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'El Tiny': The Best Latinx Tiny Desk Concerts, Vol. 1

It's no coincidence that the Tiny Desk concerts I've selected here all happened within a year of each other: There was a stretch when a huge rush of A-list Latinx artists passed through the D.C. area, allowing them an opportunity to stop off at Alt.Latino World Headquarters for a turn behind Bob Boilen's nearby desk.

Obviously, there's no way for this list to account for the dozens of performances by musicians working under the gigantic umbrella known as "Latin music" — that's why we'll explore more in future volumes.

What this list does do is allow for an up-close look at some of your favorite musicians as they perform material you may already know and love. Communication among musicians is a special thing — some would even call it spiritual, or even sacred. Watching these performances, I think, leans toward the spiritual, with a few moments of graceful, sacred celebration along the way.


Tiny Desks In This Playlist

• Natalia Lafourcade (read more)
• Jorge Drexler (read more)
• Juanes & Mon Laferte (read more)
• iLe (read more)
• Café Tacvba (read more)

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Felix Contreras is co-creator and host of Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture since 2010.