Felix Contreras

Omar Sosa & Paolo Fresu: Tiny Desk Concert

Felix Contreras — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:18:00 +0000

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.

You can hear Sosa draw on more than 100 years of Cuban piano in the recognizable rhythms of his country's music.

Jesse & Joy, Juanes Win Big At Latin Grammys

Felix Contreras — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:41:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2hM9CLAMu4

Flaco Jimenez: Tiny Desk Concert

Felix Contreras — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 19:03:00 +0000

Watching Flaco Jimenez play his button accordion is like looking back in time. His grandfather started playing an accordion in cantinas and family parties along the Texas/Mexican border around the late 1800s. Then Flaco's dad, Santiago Jimenez Sr., carried on the family tradition when he released his first record in 1936.

Two of the songs you hear Flaco Jimenez play in this Tiny Desk Concert are traditional German polkas; they were popular in the mid-1800s as German immigrants settled in Texas before it became part of the U.S. almost 20 years later.

Yva Las Vegass: Tiny Desk Concert

Felix Contreras — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:20:00 +0000

At NPR Music, we get stacks of CDs in the mail, as well as countless links to music streams, from bands trying to stand out and get some attention. It's safe to say that we all share similar previewing procedures: At some point, we just sit and listen.

What are we listening for? I can't speak for the others, but I'm constantly in search of music I haven't heard, but which sounds as if it's been in my life forever.

That's exactly what happened when I put on Yva Las Vegass' album, I was born in a place of sunshine and the smell of ripe mangoes.

Renaud Garcia-Fons: Tiny Desk Concert

Felix Contreras — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:38:00 +0000

Double bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons was destined to create music that spans genres and borders: He was born in France to a family with roots in the Catalonia region of Spain, and he's fluent in French, Spanish and English. Classical, jazz and flamenco represent equal parts of his musical DNA, and his technique reflects the delicate arco stylings of concert halls, the deep groove of jazz and the raw vitality of flamenco.

This appearance behind Bob Boilen's desk captures more than just Garcia-Fons' masterful technique.