In Cuba, pianists explore the wonderful rhythms of the island with their own percussive sense of melody. From the very first song in Roberto Fonseca's Tiny Desk, we're reminded of the Afro-Cuban jazz tradition's long history: Not only do we get a driving foundation but also the kinds of horn lines that have sounded since the 1940s, when Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz improvisation bumped into each other.
The best always make it look easy. These band , in particular, look like they could do this in their sleep. But there is a slight shift in the musical personality of this performance when the band strips down to a quartet: Fonseca's mastery of the instrument fuels the fiery finale.
SET LIST
- "Yanim"
- "Baila Mulata"
- "Aggua"
MUSICIANS
- Roberto Fonseca: piano
- Ruly Herrera: drums
- Sam Burgos: bass
- Christian Ortiz: baritone saxophone
- Thommy Lowry Garcia Rojas: trumpet
- Carlos Averhoff Jr.: tenor saxophone
- Degnis Bofill: percussion
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Felix Contreras
- Director/Editor: Kara Frame
- Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
- Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Zayrha Rodriguez
- Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
- Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
- Photographer: Michael Zamora
- Tiny Desk Copy Editor: Lars Gotrich
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
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