This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.
Felix Contreras | September 23, 2025 Imagine the burden of not only being a well known and respected musician but also an indelible icon of your country's folk tradition. That is the mantle that Carlos Vives carries for his native Colombia. During his turn behind the Tiny Desk, he takes on the role with a deep sense of pride and musical mastery.
In 1995, Vives released La Tierra del Olvido, a landmark recording that introduced the world to Colombia's vallenato style. Thirty years later, this performance revisits some of those songs with a 12-piece band that barely fits in our space. The instrumentation of this band — featuring several members who have been with Vives for decades — reflects the influence of Europe (accordions), Africa (alegre drums) and Indigenous cultures (gaita). There's history in this music, all of which gets equal space during the fiery opener "La Cachucha Bacana" — there's even an electric guitar solo! Even when the music slows down, the deep-seated groove is impossible to resist.
SET LIST "La Cachucha Bacana" "Diosa Coronada" "Ella" "Agua" "La Tierra del Olvido" "Pa' Mayte" "Fruta Fresca"
MUSICIANS Carlos Vives: vocals, harmonica Daniel Cadena: guitar Andrés Leal: guitar, tiple, cuatro Luis Ángel "El Papa" Pastor: bass Mayte Montero: gaita, maracas Kike Cuao Jr.: legüero, guacharaca, percussion Darwin Escorcia: caja, alegre Adrian Viáfara: cununos, clarinet, background vocals Carlos Iván Medina: keys Christian Camilo Peña: accordion Melissa Mejia Flomin: background vocals, percussion Paola Lacera: background vocals Rashid "El Bombón" Zawady: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM Producer: Felix Contreras Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Sofia Seidel Audio Engineers: Josephine Nyounai, Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez Production Assistant: Dhanika Pineda Photographer: Zayrha Rodriquez Series Editor: Lars Gotrich Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
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