Edwin Perez: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

Every January, I attend globalFEST at a New York City nightclub and see some of the most fantastic music I'll experience all year. Now, given the pandemic's challenges and the hardening of international borders, NPR Music and globalFEST moved the 2021 edition from the nightclub to your screen of choice and shared the festival with the world. We called it Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST. We presented 16 artists in intimate settings (often behind desks donning globes), all hosted by African superstar Angélique Kidjo.

From the basement of the Bowery Electric in downtown Manhattan, composer and vocalist Edwin Perez and his 10-piece band come together to put on a show. With a strong backbeat and enough room to move around, Perez's up-tempo energy brings the party and keeps it going. The theme of the night is salsa dura music, which originated in New York in the 1970s and gained acclaim thanks to acts like the Fania All-Stars and Spanish Harlem Orchestra. This set took place on the final night of our 2021 festival. --globalFEST

SET LIST

• "La Salsa Que Me Crió"
• "No Puedo Respirar" (I Can't Breathe)"
• "Mi Tierra

MUSICIANS

• Edwin Perez: vocals, band leader
• Leonardo Govin: trombone
• Michael Pallas: trombone
• Jonathan Powell: trumpet
• Kalí Rodriguez: trumpet
• Nelson Mathew Gonzalez: bongo, cowbell
• Manuel Alejandro Carro: timbales
• Oreste Abrantes: congas
• Yuniel Jimenez: Cuban tres
• Ahmed Alom Vega: piano
• Jorge Bringas: bass

CREDITS

• Producer: Edwin Perez
• Video: Ehud Lazin
• Audio: Mark Lewis

Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST

TINY DESK TEAM

• Producer: Bob Boilen
• Video Producer: Morgan Noelle Smith
• Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
• Associate Producer: Bobby Carter
• Tiny Production Team: Kara Frame, Maia Stern
• Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
• Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

GLOBALFEST TEAM

• Co-Directors: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer, and Bill Bragin
• 2021 Curators: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer, Bill Bragin, and Viviana Benitez
• Event Producer: Ian Thake

• Host: Angélique Kidjo
• Social Media Manager: Valerie French
• Publicity: Brendan Gilmartin, Chart Room Media
• Legal Services: Tamizdat
• Legal Services: Duane Morris
• Producer: THE OFFICE performing arts + film
• Video Production: MODEMA Studios

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