Tiny Desk meets globalFEST: Septeto Santiaguero, Bia Ferreira, Moonlight Benjamin

For the third year, Tiny Desk concerts team up with globalFEST for a thrilling online music festival — Tiny Desk meets globalFEST.

Hosted by Angélique Kidjo, the series echoes globalFEST's live flagship event in spirit but is centered in the framework of the Tiny Desk concert series. This collaboration presents exclusive video performances from nine artists filmed in their respective homelands, on the road and in exile all over the world. There will be three nights of concerts, each featuring three bands, on consecutive nights beginning Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. ET. The globalFEST team wrote the following biographical information about each performer.

Septeto Santiaguero, Cuba

Septeto Santiaguero was founded in 1995 by members of Melodías de Ayer, a group formed in the early 1960s, together with the Estudiantina Invasora and the Cuarteto Patria, had for over three decades animated many a day and night at the Casa de la Trova in Santiago de Cuba. In 1993 and 1994, a number of young musicians from other septets — such as Sones de Oriente and Septeto Luz — joined Melodías de Ayer, and Fernando Dewar, a tres player, took over the leadership of the group. Seeking to return to their roots, the group decided to give up the mambos and stick to the discipline of the traditional septet: guitar, tres, bongo, clave, maracas, acoustic bass and trumpet, with the addition of the drum, which it retained in honor of Arsenio Rodríguez. In the Santiago de Cuba style, the two singers maintain the first and second harmony with equal emphasis. The group preserves and pays homage to one of Cuba's most important musical forms, with a vitality demonstrating that the septeto tradition is still fresh and alive in Santiago de Cuba today.

SET LIST

• Inocencio Heredia Castillo: "Y Sigo Pa'lante"
• Rudens Matos Matos: "Recuerdos del Ayer"
• Ignacio Piñeiro: "La Meneadera"

MUSICIANS

• Fernando E. Dewar Webster: tres, vocals
• Giraldo Bravo: güiro, vocals
• Inocencio Heredia Castillo: maracas, vocals
• Rudens Matos Matos: guitar, vocals
• Dairon Robert Salazar: bajo
• Gabriel Montero González: conga low, conga high, jam block
• Carlos Danger Plana: bongos, cencerro, tools
• Alain Brito: trumpet, vocals

CREDITS

• Producer: ALLEGRO Productions, Yanni Labori, Alexander Legro
• Assistants: Yasmany Dutel, Gustavo Savigne, Vivian Puebla
• Audio: Fernando Dewar Romero, Norge Matute Pelegrin, Damian Busqueta Mineto
• Director of Photography / Camera 3: Adrian Rey
• Camera 1: Ray Mila Vega
• Camera 2: Freddy Miguel
• Special thanks to Salón del Son en Santiago de Cuba, Centro de Patrimonio Cultural de Santiago de Cuba, Centro del Libro de Santiago de Cuba, EGREM Santiago de Cuba, Centro Cultural Interactivo ALLEGRO

Bia Ferreira, Brazil

Bia Ferreira is a Brazilian singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and activist. Her music, which she defines as "MMP — Música de Mulher Preta," discusses topics such as feminism, anti-racism and homophobia. She makes music that harnesses a combination of funky beats, reggae and soulful ballad grooves while lyrically pushing her listeners toward the discomfort that generates "movemente," or action. Her lyrics have been described as "escrevivência," a term Conceição Evaristo uses to "tell our stories from our perspectives." It represents the subjectivity of a Black woman in Brazilian society.

SET LIST

• "Antes De Ir"
• "De Dentro do Ap"
• "Levante a Bandeira do Amor"
• "Aquela Moça"
• "A Conta Vai Chegar/Cota Não É Esmola"

MUSICIANS

• Bia Ferreira: vocals, guitar
• Maurilio Santiago dos Santos Nascimento "Pé Beat": drums
• Mariana Lima Valim: guitar
• Erica Souza da Silva: bass

CREDITS

• Producer: Zeferina Produções, Rafaella Bonatti
• Audio: Dj Go Locadora, Renato Venom
• Video: Quixó Produções
• Direction and photography: Luan Cardoso
• Photography: Camila Picolo
• Gaffer: Marcela Katzin
• Editor: Beatriz Dantas
• Special thanks to Zeferina and Rafaella Bonatti, Erica Silva, Mari Lima, Pé Beat

Moonlight Benjamin, Haiti / France

Moonlight Benjamin describes her music as a blend of vodou and rock and roll. Born in Haiti and living in France, she is both a vodou priestess and a powerful singer-songwriter with an impressive vocal range. Benjamin's sounds are both thrilling and thoughtful.

SET LIST

• "Memwa'n"
• "Haut là Haut"
• "Bafon"
• "Taye Banda"

MUSICIANS

• Moonlight Benjamin: vocals
• Matthis Pascaud: guitar
• Matthieu Vial-Collet: guitar, backing vocals
• Quentin Rochas: bass, backing vocals
• Bertrand Noel: drums

CREDITS

• Producer: Ma Case Prod
• Audio: Frédéric Carayol, Mercredi 9 studio
• Video: Eric Allard-Jacquin
• Special thanks to Raphael Chassin and Fabrice Absil (Absilone Technologies)

TINY DESK TEAM

• Creative Director: Bob Boilen 
• Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin 
• Series Producer: Bobby Carter 
• Editing: Joshua Bryant
• Tiny Desk Team: Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer

GLOBALFEST TEAM

• Co-Directors: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer and Bill Bragin
• 2023 Curators: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer, Bill Bragin and Meera Dugal
• Event Producer: Ian Thake
• Host: Angélique Kidjo
• Legal Services: Tamizdat
• Legal Services: Duane Morris
• Video Production: Karim Tabbaa

FUNDERS:

• The Mellon Foundation
• The National Endowment for the Arts
• NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

SPECIAL THANKS:

• Ken Umezaki
• Fabian Alsultany
• Steven Kirkpatrick
• David Komar

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