Los Mirlos Bring Amazonian Cumbia Legacy to NPR’s Tiny Desk

Cumbia, born in Afro-Colombian communities, migrated across the Spanish-speaking world and took on distinct regional flavors. In Peru, the genre flourished among oil workers in the Amazon basin, evolving into cumbia amazónica—a sound defined by electric, reverb-drenched surf-rock guitar. When Jorge Rodríguez Grández founded Los Mirlos in his hometown of Moyobamba, the band became standard-bearers of this kinetic style.

Their Tiny Desk concert doubles as a joyful celebration and a sonic journey through the towns and waterways of the Amazon jungle. As cultural ambassadors, the band weaves storytelling between songs, declaring devotion to cumbia and their tropical homeland. Over five decades since their formation, these pioneers still deliver irresistible grooves with effortless vitality.

SET LIST

• “La Danza de Los Mirlos”
• “La Fuga del Jaguar”
• “Llanto en la Selva”
• “Las Noches”
• “La Pandilla / Doña Guillermina”

MUSICIANS

• Jorge Rodríguez Grández: vocals, tambourine
• Jorge Luis Rodríguez: guitar, keys, background vocals
• Danny Jhonston: guitar
• Urbano Ramírez: bass
• Roger Rodríguez: guiro, maracas, background vocals
• Carlos Rengifo: congas, bongos
• Genderson Pinedo: drums, timbales

TINY DESK TEAM

• Producer: Felix Contreras
• Director/Editor: Kara Frame
• Audio Engineer/Mix: Josephine Nyounai
• Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
• Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant
• Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
• Photographer: Vanessa Castillo
• Translator: Phoebe Smolin
• Tiny Desk Team: Josh Newell, Ashley Pointer
• Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
• Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
• Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
• Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

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