From Latin Jazz and Mambo to Salsa, Tejano, Chicano Rock, Latin pop, and Reggaeton, Latin Music USA tells the story of the rise of new music forged from powerful Latin roots and reveals the often overlooked influence of Latin music on Jazz, Hip Hop, Rhythm and Blues and Rock and Roll. It's a fresh take on musical history, reaching across time and musical genres to embrace the exciting hybrid sounds created by Latinos: musical fusions that have deeply enriched popular music in the US over more than five decades. The series features memorable characters and vibrant music and dance showcasing the impressive range of Latin music, including, among others, Salsa greats Willie Colon and Marc Anthony; the Latin-inflected sound found in much of sixties Rock and Roll from the Drifters to Motown to the Rolling Stones; Carlos Santana; Linda Ronstadt; the legendary Chicano rock band Los Lobos; megastars Gloria and Emilio Estefan; Ricky Martin and Juanes; Miami rapper Pitbull; and Reggaeton performers Daddy Yankee and Tego Calderon. The life experiences of these and many other unforgettable artists will reveal how Latinos have reinvented music and forged new identities within the US, while never losing sight of their own rich traditions.
Latest Episode
Series 1 - Episode 1 - East Side Story
Aired - 01 March 2010
Episode summary:
The massive success of Santana's innovative Latin-blues at the Woodstock Festival leads back in time to the first Cuban immigrants arriving, with their Afro-Cuban music, into the States. Using feature film clips, rare archive and location filming, the programme reveals how Afro-Cuban music has impacted - since early last century - on jazz, pop rhythms and dance styles. From Cuban rumba to New York mambo, Latin music enthralled 1950s America, challenging racial attitudes and changing the stereotypes projected in movies like West Side Story. It influenced Hollywood, TV sitcoms and 60s rock 'n' roll, as the Beatles and many American R&B bands absorbed Latin rhythms into the wider worlds of rock music, fashion and culture. Featuring Carlos Santana, Cachao, Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie and the greatest names in Afro-Cuban music.
Episode summary:
The massive success of Santana's innovative Latin-blues at the Woodstock Festival leads back in time to the first Cuban immigrants arriving, with their Afro-Cuban music, into the States. Using feature film clips, rare archive and location filming, the programme reveals how Afro-Cuban music has impacted - since early last century - on jazz, pop rhythms and dance styles. From Cuban rumba to New York mambo, Latin music enthralled 1950s America, challenging racial attitudes and changing the stereotypes projected in movies like West Side Story. It influenced Hollywood, TV sitcoms and 60s rock 'n' roll, as the Beatles and many American R&B bands absorbed Latin rhythms into the wider worlds of rock music, fashion and culture. Featuring Carlos Santana, Cachao, Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie and the greatest names in Afro-Cuban music.
+ Series 1
+ Episode - 4 Divas and Superstars
Aired - 19 October 2009
+ Episode - 3 The Chicano Wave
Aired - 19 October 2009
+ Episode - 2 Salsa
Aired - 05 February 2010
+ Episode - 1 East Side Story
Aired - 01 March 2010
