Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream now with KPBS Passport + Encore Sunday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m. on KPBS 2
Día de los Muertos—Day of the Dead—has become a globally recognized Mexican tradition celebrated in Latino neighborhoods throughout the United States and by people of Mexican heritage everywhere. Traditionally observed on the first two days of November, Día de los Muertos sees families and friends paying their respects to deceased loved ones with colorful and festive gatherings filled with food, flowers and warm remembrances rather than funereal mourning.
Taped before a live audience deep within the unique and beautiful “underworld” of The Caverns, a subterranean amphitheater in Middle Tennessee, “Día de los Muertos” includes performances by the following artists:
LOS LOBOS – with their unique GRAMMY-winning amalgamation of rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues and traditional music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños, the East L.A. band formed almost 50 years ago has sold millions of records, won prestigious awards and made fans around the world.
OZOMATLI – this longtime Los Angeles-based band brings the evening’s energy up with their lively mash-up of salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, rap and several types of Latin music: tropical genres like merengue and cumbia, Mexican styles like norteño and Jamaican ska and reggae, all mixed with a heavy dose of hip-hop and funk.
FLOR DE TOLOACHE – this Latin GRAMMY Award-winning, New York-based, all-female group combines old-style Mariachi with a modern edge. Featured on NPR and THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT, Flor de Toloache’s distinctive sound is a fresh, genre-busting take on traditional Mexican music.
The audience is composed of Tennessee’s diverse Latino communities, many in skeleton makeup and traditional costumes, organized by the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. The performances are intermixed with short vignettes produced by San Francisco filmmaker Jennifer Maytorena Taylor that illuminate the meaning of Día de los Muertos.
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"Día de los Muertos" is now available to stream on demand with KPBS Passport! KPBS Passport is a member benefit that unlocks exclusive shows and extra content on the PBS App.
Credits: Produced by Todd Jarrell Productions, LLC in association with PBS and Latino Public Broadcasting. The executive producer is Todd Jarrell. The executive producer for LPB is Sandie Viquez Pedlow.
