Pacheco was a prolific songwriter and musical arranger whose work helped fuel the careers of Celia Cruz and Ruben Blades. -
Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras shares new music from Natalia Lafourcade, Gina Chavez, Cindy Blackman Santana, Gaby Moreno and Mireya Ramos. -
An indomitable musical culture survived the tragedy of the international slave trade. Alt.Latino captured a weeklong celebration featuring artists Trombone Shorty, Tank and the Bangas and Cimafunk. -
NPR's Alt.Latino posts playlists weekly. We mine some recent playlists for some surprising and noteworthy tracks.
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After a week of relentless and emotionally taxing news, Alt.Latino gives us a playlist of soothing songs to wash away the stress.
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Santana's debut album was released on this day 50 years ago. NPR's Felix Contreras considers it a game-changing moment in the marriage of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and rock 'n' roll.
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The song "Afilando Los Cuchillos" was a major feature during the protests in Puerto Rico that led to the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rossello last week.
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Amid the most crucial political crisis to hit Puerto Rico in its modern history, Puerto Rican artists Residente, Bad Bunny and iLe respond with music in real time.
