Quinn Christopherson: NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest Winner 2019 NPR Music 2026-09-20 | Quinn Christopherson: NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest Winner 2019
Audrey Nuna: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-10-18 | Bobby Carter | October 18, 2024After spending a few years listening to Audrey Nuna’s music and watching her music videos, I wondered how she would conform to the Tiny Desk. Her visuals embody larger-than-life personae, and the sonics of her debut album, A Liquid Breakfast, are anything but acoustic. Everything that comes with the New Jersey-born singer-songwriter is big. She stepped up to the challenge of stripping the elements in 2022 when she played a special Tiny Desk (home) concert, which was enough to hold her spot behind the Desk.Audrey walked into NPR headquarters with her band, “The Jaywalkers,” baring that same persona that sets her apart from the rest, rockin' hunting vests, kilts with skull caps and a denim shirt made of denim pants. The setlist perfectly encapsulates how much musical ground she’s able to cover. She goes from a staccato flow on “Damn Right” to straight-up funk on “Time.” She flipped “Baby Blues” into a jazz number and played “Baby OG” from her new album, TRENCH, for the first time. Her long-time producer, Anwar Sawyer, handled keyboards and music direction, providing authenticity to this set. They’d put in weeks of rehearsal, and post-show, she told me that the execution was exactly what she envisioned.SET LIST“Damn Right”“Time”“Baby Blues”“Suckin Up”“Baby OG” MUSICIANSAudrey Nuna: lead vocalsAnwar Sawyer: keys, musical directionDominic Cannarella-Andersen: bassAbbiana: vocalsEthan Johnson: guitarJeremy Berges: drumsSara Kawai: harpTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Bobby CarterDirector/Editor: Maia SternAudio Technical Director: Josephine NyounaiVideographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Mitra I. ArthurAudio Engineer: David GreenburgProduction Assistant: Elle MannionPhotographer: Sofia SeidelTiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer, Josh NewellExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #tinydesk #audreynuna
John Holiday: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-10-16 | Tom Huizenga | October 15, 2024Upon meeting countertenor John Holiday in the NPR lobby, I was immediately tasked with carrying his awesome spangly boots (he brought two pairs) up to our Tiny Desk space. Other arms, including his husband’s, were occupied with clothing and various necessities.The boots reflect Holiday’s sparkling personality — a captivating blend of determination, wit and clear-eyed optimism. These qualities helped propel him into celebrity status, not only in the final rounds of NBC’s The Voice, where he was championed by John Legend, but also in opera houses the world over.While Holiday has made a name for himself in classical music, he says his goal is to be a bridge between the many genres of music he sings. And in this set he gives us a pretty wide range, including an elegant, Bach-inflected French art song, a regal opera aria by Handel, a moving traditional spiritual and the devastating jazz song “Strange Fruit,” made famous by Billie Holiday. “It’s not a feel good song,” the countertenor warns, adding that it “represents so much in our country’s history that sometimes we like to skirt.”The only way to follow a song of such darkness is with one of light and triumph. Holiday dedicates “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to young, Black voters, saying, “It’s really important that you let your voices be heard, even if you think nobody’s listening.”And for fans of fabulous voices, it’s important that this voice be heard — the singular, silvery and expressive voice of John Holiday. SET LISTReynaldo Hahn: “À Chloris” Traditional (arr. Hall Johnson): “I’m Goin’ to Tell God All My Troubles”George Frideric Handel: “Ombra mai fù” (from Xerxes)Abel Meeropol: “Strange Fruit” James Johnson/J. Rosamond Johnson: “Lift Every Voice and Sing” MUSICIANSJohn Holiday: countertenor, pianoJeanne-Minette Cilliers: pianoTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Tom HuizengaDirector/Editor: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Hannah GluvnaHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Alanté SereneAudio Engineers: Andie Huether, Josh Newell Production Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Alanté SereneTiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #tinydesk #johnholiday
Common: Field Recordings x Aspen Ideas Festival NPR Music 2024-10-14 | Suraya Mohamed | October 14, 2024The Aspen Music School students arrived early at the Zen Garden, a peaceful plot on the campus of the Aspen Ideas Festival. They had never performed with a rapper before, so there was a nervous excitement in the air. The revered rapper, actor and activist Common arrived soon after. He, too, was excited to try something new.