recommend me some latin music...

read: ...c90 for a cafe seeks...

non-Bueno Vista Social Club Cuban music:
Los Zafiros-Cuban doo-wop that is exquisite.
Estrellas de Arieto (sp?)-Cuban seventies supergroup jamming on son (oops, it does have BVSC folks).

amores perros sndtrk [kinda up to date, yet very palatable to nortes]
johnny ventura [classic merengue]
ocho [70s nu yorican]
"nasty sex", la revolucion de emiliano zapato - from y tu mama sndtrk
machito - esp. with graciela, like "donde estaba tu"
mongo santamaria
laurindo almeida
elena ledda - contemporary sardinian singer
zuco 103 [dutch/brazilian, very sweet]
flora purim [70s brazilian jazz singer from return to forever]

los zafiros - good recommendation, 2nded

Azuquita: California (from Salsa Pura, Latin soul or boogaloo that works its way into a guajira)

I could list lots of songs, but can't at the moment. More later.

Sixto Llorente (a Cuban) singing "Mi Magdalena" (an old Brazilian song), salsa style (but not too overbearing for background music, I think).

You must include some cumbia. Here's a great starting point:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000023UW/qid=1058389350/sr=1-49/ref=sr_1_49/104-5407013-9586322?v=glance&s=music

Cumbia: "The term Cumbia refers to both a style of Colombian folk-dance music, which originated on the country's northern Atlantic coast, and its dominant rhythm, which was assimilated into a great deal of Latin-American music in the Northern Hemisphere. Cumbia was a synthesis of the traditions of three separate cultures: former slaves of African descent, who contributed the rhythms and percussion instruments; descendants of European colonists, primarily Hispanics, who influenced the music's melodic progressions; and native Americans descended from Andean tribes, who affected cumbia's melodic and harmonic sense and also contributed the flutes on which cumbia was initially played. Additionally, the geographical location of Colombia's northern coast left the area open to influences from the Caribbean, which probably accounts for cumbia's resemblance to other styles from the region; the most notable similarity is its steady backbeat, which is closer to Jamaican popular music than to the fluid, shifting rhythms of Latin jazz and salsa. In its purest, most folk-derived form, cumbia is played on a combination of African drums and native American flutes, but the accordion eventually became the most popular lead instrument; organ and harp have also found favor in some quarters. Cumbia's infectious, highly danceable beat found its way overseas, beginning around the 1960s, and became an indispensable tool for many Latin bands and orchestras; it achieved special popularity in Mexico, where many groups incorporated it into their repertoire of popular songs. The cumbia tradition helped give rise to vallenato, a similar style that became Colombia's signature sound during the late 20th century; the main differences are that vallenato is usually played at a slower tempo, places a great deal more emphasis on the poetry of its lyrics, and draws from several different rhythms instead of one signature beat." -Allmusicguide

Anything from Perez prado - mambo!

I don't really know why people like cumbia so much. Most of the stuff I've heard has done little for me. Maybe I haven't heard the right things.

I don't think I can, or anyway should, recommend 100's, since they are mostly going to be salsa; and if not salsa, then things with a Puerto Rican/NuYorican slant. I own hardly any Cuban music, and little Latin American music outside of salsa.

Hints about mood, genre, and era would be helpful.

On Baden Powell's Live in Hamburg (probably out of print now), under the title of "Variacao," there's a nice angular solo guitar treatment of the Girl from Ipanema.

