Felix Contreras | May 15, 2024 To listen to Yasser Tejeda's music is to hear the past, present and future.
He is a gifted guitar player originally from the Dominican Republic and a graduate of the acclaimed Berklee College of Music. As you can see and hear in his turn behind the Tiny Desk, Tejeda is intentional about drawing on his ancestral background, his studies and his musical vision in his work. He deftly combines traditional Dominican music with jazz and rock in performances that move the hips as well as minds.
According to his notes prepared for this performance, "En El Naranjo" and "Amor Congo" are based on a traditional Dominican rhythm called "congos del espiritu de santo de Villa Mella." "La Vereda" is a fusion of a traditional style called "Sarandunga de Baní" with rock and jazz, while "Todo Va A Marchar" is his exploration of Congolese guitar and kompa from Haiti mixed with Dominican merengue.
There will not be a quiz given after you watch this performance, but the music of Yasser Tejeda and his talented band resonates so much more when you consider the history behind the passion of the performances.
SET LIST "En El Naranjo" "Amor Congo" "La Vereda" "Todo Va A Marchar"
MUSICIANS Yasser Tejeda: vocals, electric guitar Kyle Miles: bass, vocals Jonathan "Jblak" Troncoso: drums, congas, maracas, vocals Francis Peña: drums, maracas, vocals Mario Castro: tenor sax, keyboards
TINY DESK TEAM Producer: Felix Contreras Director/Editor: Maia Stern Audio Technical Director: Kwesi Lee Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault Production Assistant: Elle Mannion Photographer: Michael Zamora Tiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
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