“We’re gonna loop,” Common said before getting started. “This is hip-hop. Y'all cool with loopin’?” After some experimentation, they settled on two repeated measures from Toto’s 1982 soft-rock hit “Africa” while Common’s percussionist Mark Colenburg laid down a beat that supported the syncopated string parts. Common ascended a rock in the middle of the garden and freestyled a take that sounded pretty good, to everyone’s delight. Then everyone reset, played the tune one more time, and that second take is what you’ll see in this Field Recording.Watch how Common, a master of his craft, and these young talented students, imagine in the moment something spontaneous, yet memorable. This impromptu performance is a fun reminder that music needn’t be rehearsed or refined to strike a chord.This was recorded on June 28, 2024 on the campus of the Aspen Ideas Festival.SET LIST “Africa Freestyle”MUSICIANS Common: vocalsValerie Xu-Friedman: violinAmelia Posner-Hess: violinOwne Xayboury: violaJooahn Yoo: celloMark Colenburg: djembeNPR TEAMDirector: Mito Habe-EvansEditor: Nikki BirchVideographers: Tsering Bista, Mito Habe-EvansAudio Engineer: Josh NewellPost-Production Coordinator: Tsering BistaSupervising Editor: Becky LettenbergerExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedVP, Visuals and Music: Keith JenkinsASPEN IDEAS TEAM Senior Producer: Ava Hartmann Videographers: Ryan Lohr, Will SardinskyAudio Engineer: Michael MilotaAudio Services Director: Matt WindholzFestival Director: Graham VeyseySPECIAL THANKSKemy J
Sheila E.: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-10-11 | This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.Felix Contreras | October 11, 2024Sheila 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 easier when presented with the joyous energy of an icon.SET LIST“Rumba Percussion Jam”“Mi Amor”“The Way That You Do”“Possibilities”“Playa Tequila”MUSICIANSSheila Escovedo: lead vocals, percussion Raymond McKinley: bass, tour management, production managementMyke Davison: guitarBertron Curtis: keysRose Ann Dimalanta: keysDaniel Rodriguez: drumsFausto Cuevas: percussionJohny Ayquipa: trumpetPercy Recavarren: tromboneLynn Mabry: vocalsRebecca Jade: vocalsDebi Nova: vocalsJean Rodriguez: vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Felix Contreras Director/Editor: Maia SternAudio Technical Director: Josephine NyounaiHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Alanté SereneAudio Engineer: Ted MebaneProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Michael ZamoraTiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Josh NewellExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
The Marías: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-10-09 | This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.Anamaria Sayre | October 9, 2024Fresh off the release of its latest album Submarine, The Marías have never felt more ready-made for the Tiny Desk. With the first few chimes of the synth and notes from Maria Zardoya’s breathy vocals, the band makes it clear that there’s no better place to bring its bedroom pop style than this slightly bigger space.The indie band has been skyrocketing over the last few years with classic Spanglish hits like “Cariño” (featured here at the Desk) and a collab on Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti. But there’s so much more to the group than the smooth electronic beats and guitar riffs that meet the ear.Headed by Puerto Rican lead singer Maria Zardoya, who proudly places a Puerto Rican flag on the Desk halfway through the show, there is an authenticity to the group’s lyricism and presentation that pulses just beneath the emotive keys. The band’s performance feels like a soundtrack for a generation that exists in many worlds, and in The Marías Tiny Desk viewers find a new, ethereal, welcoming world to belong to.SET LIST“Real Life”“Only in My Dreams”“No One Noticed”“Cariño”MUSICIANSMaría Zardoya: vocalsJosh Conway: drumsEdward James: keysJesse Perlman: guitarGabriel Steiner: keys, percussionDoron Zounes: bassTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Anamaria SayreDirector/Editor: Maia SternAudio Technical Director: Josh NewellHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Mitra I. ArthurAudio Engineer: Josephine NyounaiProduction Assistant: Elle MannionPhotographer: Michael ZamoraTiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Ashley PointerExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#themarias #nprmusic #tinydesk
Eladio Carrión: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-10-06 | This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.Anamaria Sayre | October 7, 2024English language hip-hop and Latin trap exist in two separate dimensions; Kansas-born, Puerto Rico-raised Eladio Carrión embodies both and neither at once. That’s perhaps a poetic reflection of a childhood spent as a military brat, moving from state to state, across the country that colonized his family’s island before settling back in Humacao. At the Tiny Desk, Carrión wasted no time putting that multicultural flow on full blast. He kicked things off with a victory lap on “Gladiador,” leading straight into a keys-heavy arrangement of “Air France” and then the delightful staccato of “Tata” off his 2021 album Monarca. As if “Where my lil mamas at today?” wasn’t a perfect enough line to warm up the crowd, he carried on with the bilingual bars of “Hey Lil Mama,” seamlessly transitioning into a glorious trap-rock rendition of his 2022 hit “Mbappe.” Carrión’s studio collaborators include some of the biggest names in rap and reggaeton, but his only guest at El Tiny, rising Spanish singer Lia Kali, brought a new level of magnetism to the performance, demonstrating how the uncategorizable Carrión can’t help but