From Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, Tiny Desk is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with an “El Tiny” takeover of the (home) concert series, featuring J Balvin, Camila Cabello and several more musicians from all corners of Latinidad.

Anamaria Sayre | October 15, 2021
To the beat of her swishing hips and swaying percussionists, Camila Cabello’s famous “Half of my heart is in Havana” reverberates across this musician-packed Miami set, with an at-home ease that feels novel for the global popstar.

Born to a Cuban mother and Mexican father in Havana, Cuba, Cabello is no stranger to blending borders and connecting worlds. As the final performance in our Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration, her El Tiny concert epitomises the cross-cultural, transnational musical identities we’ve centered over the course of the series. Each unique arrangement of her universal hits represents and explores a new facet of the identities and experiences that make up Cabello.

These stripped-down renditions of her hits “Havana,” “Real Friends,” “Señorita” and “Don’t Go Yet” include more Latin instrumentation than the recordings — presumably bringing them closer to sounds that were first introduced to her as music during her childhood in Havana, Mexico City, and Miami.

The interlude featuring a sacred Afro-Cuban Santería chant and the following performance of the unreleased, Mariachi-based “La Buena Vida,” firmly root Cabello’s El Tiny performance within two cultural traditions that don’t typically glitter under the harsh lights of a global stage.

Here, we find Camila on the precipice of a voice that magically layers pop with tradition, holding all parts of a complex identity in seamless harmony. Flanked by Cuban congueros and Mexican mariachi, all aglow under the Miami sun, Camila Cabello’s heart has never felt more whole.

SET LIST
“Havana”
“Real Friends”
“Señorita”
“Don’t Go Yet”
“La Buena Vida”

MUSICIANS
Camila Cabello: vocals
Edwin Carranza: bass/music director
Marcus Kincy: keys/glockenspiel
Chris Johnson: drums
Luke Iono: guitar
Yisel Duque: vocals
Jackie Mendez: vocals
Alex Garcia: guitar
Camilo Velandia: guitar
Daniel Lopez: percussion
Joel del Sol: percussion
Gerardo Rodriguez: trumpet
Mayerlin Carrero: trombone
Luisi “Rosca” Beltran: saxophone
Cheche Alara: accordion, rhodes
Jimmy K. Cuéllar: violín
Luis Zambrano: violín
Ángel Guzmán: violín
Gustavo Zambrano: violín
Saúl Ruiz: violín
Gustavo Hernández: guitarra
Jason Franco: vihuela
Albert Jimenez: guitarron
John Vargas: trompeta
Grover Castro: trompeta
Music Production: Cheche Alara, Ricky Reed
Music Director & Arranger: Cheche Alara

CREDITS
Video: Justin Francis
Audio: Lawrence Manchester
Video Production: Hidden Pictures
Camera Op: Alexandra Vivas
Backline Techs: Okwa Andrew, Edward Mendoza
Recording Engineer: Ryan Cecil
Playback/Recording Engineer/Editing: Mike Kopulos
Monitor Engineer: Taylor Holden
Production Manager: Chris Coffie
Steadicam: Zach Burgh
A Camera AC: Joe Ariberto
B Camera AC: Alex Cristofoli
Digital Imaging Tech: Leungson P. “Coco”
Gaffer: Ricardo C. Lopez
Grip: Brian Sills
Swing: Brandon Vencino
PA: Jonathan Ruffini
PA: Kevin Cuenca
Art Director: Luis Roman
Art Assistant: Joel Figueroa
Colorist: Marshall Palante
Location: Soho House Miami Music
Transcription: Boh Cooper

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Anamaria Sayre
Video Producer: Maia Stern
Audio Mastering: Andy Huether
Alt.Latino ‘El Tiny’ Team: Felix Contreras, Reanna Cruz, Anaïs Laurent, Stefanie Fernandez
Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Bobby Carter, Kara Frame, Josh Rogosin, Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis
Executive Producer: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

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