The Cast of Buena Vista Social Club: Tiny Desk Concert
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Felix Contreras | May 27, 2025 Based on real-life events and people, Buena Vista Social Club features many characters and lots of great Cuban music. It takes such skill to reflect music of a bygone era, even more to sound fresh and vibrant night after night for months at a time. Scaled down for the Tiny Desk, the show is no less magical. Before it was a Broadway musical racking up Tony Award nominations, the Buena Vista Social Club was a second chance. After the Cuban Revolution, many of the country's beloved musicians were lost to time, but in 1996, an ensemble was formed to reclaim their spotlight. To tell their story, the musical goes back and forth between the 1940s and the recording sessions that produced a masterpiece. After the band warms up the Tiny Desk crowd with "El Cuarto de Tula," we meet young versions of the central characters: Compay Segundo (Da'Von Moody), Ibrahim Ferrer (Wesley Wray) and Omara Portuondo (Isa Antonetti) — their harmonies shine together on "La Negra Tomasa." Antonetti takes on the bolero-son standard "Lágrimas Negras." We also meet the older version of Ferrer, played by Mel Semé, for "Candela." Marco Ramirez, who wrote the book for Buena Vista Social Club, is our emcee for this performance, guiding us through the story. The secret sauce is, of course, the music. These are the foundational building blocks of what has made Cuban music so popular before and after the revolution in 1959. Some of the best musicians in NYC who have experience with classic Cuban music are in this production. Buena Vista Social Club is a living, breathing and deeply grooving homage to the era, the music and the island. SET LIST "El Cuarto de Tula" "La Negra Tomasa" "Lágrimas Negras" "Candela" MUSICIANS Wesley Wray: vocals Da'Von Moody: vocals Isa Antonetti: vocals Mel Semé: vocals Marco Paguia: music director, piano, güiro Renesito Avich: tres, vocals David Oquendo: guitar, vocals Leonardo Reyna: piano Maxilmilien Darché: trumpet, flugelhorn Hery Paz: flute, clarinet, background vocals Eddie "Arnoldito" Venegas: trombone, background vocals Gustavo "Chacho" Schartz: bass, background vocals Román Diaz: bongos, cowbell Javier Díaz: congas Marco Ramirez: emcee TINY DESK TEAM Producer: Felix Contreras Director/Editor: Maia Stern Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Sofia Seidel Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez Tiny Desk Team: Josh Newell, Lars Gotrich Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins #buenavistasocialclub #nprmusic #tinydesk Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Presenting sponsor of the 2025 Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at CapitalOne.com.
This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk is giving the ladies their flowers. We’re releasing nine Tiny Desk concerts from Black women artists, from veterans who’ve paved the way for what we hear today in Black music, to those who are carving out their own paths.
In this playlist, we're highlighting our Contest winners who hail from across the country — Alaska to Louisiana — and whose captivating music can't be stifled by genre. From Gaelynn Lea's reinventive style of playing the violin to Tank and The Bangas' contagious, celebratory fervor, these artists' performances stopped us in our tracks. Last year's winner, Quinn Christopherson, stood out to us with his deep, emotional lyrics; listening to his songs feels a bit like someone reaching in and squeezing your heart like a sponge. The talent and passion among these five artists is clear. Their voices are distinct. Most notably, their music is singular enough to stand out among the thousands of other artists who entered the Contest with high hopes of playing at the Desk.

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