We’ve all heard of the bolero, which has its modern roots in nineteenth century Santiago de Cuba (even though we might not be able to hum one on cue). But what about the cuartetazo? Born in Córdoba, Argentina, and derived from Spanish and Italian dances, the name is derived from the fact that the earliest players were invariably four-piece bands. The rhythm is similar to merengue.

¿Quién es Javier García? With his producer (and two-time Academy Award winner) Gustavo Santaolalla, Javier Garcia talks about his roots and influences. Also, we learn about some noted musicians who contributed to the album 13, including the great trumpet player, Arturo Sandoval.

Javier Garcia was born in Madrid to a Cuban father and spent his earliest years in Spain before heading to boarding school in Ireland (from whence his mother comes), finishing high school in Miami after the age of 16. So what kind of Spanish accent does he have? Well, by his own admission, something of a Cuban one when he sings, a kind of a Spanish one when he talks… (we called him and asked!)

If Javier doesn’t get you swinging, swaying and stumbling over your two left feet with this tune, you’re at the wrong site! The trumpet is courtesy of the incomparable Arturo Sandoval, who we had the pleasure of seeing at the Blue Note a while back. A drunken and noisy Tom Jones showed up mid-set with full entourage, causing the fiery Sandoval to call for ¡cállate!

We happened upon Pipita on the sidewalk in Madrid and she introduced us to her traveling companion, Nuria Gonzales. Nuria hails from Asturias, in the north of Spain, but now teaches Spanish at a university in the USA. Lucky for us, they both agreed to an on-the-spot exclusive interview.

Let's continue our guessing games with more colors!

Guess the colors of the things Idoia and Ester from El Aula Azul are describing, and learn some vocabulary in the process!

Idoia, our teacher at El Aula Azul, teaches us several important Spanish terms to talk about different points in the future, enabling us to effectively talk about our upcoming plans.

Idoia from El Aula Azul teaches us a useful grammatical structure for talking about our future plans.

Let's learn yet another way to talk about possession from the teachers at El Aula Azul.

Singer-songwriter Luis Guitarra teaches us to count with our fingers, some cute stuffed animals, and a catchy tune!

How do we talk about possession, or the things we have, in Spanish? Let's find out with Ester from El Aula Azul.

Let's practice how to speak in Spanish about actions that we're doing right now, in this moment, with Ester from El Aula Azul.

Using several habitual actions that many Spanish people do, Idoia from El Aula Azul teaches us to conjugate -ar, -er, and -ir verbs in the present indicative.

Ariana shares with us details about her home and lifestyle in Malaga, Spain.