Jorge Drexler: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

April 13, 2018 | Felix Contreras -- Jorge Drexler is a poet with a gift for song. The Uruguayan singer-songwriter, like the iconic Latin American lyricists of the past (Mercedes Sosa, Victor Jara and Silvio Rodriguez, to name just a few), has that rare ability to surround multi-layered prose with music that lends an even deeper resonance to the words.

Drexler has his share of fans here in the U.S., mostly Latin American expats and others whose grasp of the language allows them to appreciate the nuances of his storytelling. But, as if often the case with music performed in languages other than English, audiences here sometimes miss out on an emotional connection with artists they would otherwise celebrate if they only knew what they were singing.

So, we decided to do something about that with Jorge Drexler's appearance at the Tiny Desk. With the cooperation of the artist, we translated Drexler's thoughtful and playful ruminations on the human condition, and included them as subtitles.

Those clever lyrics wouldn't hit as hard if not for Drexler's backing band of magicians. The mix of guitarists and percussionists conjured a stunning cloud of sound that allowed Drexler to take flight, like the existential dreamer that he is.

SET LIST
"Movimiento"
"Silencio"
"Asilo"
"Telefonia"

MUSICIANS
Jorge Drexler - Vocals and Guitar
Javier Zarember - Guitar and backing vocals
Martín Leiton - Leona, guitarrón, bass and backing vocals
Carles "Campi" Campon - Electronic beats, acoustic guitar, percussion and backing vocals
Borja Barrueta - Drums, percussion and Backing Vocals
Martin Cella- Guitar, backing vocals, percussion

CREDITS
Producers: Felix Contreras, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Maia Stern, Beck Harlan, Dani Lyman; Production Assistants: Joshua Bote, Stefanie Fernández; Photo: Eslah Attar/NPR.

[juanpablolondono]

este señor es una de las razones por la que considero una gran fortuna hablar español como lengua materna!

[fsilva]

In terms of talent, inteligence and sensitivity, Jorge Drexler is the Caetano Veloso of his generation, meaning also that his artwork frequently touches the sublime.

[MrKillometrico]

Voy a dejar este comentario por acá con la esperanza que cada like que reciba me obligue a volver a escuchar esta obra maestra.

[AlexChapaJuarez]

Necesitamos un nuevo Tiny Desk Concert de Drexler. Tinta y tiempo tiene canciones hermosas que también merecen su propio concierto

[jas_bataille]

"We searched for oxygen, and found dreams."
Jorge should be next in line for a Nobel prize of literature as a songwriter, after Bob Dylan.
Sublime.

[amarlamar]

Good morning, este... my name is Jorge Drexler.

[Venezuelangel]

I hope NPR reads this. Whoever worked on the subtitles deserves profound congratulations. I have a master's in literature and believe me, translating poetry while using words that evoke all the multi-faceted subtleties of the original can be quite a headache. This translation is wonderful.

[claudioacunaj]

Drexler ya esta a otro nivel, algo asi como una categoria musical de "Musica y Filosofia"

[jordanrager]

"I am not from here, but neither are you."

[julietabarchiesi]

Necesito que este Tiny Desk dure 99 horas.

[pabloortizmena]

"Te quiero, te querré, te quise siempre
Desde antes de saber que te quería"

Cómo me parte ésta estrofa!

[mariocallercastro]

Mis viejos me enseñaron a Facundo Cabral, hoy yo les enseño a Drexler. Gracias Uruguay, cariño desde Perú.

[annakatarzyna]

I understand Spanish but whoever translated it in English did awesome job.

[rominabellocchio]

"si quieres que algo se muera, dejalo quieto"....maravilloso!!!

[thomgriffiths]

Native Spanish-English speaker here.
These subtitles were one of these humbling moments where one realizes that another person did a much finer job than one would have ever done.
Mi padre es ingles y mi madrre Argentina, y la verdad, estos subtitulos estan impecables.

[carloskarmacomma]

Drexler ayuda a Descubrir quién eres y cómo es la vida.
Cuando lo escuchas por primera vez, ya no puedes dejarlo.

[mauriciocorteletti]

Somos de la america latina, un pueblo sin piernas pero que camina

[gimeibarra]

Es mi deber volver a este recital cada tanto.

[noeliarodriguez]

Hermanos uruguayos gracias por brindarnos al mundo si exquisita música desde siempre, gracias por esto Drexler. Un abrazo desde argentina 🇦🇷

[converdb]

Credit to the person translating the subtitles, they’re pretty good, even some difficult expressions in Spanish. It really captures the essence of the song messages imho