Now Hear This "New American Voices"

Scott Yoo travels to Chicago to learn about the music that shaped Brazilian composer Sergio Assad. Assad explains the history of samba, and how it was musically influenced by Portugal, Africa, and Brazil.

Composer Reena Esmail breaks down the difference between raga and tala in Indian classical music, and how their function compares to scales and rhythms in Western classical music. Host Scott Yoo then gets treated to a performance to illustrate how this works.

Scott Yoo discovers how American composers are inspired by their immigrant roots today through two composers: Brazilian-born Sergio Assad and Indian American Reena Esmail.