Los Mirlos — NPR Tiny Desk, 2026

Live capture from NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series, as part of « El Tiny », the strand devoted to Latin music. Peruvian band Los Mirlos, pioneers of Amazonian cumbia since their founding in Moyobamba in 1973 by Jorge Rodríguez Grández, perform five emblematic songs: « La Danza de Los Mirlos », « La Fuga del Jaguar », « Llanto en la Selva », « Las Noches » and the medley « La Pandilla / Doña Guillermina ». Instantly recognisable, their cumbia blends reverb-drenched electric guitars inherited from surf rock, tropical rhythms and the imagery of the Peruvian rainforest. This full concert, filmed in the intimacy of NPR’s famous record-cluttered desk, highlights more than fifty years of a career that has become cult, far beyond Peru’s borders. For the Latin-music enthusiast, this performance offers a warm and danceable live concert, presented by Felix Contreras, co-creator of the Alt.Latino show, and illustrates the international recognition of Amazonian cumbia among a new audience.