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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Salsa legend, Willie Colon, has died at age 75. Colon was a key part of salsa's development in the 1970's as an instrumentalist, songwriter and producer.
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The South Bronx bandleader took the Latin genre to new heights while recording for Fania Records. -
The Grammy winner and Blue Note label head recalls the unique challenges and rewards he faced when the late Bob Weir recruited him for an intimate new project in 2018. -
For three decades with the Grateful Dead and three more after the group ended following the 1995 death of his bandmate Jerry Garcia, Weir helped build and sustain the band's legacy across generations. -
The Alt.Latino and El Tiny host shares his favorite records of the year, including jazz musicians from across Latin America as well as vocalists inspired by folk, rock and pop whose work defies genre. -
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The son of Cuban immigrants, Malo and his band blended country, rock and roll, folk, jump blues, Latin music and Cajun rhythms into a distinct sound anchored by his unmistakable voice. -
2025 has had some stellar non-fiction. NPR staffer recommend their picks from our Books We Love list - with subjects ranging from Desi Arnaz to women and war.
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NPR Music's Felix Contreras remembers one of salsa music's architects — Eddie Palmieri — who died Wednesday at 88.
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NPR Music received a record number of entries to this year's Tiny Desk Contest: 7,500. The judges discovered so many amazing entries, and now we're sharing some of those standouts here.
