Sheila E.: Tiny Desk Concert

This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an ’El Tiny’ takeover. Felix Contreras | October 11, 2024 Sheila E. is a portrait of motion. Not just the movement of her body as one of the world’s most recognized drummers, but also as a versatile musician who glides easily from genre to genre with the ease of a master. For her time behind the Desk, she assembled a team of musicians to play tracks from her first ever salsa album Bailar. From the first notes of “Rumba Percussion Jam,” Sheila E.’s bona-fides performing true rumbera (traditional Afro-Cuban drumming and singing) are on full display with her conga chops. The entire set is a reflection of her long standing ability to meld Afro-Caribbean, jazz and funk into a danceable celebration that caps off with shots of tequila for her final track “Playa Tequila.” Any amount of time spent with Sheila E. is a reminder that high caliber musicianship is always first and goes down easie