Rolling Afro-Latin Music 2026: Reggaeton, Dembow, Latin Pop, Salsa,Bachata, Bomba, Latin Jazz, Merengue, Urbano and more Latinx

Once again defining the music broadly here but trying to emphasize Caribbean & the Americas rooted Reggaeton, dembow, Latin pop, Salsa, Bachata, Bomba, Latin Jazz, Merengue, Urbano (more than pop-rock but occasional mentions of that genre are ok too). Hybrid music with Latin trap and Mexican Regional traditional styles combined are ok too

2025 thread here -

Rolling Afro-Latin Music 2025: Reggaeton, Dembow, Latin Pop, Salsa,Bachata, Bomba, Latin Jazz, Merengue, Urbano and more Latinx

¡Feliz año!

Heh, just heard a song I performed at karaoke last year with your new DJ friend.

Also, there is a tribute to Andy Gonzalez at the Jazz church, St. Peter's, tonight.

Cool re the mystery karaoke song. Did you go to the Andy Gonzalez event? Sounds like it turned into a tribute to he and his brother Jerry. I miss them both

I see online that -- eleven-year-old Julia Girau Gonzalez, Jerry’s youngest daughter. Through music, she spoke volumes. Playing what appeared to be her father’s trumpet, Julia delivered a beautiful and emotionally resonant performance, joined in duet by Andy’s protege Luques Curtis.

I didn't go, just looked at the photos on social media. I assume it might be streaming on the St. Peter's YouTube account.

I imagine Luques is still feeling the pain of Eddie Palmieri's passing.

In fact, I might even know so, since I asked a good friend of his a little while back.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-latin-lists/best-latin-songs-2025-1235477925/

Rolling Stone top Latin Pop songs of 2025

Continuing from the other thread: if you like boleros half as much as I do, be sure to follow catalinaplazaa on Instagram. There seems to be a new live reel every other day.

A random new video from them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnCH2Uk1TsM

https://artsfuse.org/322913/the-20th-annual-francis-davis-jazz-poll-latin-jazz-albums/

Latin jazz 2025 Francis Davis Jazz poll results

Miguel Zenon won. I heard Zenon on a panel discussing Bad Bunny and he was smart and enthusiastic as he always is in interviews and social media. Unfortunately on his own albums he doesn’t always musically sound like to me someone who clearly knows and loves salsa and reggaeton and Bad Bunny. I am not by the way trying to be one of those white guys telling someone of another heritage to know their place and stay in their own lane. Zenon is good at what he is doing, it just doesn’t always wow my interests.

Will give 2025 live album another listen though

First 4 songs of Zenon’s Village Vanguard album swing like jazz but I don’t hear any traces of clave or reggaeton. Will listen to rest of it later.

Zenon doesn’t seem to want to do clave or reggaeton in a noticeable way even though he knows those rhythms well.

Excellent trio streaming from Terraza right now

Oh, I missed it.

Been listening to Weed 420 who made Chuck Eddy’s top albums of 2025 list. The vocalist at times has that cartoonish snarling voice that Dominican dembow vocalist El Alfa has ( which I enjoy).

Not too many Latin artists made the ILM tracks poll for 2025

There were 7 votes split between 2 different Bad bunny tracks, and also some votes for Rosalia. we shall see what shows up in album votes