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Lila Downs: Tiny Desk Concert

Lila Downs has spent her career exploring the furthest reaches of Mexican folk music. With a voice that borrows heavily from opera, Downs performs the kind of full-throated mariachi singing that would fit right in at Mexico City's Garibaldi Square — ground zero for mariachi.

She can also coax the most tender moments from romantic boleros. But Downs is at her best when she and her band gather all of those influences to create cross-cultural expression that breaks down musical barriers. Entertaining and inspiring, she's as much a storyteller as a singer, and her between-song banter lays bare the Mexican soul, only to have it punctuated in song.

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Set List

  • "Humito De Copal"
  • "La Promesa"
  • "Viene La Muerte Echando Rasero"
  • "La Patria Madrina"
  • Musicians

    Lila Downs (vocals, jarana); Paul Cohen (sax); George Saenz, Jr. (trombone); Hugo Moreno (trumpet); Marcos Lopez (seated percussion); Yayo Serka (seated drums); Rafael Gomez (electric guitar); Leo Soqui (jarana); Luis Guzman (bass).

    Credits

    Producers: Felix Contreras, Morgan Walker, Maggie Starbard; Audio Engineer: Brian Jarboe; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Maggie Starbard, Morgan McCloy; Production Assistant: Carlos Water; Photo: NPR.

    For more Tiny Desk concerts, subscribe to our podcast.

    Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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    Felix Contreras is co-creator and host of Alt.Latino, NPR's pioneering radio show and podcast celebrating Latin music and culture since 2010.
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