Jorge Drexler is one of the most decorated singer-songwriters in Latin America. His albums are always high profile events, and his latest record merits the attention. It's called Taracá, and to make it he returned home to his native Uruguay - after living in Spain for 30 years - to explore the roots of an Afro-Uruguayan tradition known as candombe. On this week's episode we chat with Drexler about the motivation for returning to his home country, making music after losing his parents, and how the album's title reflects the sound made by a candombe drum.
Songs featured in this episode:
- Jorge Drexler, 'El tambor chico',
- Jorge Drexler, 'Ante la duda, baila'
- Alfredo Zitarrosa, "Doña Soledad'
- Jorge Drexler, 'Nuestro trabajo / Los Puentes'
This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.
Copyright 2026 NPR
