Felix Contreras

Felix Contreras is a reporter and producer for NPR's Arts Desk specializing in coverage of jazz, world music, and Latino arts and culture. He is also the co-host of Alt.Latino, NPR's new web based program about Latin Alternative music.

As a producer and reporter for the NPR's Arts desk, Contreras has covered arts and technology issues; reported a series of stories on the financial challenges facing aging jazz musicians; and recently profiled a legendary Mexican singer for the "50 Great Voices" series. He once stood on the stage of the legendary jazz club The Village Vanguard after interviewing the club's owner and swears he felt the spirits of Coltrane and Monk walking through the room.

A part- time jazz musician, Contreras plays Afro Cuban percussion with various jazz and Latin bands. He is a recovering television journalist who has worked for both NBC and Univision.

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Alt.Latino
12:34 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

A Kind Of Magic: New Latin Music, Sprinkled With Discovery Dust

Originally published on Mon June 17, 2013 11:00 am

Tiny Desk Concerts
5:25 pm
Mon April 22, 2013

Omar Sosa & Paolo Fresu: Tiny Desk Concert

Credit Lizzie Chen / NPR

Originally published on Mon May 6, 2013 10:21 am

You don't really listen to an Omar Sosa concert so much as experience it. The Cuban-born pianist's overall demeanor exudes a sense of calm and deep reflection, while a spiritual connection to music and his ancestors comes through in his piano playing.

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A Blog Supreme
12:55 pm
Sat April 20, 2013

Tito Puente: 90 Years Of Getting People To Dance

Originally published on Sat April 20, 2013 7:38 pm

The percussionist and bandleader Tito Puente would have celebrated his 90th birthday this weekend on April 20. And the recently released box set Quatro: The Definitive Collection is a great place to start celebrating the once and forever King of Latin Music. It captures the driving sound of big band mambo and cha-cha-cha that launched people onto dance floors for decades.

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Alt.Latino
3:37 pm
Thu April 18, 2013

Guest DJ With California Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera

Originally published on Mon June 17, 2013 11:01 am

Alt.Latino
12:53 pm
Thu April 11, 2013

5 Stories About Immigration, In Song Form

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
Thousands of immigration activists gather in front of the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2013, in Washington, D.C.

Originally published on Mon June 17, 2013 11:01 am

SXSW: Live From Austin
2:04 pm
Mon April 1, 2013

Bajofondo, Live In Concert: SXSW 2013

Credit NPR

Originally published on Tue April 2, 2013 9:59 pm

  • Bajofondo, Recorded Live At Auditorium Shores

With eight accomplished musicians from Argentina and Uruguay, and a sound rooted in tango traditions, Bajofondo lays out a visual and aural feast. Led by Oscar and Grammy winner Gustavo Santaolalla, the group mashes up traditional candombe sounds and other forms with electronica to produce a mix that's hypnotic and danceable.

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SXSW: Live From Austin
2:11 pm
Tue March 19, 2013

Molotov, Live In Concert: SXSW 2013

Originally published on Thu April 11, 2013 10:02 am

  • Molotov, Recorded Live At Auditorium Shores

Politics and rock en Español go hand in hand, and Mexico City's Molotov is a flag-waver for that combination. The band formed in 1995 during an era in which seismic political changes transformed Mexican society; from the start, Molotov's music pointed fingers at economic and political institutions — and even aging rock stars.

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Alt.Latino
10:23 am
Thu January 17, 2013

Mad Musical Scientists: Latin Musicians Who Dare To Experiment

Originally published on Mon June 17, 2013 11:20 am

Alt.Latino
11:45 am
Thu January 10, 2013

This Week On Alt.Latino: Guest DJ Sandra Cisneros

Originally published on Mon June 17, 2013 11:04 am

Best Music Of 2012
10:03 am
Sat December 22, 2012

Staff Picks: Our Favorite Music Books Of 2012

Originally published on Mon December 24, 2012 11:55 am

In 2012, writers who tackled musical topics dove deep, got weird, burrowed into a niche; we joyfully followed them to depths we never would have expected when the year began. We devoured works of criticism, history, biography and the Zen of John Cage and Tony Bennett.

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