Huey Morgan's Latin Music Adventure - Season 1

The 6Music presenter embarks on a quest to understand Latin Music's enduring appeal. Arriving in Rio, Huey learns that Brazil's newly elected government has come out against the hedonistic atmosphere of carnival and that Mangueira Samba School group is just one of many planning a protest. Later, he meets Gilberto Gil, who pioneered a new, politically conscious sound known as Tropicália. It was so radical - and its social implications so profound - that Gil was imprisoned and finally exiled in 1969. In Salvador, Huey meets percussionist Carlinhos Brown to talk about how afro positive music has shaped the sound of Brazil.

After the Communist revolution of 1959, Cuba effectively closed its doors to the sights and sounds of the rest of the world. From this point, its music evolved in isolation from the other Latin speaking countries, with traditional forms placed at the heart of their sound. The rhythms and melodies of Cuba's people have captured the hearts of fans all around the world, and now that the government is gradually relaxing restrictions. Huey sets off from the capital Havana to explore the rich musical legacy of the island, as well as getting a taste of things to come.

Huey visits New York City, home to over a million Puerto Ricans and the place where he first fell in love with the hot sounds of Latin Music. `El Barrio" or Spanish Harlem became the focal point for the community, with Latin music the soundtrack to their survival. Fusing traditional music with American R`n"B and soul, newly minted Nuyoricans created the '60s dance craze, the Boogaloo. Flying south to Puerto Rico itself Huey sets off on a journey to discover the music that was left behind, hunting down the roots of Salsa in the capital San Juan, and the traditional folk styles of Bomba and Plena.