Alt.Latino: Portraits of Jazz and Identity in Latin America
5 November 2025 - 28 minsEver 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 seems to be a strong showing of contemporary musicians from various Latin American countries who not only play jazz but also mix certain Latin American folk traditions into their sound.
So, this week I spoke with six of them: vocalist Claudia Acuña from Chile, Argentine vocalists Sofia Rei and Roxana Amed, Mexican vocalist Magos Herrera, guitarist/vocalist Camila Meza and tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana.
Each has a story about identity, living the jazz dream and how they came to jazz.
Hopefully you’ll use this ro...
Series Episodes
Alt.Latino: If the singer falls silent, life falls silent: Female power anthems
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All Songs Considered: Cruelly ranking the best original song Oscar nominees
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Alt.Latino: From church basement to salsa immortality: Remembering Willie Colón
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