NPR : World Cafe

Latin Roots: Bossa Nova, Brazil's Answer To Jazz

This installment of the Latin Roots series for World Cafe explores bossa nova music, guided by Latin-music expert Ernesto Lechner. Lechner grew up in Buenos Aires, where his parents' record collection consisted of classical records and a solitary bossa nova LP. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he was immersed in Latin music and subsequently became a music journalist, publishing several books on the subject. Lechner co-hosts the radio show Latin Alternative and works as a contributing writer for Rolling Stone, L.A. Times and Chicago Tribune. He's also the author of Rock en Espanol: The Latin Alternative Rock Explosion.

In this segment of Latin Roots, Lechner joins World Cafe host David Dye to explore bossa nova — including the origins, influences and musical components of this popular style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova originated in Brazil in the late '50s, when a new generation of musicians, fascinated with American jazz, combined it with samba. Lechner shares two bossa nova tracks to give a sense of the genre: "Samba De Uma Nota So" by Silvia Telles and "So Nice (Summer Samba)" by Bebel Gilberto from the album Tanto Tempo.

Listen to Ernesto Lechner's essential bossa nova playlist on Spotify.

Copyright 2012 WXPN-FM. To see more, visit http://www.xpn.org/.

NPR

Meet London's Master Architects In Jell-0

London duo Sam Bompas and Harry Parr have made names for themselves with their wild, experimental food installations. From pineapple islands and banana vapors to re-creations of famous architectural monuments, their work playfully pushes the boundary of how we experience food.
NPR

Meet London's Master Architects In Jell-0

London duo Sam Bompas and Harry Parr have made names for themselves with their wild, experimental food installations. From pineapple islands and banana vapors to re-creations of famous architectural monuments, their work playfully pushes the boundary of how we experience food.
NPR

Stunned By Military Sex Scandals, Advocates Demand Changes

As the nation prepares to mark Memorial Day, outrage has been building on Capitol Hill and beyond over the military's failure to repair a system that has placed service members in more danger of sexual assault than of battlefield injury.
NPR

Google Reportedly Faces FTC Antitrust Probe Over Display Ads

The Federal Trade Commission is in the early stages of opening an antitrust probe into how Google runs its online display advertising business, according to a report by Bloomberg News, citing sources who want to remain anonymous because the FTC has not announced the probe.

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