SOUNDTRACK: CARLOS VIVES-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #95 (October 14, 2020).
This is a hugely fun Tiny Desk (Home) Concert.
Everything about Vives’ music feels uplifting and joyful. And boy is that a nice feeling.
Carlos Vives kicks things off in high gear on this Tiny Desk (home) concert with his trademark sound: a celebration of the music from his beloved home country of Colombia, mixed with rock and other Latin music styles.
The opening song “Pa’ Mayte” starts out with a ripping accordion melody from Christian Camilo Peña and some wonderfully funky fluid bass lines from Guillermo Vadalá. Vadalá is my favorite component of this set without question.
Vives’ voice is strong and powerful and he is joined with a chorus of backing vocalist and percussionist, especially Guianko Gómez from Cuba and Mayte and Tato Montero.
The middle of the song has a rap followed by some really fast and complicated lead guitar from Andrés Leal (followed carefully by Vadalá).
Spirited champeta dance grooves from the country’s Pacific coast permeate his classic 1995 hit “Pa’ Mayte,” and if you look closely you’ll see two of his backup vocalists also playing traditional gaitas Colombianas (flutes).
Then comes the flute solos. First Mayte Montero on the traditional gaita then Tato Marenco joins in. Of course no song like this would be complete without some excellent drum and percussion and Martin Velilla is fantastic in that role.
Vives speaks in Spanish between songs. He says that “Cumbiana” is dedicated to his country (Colombia) and the people there. It opens with pretty, echoing guitar and some wonderful lead bass notes.
It starts slowly, like a love song but turns into a bit of a banger in the chorus. He even plays a harmonica solo. During the quiet ending there’s just guitar and harmonica as the song fades.
Next is transition between the title cut of his new album Cumbiana and “La Bicicleta” a vallenato fueled by a bit of reggaeton.
It was originally recorded with his compatriot Shakira and he dedicates the song to her–“the bike to travel the whole world.”
The song is upbeat and a lot of fun. The middle has a lead flute solo which is echoed by the lead guitar–a great combination. It ends with with a solo accordion melody as the song fades out.
Vives says that “cumbiana is that amphibian territory that I call where cumbias vallenatos and porros are born.
Evidently this is Vives’ signature sound:
a celebration of the music from his beloved home country of Colombia, mixed with rock and other Latin music styles.
They end with “No te Vayas” (“Do Not Go”) opens with quiet guitar. As he sings the two flutes come in playing the melody along with his voice. It’s a wonderful combination and an altogether fantastic set.
[READ: November 20, 2020] “A is for Alone”
This story has an interesting setup,.
The narrator is an artist and her latest project is inspired by Mike Pence. She has called it “Interrogating Graham/Pence” and plans to interview a series of men. She will give them a questionnaire and take their Polaroid.
The two key questions are:
When, prior to today did you last spend time alone with a woman who is not your wife? Are you aware of the Modesto Manifesto also known as the Billy Graham Rule, also known as the Mike Pence Rule?
The first man she interviews, Eddie, is an old friend from college. They took a ceramics class together. They both have fond memories of those days, although since school Eddie has become very successful in the investment world. Eddie is married and has children and admits that he isn’t alone with other women very often. But he agrees that the Mike Pence rule is weird.
One of the other questions on the questionnaire is “what did you think when I invited you to lunch?” Eddie assumed that she was sick or dying.
She had planned to meet a different man each week, but then realized she didn’t know 52 men.
The next man she invited was her son’s hockey coach. He is confused and somewhat alarmed at the lunch invitation. He assumes there will be more people. He thinks that the Graham/Pence rule makes sense. He is not willing to contribute to or particulate in her project. (more…)
Boy, a band reunites and plans a national tour and then everything blows up on them. I thought surely this show would go on as planned–a bigger venue, possible social distancing. But how do you enforce social distancing at a rock show? I sure hope we can go to live music again.
