Forum From the Archives: 'Jazz Hero' Jesse 'Chuy' Varela on the History of Latin Jazz in the Bay Area and Beyond

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 5 July 2024

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Radio host, journalist, musician, and musicologist Jesse “Chuy” Varela has been a treasured fixture of the Bay Area jazz scene for more than 40 years. When the Jazz Journalists Association honored him with their “Jazz Hero” award last year they wrote that “his deep knowledge of Latin American and Caribbean music has nurtured the boundaryless nature of the Bay Area’s scene, in which musicians prominently collaborate across the jazz/Latin jazz divide.” The KCSM program and music director will join us to talk about the history of Latin Jazz, including the Bay Area’s role…and play some of his favorite tunes. Guest: Jesse "Chuy" Varela, program and music director, KCSM JAZZ 91.1; host, "The Latin Jazz Show” on Sundays at 2 PM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	Support for Key QBD Podcasts comes from San Francisco International Airport. At SFO, you can shop,
0:06.7	dine, and unwind before your flight. Go ahead, treat yourself. Learn more about SFO restaurants and
0:12.7	shops at flysfo.com. Support for forum comes from Broadway SF, presenting Parade, the musical revival based on a true story.
0:23.1	From three-time Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown comes the story of Leo and Lucille Frank,
0:29.6	a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in Georgia. When Leo is accused of an
0:35.3	unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice, and devotion.
0:43.3	The riveting and gloriously hopeful parade plays the Orpheum Theater for three weeks only, May 20th through June 8th.
0:51.7	Tickets on sale now at Broadwaysf.com.
0:56.6	From KQED.
0:58.0	From KQED.
1:13.3	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal.
1:17.5	All week we've been featuring recent interviews with Bay Area Culture Makers.
1:19.2	Today, Jesse Chui Barela.
1:25.5	He hosts a famous Latin jazz show on KCSM and is one of the world's experts on the genre.
1:28.8	Get ready for a mini masterclass in one of the defining musical forms of the last 75 years, Latin jazz. It's a distinct manifestation of
1:36.2	diasporic music with roots in both the United States and across the Caribbean and Latin America.
1:42.2	Stay tuned for more Latin jazz with Chui Varela right after this news.
2:00.2	Welcome to Forum. I'm Alexis Madrigal. You know, as I got ready for this show, I began to realize how fuzzy my knowledge of this realm of music really was. Did I know the difference between salsa and Latin jazz? Were Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz the same thing? What about Mambo, Basanova? And isn't all jazz kind of Latin
2:18.8	jazz, given that New Orleans, at least, has deep Caribbean roots? Luckily, we have one of the
2:24.1	real experts here with us this Friday morning. Jesse Chui Varela has been hosting a Latin
2:29.2	jazz show for nearly 40 years. Now it's at KCSM, that's 91.1, and he's here to share his knowledge for
2:37.9	and love of the genre. Welcome, Julie. Oh, thank you, Alex. It's really a blessing to be here with you
	...

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