Others (with non-salsa oriented &/or less commonly heard things clustered near the top):

Violeta Parra: "Gracias a la Vida" (Chilean. More of a folk song, though I don't think it's a true anonymous folk song.)
Leila Pinheiro: "Pra Iluminar" (one of my favorite Brazilian songs
Carlos Vivies: "Fruta Fresca" (Vallenato. Great song if you don't mind using something very upbeat and distracting.)
Manolin: "Te Conozco Mascarita" (sp?) (Contemporary Cuban, who recently defected to U.S., singing funky timba song with corny intro., one of the only examples of timba that I've gotten into.)
Paulito F.G.: "Son de un Amigo" (Contemporary, relatively young, Cuban singer, performing an old genre, in this case.)
Angel Canales: "Dos Gardenias" (a widely covered song)
Cuco Valoy: "Mariana Engracia" (Dominican. Slow, comparatively delicate salsa song, with acoustic guitar.)
Willie Colon/Mon Rivera: La Humanidad
Ismael Rivera con Cortijo y su Combo: "El Negro Bembon"
La India (with Eddie Palmieri): "Yemaya y Ochun (Prelude)" and "Yemaya y Ochun" (The first part features very beautiful traditional religious singing from Yoruba or Santeria traditions, or something of that sort. Moves into a son montuno (I think), and then salsa.)
Eddie Palmieri: "Tema de Apollo"
Celia Cruz (w/ Johnny Pacheco): "Toro Mata"
Celia Cruz (w/ Willie Colon): "Usted Abuso"
Jose "Cheo" Feliciano: "Mi Triste Problema" (Usually just referred to as Cheo Feliciano. Bolero.)

Oh, also, something by Beny More (if I didn't say that already). I don't have any CDs by him yet, but I am pretty sure I will like him, from hearing brief samples.

oh my gawd here he goes again recommending that damned EL GRAN SILENCIO the greatest band in North America!

(also anything by Julieta Venegas or Jaguares or Aterciopelados or Los Fabulosos Cadillacs or Bersuit Vergabarat or Cabruera or La Mosca Tse Tse or Kinky or La Ley or Jorge Ben or Gilberto Gil or Molotov--well, better make sure you check the lyrix with those guys--or Illya Kuryiakin y los Valderramas or Yusa or Cibelle (!!!) or Suba or Celso Fonseca or Carlinhos Brown or Daniela Mercury should be fine for your purposes there)

Os Mutantes of course. Great 60s latin psych. pop, made with crazy home made instruments.

Tom Ze, Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben are all great as well.

Granted, all that I know is Brazillian, but I love it.

i like gilberto gil, too - "espresso 222"

cafe tacuba is from mexico and they play funny, inventive pop-rock in an American style but they sing in Spanish

Is anyone here listening to salsa? Other Latin music?

You also might want to check out Masters at Work and other house producers like that, too. A lot of New York house is Latin-flavored, with claves and counter-rhythms, great for a café; two like this are "Salsa" by Albertracks and "Brazilian Beat (Dope Mix)" (on Brazilian Beats Vol. 1). Also Snowboy is cool, he's like a crossover between New York latin house and latin music proper....

muchas gracias! thanks for the suggestions. while exploring some of them, i came across two latin musicians i'd like to suggest to anyone who come across this thread that will soon be forgotten:

1. Estrella Morente - Spanish Flamenco Singer whose impassioned vocals raise goosebumps while breaking my heart

2. Lhasa de Sela - Mexican, Canadian, ...? hearing her beautiful voice results in symptoms described under item #1 (above).

Jorge Ben, City Of God Soundtrack, Os Mutantes, Tamba Trio, Antonio Carlos Jobim

Check out the Tucson based band Calexico, they have some great mexican tunes. Great stuff

Cafe Tacuba is a great latin rock band!

I like the song "Maria Lando" by Susana Baca, in fact I like all I've heard from Susana Baca!

"Sueño con Serpientes" by Silvio Rodriguez is a really great Cuban folk song!

I thought "Mala Vida" by Mano Negra was the greatest latin rock song ever, but it's come to my attention that they're actually French! Download it anyway!!

I just borrowed Susan Baca's Espiritu Vivo from the library, and I like it a lot more than I'd expected.

I like the cover of "Toro Mata" here (which is one of the songs I like on Celia & Johnny (Celia Cruz/Johnny Pacheco). They've given it a totally different rhythmic framework, and it works.