Music, Laughter, Honey: Dayme Arocena's Secret Recipe

When I first heard Cuban vocalist Dayme Arocena, I heard the influence of both Celia Cruz and Aretha Franklin. That may seem like an unlikely combination of inspirations, but it's not.

Arocena isn't even 25, and she's already assembled a catalog of stop-you-in-your-tracks recordings, first for the influential British radio host and producer Gilles Peterson and then as a member of Maqueque, a Cuban band assembled by Canadian saxophonist Jane Bunnett.

In this week's show, Arocena disputes the idea that Cuban performers were isolated from U.S. music for the past 50 years. The countries' give-and-take is heard in recordings that were widely available as European imports or from Latin America. If that weren't already evident in her music, it's certainly clear in Alt.Latino's conversation with her this week.

Dayme Arocena's vibrant personality is reflected not just in her powerful records, but also in this raucous interview. We had tons of fun, and we hope you do, too.