It's the heat — of passion.

As much of the Northern Hemisphere baked beneath record temperatures this week, I was reminded that cultures of warmer climes often use steamy weather as a hothouse for cultivating music that boils over with desire and longing.

The Latin American love song tradition is the focus of male vocal octet Cantus' final program of the season. Presented in the air-conditioned comfort of four intimate local venues, "Ramas y Raices" is a tour of four countries that allows each of the eight members to sing his heart out, toss in some of Cantus' patented tight harmonies and then sit back and let thunderstorms pour forth from a grand piano.

The latter comes courtesy of Nachito Herrera, a Latin jazz artist who's among the Twin Cities' most treasured musicians in any genre. After a near-death experience with COVID-19 early in the pandemic, Herrera demonstrated that he's back to full strength at Wednesday night's concert, practically rattling the ornate vintage window frames of Courtroom 317 in St. Paul's Landmark Center. As both soloist and accompanist, the Cuban pianist set a high bar for passion that the singers of Cantus intermittently matched.

These concerts feel like something of a late-pandemic welcome back for Herrera, at least for Twin Cities music lovers who don't regularly haunt jazz clubs like the Dakota or Crooners. But they also act as a farewell for the Cantus member whose influence is most palpable on this program — tenor Alberto de la Paz.

While the group has prided itself on its intercontinental acumen since its founding in 1995, the Mexico-born de la Paz helped bring Cantus' interpretive skills with Latin American music to new levels during his four years with the group. And his solo Wednesday provided the program's peak.

The evening was separated into four sections of four songs each, spotlighting 20th-century music from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Mexico. Each quadrant featured solos by two Cantus members, a full group tune and a Herrera solo improvisation inspired by compositions from that country.

Herrera's contributions were often showstoppers, his playing full of physical and emotional power and his strikes sometimes sounding too big for the room. But the piano received periodic breaks for some very enjoyable full-group songs served a cappella (save for claves and shaker) like the traditional Brazilian tune, "Mule Rendera," and a tantalizing "Besame Mucho."

That opened the Mexican set, which proved the concert's climax. It found Herrera at his most playful and baritone Rod Kelly Hines lending a becoming operatic flair to Manuel Maria Ponce's "Estrellita."

And this was where de la Paz shone brightest, his rendition of "Jurame" by Maria Grever proving a consummate chemistry lesson from the singer and pianist. Where some of the other singers' solos embraced the histrionics of Latin love songs — and that's certainly part of the tradition — de la Paz captured a softer side on an interpretation that felt very much like the passionate genuine article. He will be missed.

Cantus

What: "Ramas y Reices: Songs from Latin America"

When and where: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Av., Mpls.; 11 a.m. Friday, Westminster Hall, 1201 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the Museum of Russian Art, 5500 Stevens Av., Mpls.

Tickets: $5-40, available at 612-435-0046 or cantussings.org

Online: Friday morning's concert is available online from 11 a.m. Friday through 11 a.m. Sunday at cantussings.org ($5-$45).

Rob Hubbard is a Twin Cities classical music writer. Reach him at wordhub@yahoo.com.