Yasser Tejeda: Tiny Desk Concert

Felix Contreras | May 15, 2024
To listen to Yasser Tejeda's music is to hear the past, present and future.

He is a gifted guitar player originally from the Dominican Republic and a graduate of the acclaimed Berklee College of Music. As you can see and hear in his turn behind the Tiny Desk, Tejeda is intentional about drawing on his ancestral background, his studies and his musical vision in his work. He deftly combines traditional Dominican music with jazz and rock in performances that move the hips as well as minds.

According to his notes prepared for this performance, "En El Naranjo" and "Amor Congo" are based on a traditional Dominican rhythm called "congos del espiritu de santo de Villa Mella." "La Vereda" is a fusion of a traditional style called "Sarandunga de Baní" with rock and jazz, while "Todo Va A Marchar" is his exploration of Congolese guitar and kompa from Haiti mixed with Dominican merengue.

There will not be a quiz given after you watch this performance, but the music of Yasser Tejeda and his talented band resonates so much more when you consider the history behind the passion of the performances.

SET LIST
"En El Naranjo"
"Amor Congo"
"La Vereda"
"Todo Va A Marchar"

MUSICIANS
Yasser Tejeda: vocals, electric guitar
Kyle Miles: bass, vocals
Jonathan "Jblak" Troncoso: drums, congas, maracas, vocals
Francis Peña: drums, maracas, vocals
Mario Castro: tenor sax, keyboards

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Felix Contreras
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Kwesi Lee
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault
Production Assistant: Elle Mannion
Photographer: Michael Zamora
Tiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

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