Latin Flavor Classic Edition

Hosted by Jim Byers

Latin Flavor Classic Edition focuses tightly on Palladium Ballroom-era Latin jazz, roughly 1946 to 1966, making it one of very few programs in the country dedicated to the period. Jim Byers joined WPFW at twenty-eight after founding producer Hector Corporan and DJ Rhonda Shore saw his record collection. Drawing on more than 20,000 records, he paints a musical portrait with entry points for both novices and experts, and his signature segment, News According to Mambo, ties vintage rhythms to current events. Byers calls the work revolutionary radio: in an era when community stories are erased, preserving history is a radical act. The program is now part of History of Pop Music curricula at Boston College and Boston University.