As part of NPR Music’s El Tiny series honoring Hispanic Heritage Month, Colombian music legend Carlos Vives brought his unmistakable energy to the Tiny Desk stage in Washington, D.C., revisiting his groundbreaking 1995 album 'La Tierra del Olvido.'
Accompanied by his longtime band La Provincia, Vives delivered a spirited set that masterfully blended tradition with modern sounds, celebrating three decades of a record that reshaped Colombia’s musical landscape.
The singer is an international icon, known for introducing vallenato music to global audiences while mixing in genres like cumbia, champeta, bambuco, and porro alongside Latin pop, rock, and reggaeton.
With impressive achievements, including two Grammys, 17 Latin Grammys, and the 2024 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year title, his impact on Latin music is undeniable.
The concert included six tracks from La Tierra del Olvido, and standout songs like “La Cachucha Bacana,” “Diosa Coronada,” “Ella,” “Agua,” the title track itself, and “Pa’ Mayte.” The band’s lineup, featuring traditional instruments such as the gaita, flute (flauta e’ millo), and accordion alongside electric guitars, keyboards, and percussion, brought a vibrant, layered sound to the performance.
The show concluded on an emotional high note with “Fruta Fresca,” a beloved hit from Vives’s 1999 album El Amor de Mi Tierra. In a touching moment during the concert, Vives reflected on the meaning behind the album that launched his international acclaim.
“Thirty years ago, we wrote this album, and I didn’t really know what we were doing. Over time, I discovered that it was my family, searching for who I am and finding my family. That drawing you see on the La Tierra del Olvido album, that is my family; there is everything we are. We are Spanish, American, Indigenous, Afro… but beyond that, we unite our blood, so everything we are becomes even more valuable," he said.
The 12-piece ensemble, including vocalists Paola Cera, Melissa Mejía, and Rashid “Bombom” Zawady, alongside instrumentalists like Mayte Montero on gaita and percussion, and Christian Camilo Peña on accordion, played a pivotal role in recreating the rich sonic tapestry that has defined Vives’s career.
Guitarists Daniel Cadena and Andrés Leal, bassist Luis Ángel “El Papa” Pastor, clarinetist Adrián Viafara, and percussionists Kike Cuao and Darwin Escorcia rounded out the dynamic group.
As part of El Tiny, the concert not only marked an important anniversary but also reaffirmed Vives’s place as a vital ambassador for Colombian and Latin American music on the world stage.