Roberto Fonseca: Tiny Desk Concert

Felix Contreras | February 5, 2025
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 members, 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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