Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month With NPR Music

Plus, introducing our new podcast: "Louder Than A Riot."

by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna NPR As Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras likes to say, celebrating Hispanic heritage happens year-round on the show. But for National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, he’s planned a special series of podcasts, interviews and live events to celebrate. All month, Alt.Latino’s weekly episodes will feature monumental Latinx cultural figures, from a reflection on the 50th anniversary of Santana’s album Abraxas to a profile of superstar producer Tainy, as well as a few Spanish-language extra episodes. Felix will also host live interviews on Instagram with Latinx artists and newsmakers including Linda Diaz, the winner of the 2020 Tiny Desk Contest.  The Tiny Desk team is getting in on the celebrations, too. In October, we’ll publish a week’s worth of Tiny Desk (home) concerts from Latinx musicians. Our friends at World Cafe will feature special interviews, playlists and radio sessions with artists like Chicano Batman, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Jorge Drexler and ÌFÉ all month long. And NPR Live Sessions, our collaboration with music stations across the country, will publish performances every day, too – like this rendition of “Pronto Vamo A Llega” by electrópico artist Mr. Pauer. ¡Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana! Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music WGBO’s 2020 Fall Preview assembles 88 new jazz albums and events by improvising artists across the broadest possible range of styles: from newly unearthed discoveries made decades ago to conscious responses to current conditions (and works made merely in spite of them). On Anjimile’s debut album, the Boston-based singer-songwriter sings lush, warm songs full of wonder and joy at having emerged on the other side of hardship. Anjimile spoke to NPR Music ahead of Giver Taker’s release about finding their voice, releasing music in a crisis and loving The Lion King. On this week's All Songs Considered new music mix, host Bob Boilen shares new music from some longtime favorites – Kevin Morby, Jeff Tweedy and Adrianne Lenker – plus tracks from a few newer-to-us names that you need to know know, including Maple Glider, BONZIE and Cautious Clay.  Recently, Morning Edition has been reaching out to musicians to get their take on the COVID-19 era and to ask them to write an original song inspired by this tumultuous time. At first, the Indigo Girls were apprehensive about being able to reflect the complexity of this time without a little distance – but a few conversations with loved ones led to the duo’s new track, “Long Ride.”  Featuring North Carolina luthier Freeman Vines creates what have been called "contemporary art sculptures hidden as guitars" out of old wood, some of it from a tree used for a lynching. "There was something about that wood that was mental, spiritual," Vines says. Stanley Crouch, the lauded, fiery and controversial jazz critic, died this week. His engagement with American culture spanned more than five decades and numerous mediums, and his influence on the life and shape of jazz will remain unquantifiable. Sayonara Wild Hearts, released one year ago this week, is a unique video game that's also a full-fledged pop album. After the many months we’ve all spent stuck indoors, the game’s dreamy visuals and synth-pop anthems are more resonant than ever. 50 years ago, Yusuf Islam – then known as Cat Stevens – released his landmark album Tea for the Tillerman. This year, he’s looking back; he spoke to Morning Edition about the release of Tea for the Tillerman 2, an album of re-recorded versions of the songs from his 1970 masterpiece.  Tiny Desk NPR Nubya Garcia’s Tiny Desk (home) concert didn't happen at home. In a Tiny Desk concert series first, the acclaimed saxophonist and composer recorded her set on the water – at Soup Studio, to be precise: the recording facility built on a decommissioned floating lighthouse moored on the River Thames where she recorded her new album. Also this week: a set of yearning R&B-pop songs performed at home by Arlo Parks and a fiery, glitter-bedecked set from Declan McKenna. Plus: The always-funny late-night hosts and comedians Desus Nice and The Kid Mero pick their favorite Tiny Desk concerts. Incoming Coming Oct. 8, our new podcast Louder Than A Riot tracks the interconnected rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration. Hosted by Rodney Carmicheal and Sidney Madden, each episode explores an artist’s story, tracing the collision between rhyme and punishment. Hear the trailer now, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.  One More Thing At least the weather’s relatively calm in space? What do you think of today's email? 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