keep us on our toes with his every move. SET LIST“Gladiador”“Air France”“Tata”“Hey Lil Mama”“Mbappe”“Me Muero” (with Lia Kali)“Luchas Mentales”“Mama's Boy”MUSICIANSEladio Carrión: lead vocalsLia Kali: vocalsDiamond Johnson: drumsDamien “Dammo” Farmer: bassJason Taylor: keysCorey Isaiah Cooper: guitarLaMar “MyGuyMars” Edwards: keysLarrance “Rance 1500” Dopson: percussionDevin Velez: background vocalsAlexandria Dopson: background vocalsTayler Green: background vocalsFaahz: beat box TINY DESK TEAMProducer: Anamaria SayreDirector/Editor: Kara FrameAudio Technical Director: Josh NewellHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Sofia Seidel, Zayrha RodriguezAudio Engineer: Josephine NyounaiProduction Assistant: Elle MannionPhotographer: Keren CarrionTiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #eladiocarrion
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-10-04 | This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.Anamaria Sayre | October 4, 2024The Argentine power duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso breathe authenticity. They each came up in their own right in an urban scene buzzing with energy, ideas and true ingenuity.Argentina is a country notorious for unabashed expression. The country has been rocked by some of the most notable music moments in Latin America, from the inception rock en español, to waves of extreme censorship on artistic expression. Contemporary artists take nothing for granted when it comes to showing up just as they are, and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso are two of the most exciting artists doing so.While heavily dependent on electronic sounds, they came to play at the Tiny Desk with an arrangement that whipped their typical beats into stirring drum taps and horn harmonies. Everything they touch turns to creative gold, spinning tracks with a unique silliness and magnetism. Their Tiny Desk is just another stop on the duo’s rise.SET LIST“DUMBAI”“EL ÚNICO”“Mi Deseo”/”BAD BITCH”“BABY GANGSTA”“LA QUE PUEDE, PUEDE”MUSICIANSCa7riel: lead vocals, guitar, vocal arrangementsPaco Amoroso: lead vocalsAnita B Queen: vocals, samplerJavier Burín: keys, band arrangementsFelipe Brandy: bass, band arrangementsEduardo Giardina: drums, band arrangementsMarcos Lopez: percussionTrey Sorrells: saxophoneNic Brogdon: tromboneArchie Avantgarde: trumpetNINA J: vocalsMETAMAMI: vocalsCoastcity: musical direction, brass arrangements, vocal arrangementsCardinal Sur: musical direction, band arrangements, brass arrangementsJoaquin Guevara: brass arrangementsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Anamaria SayreDirector/Editor: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Josh NewellHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Zayrha Rodriguez, Elizabeth GillisAudio Engineer: Hannah GluvnaProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Courtney TheophinTiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Kara FrameExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #ca7riel&pacoamoroso
Rita Payés: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-10-02 | This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.Anamaria Sayre | October 2, 2024Admiration is the spellbinding tenor of Rita Payés’ Tiny Desk performance.Flanked by mother Elisabeth Roma and husband Pol Batlle, the Spanish multi-instrumentalist’s presence at the Desk reflects the way she creates and lives her music: in the cradle of familial love.Payés performs a variety of Spanish jazz that is contemporary and nimble in its delivery, yet leans heavily on tradition. Born to a musical family in the same coastal town in Northern Spain where she now resides, she was raised surrounded by deep, musical tradition which she was able to identify as ripe for revival.Across earlier, softer songs composed alongside her mother, to her now more grandiose string-laden, percussively rich arrangements, authentically representing her home and creating music fit for intimate exchange is always central to Payés’ craft. In the longing trill of her trombone or her sweetest vocal note, a sense of generational respect and understanding is born anew in Payés’ revered harmonies.SET LIST“El Cervatillo”“Por qué SerᔓNana Per Les Mamas”“Quien lo diría”MUSICIANSRita Payés: lead vocals, trombone, guitar, composing, arrangingPol Batlle: guitar, palm tree leafElisabeth Roma: guitarHoracio Fumero: upright bassJuan R. Berbín: drums, percussionJonathan David Lewis: violinTurkkan Osman: violinAnna Arnal Ferrer: violaCristina Arista: celloTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Anamaria SayreDirector/Editor: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Josh NewellHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Sofia SeidelAudio Engineer: Josephine NyounaiProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Michael ZamoraTiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #tinydesk #ritapayes
Fabiola Méndez: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-09-30 | This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.Felix Contreras | September 30, 2024The smile that erupts onto Fabiola Méndez’s face just as she launches into her first tune says everything about the joy she finds in making music that explores her culture.Her instrument is the Puerto Rican cuatro, the national folk musical instrument of Puerto Rico. She started on the instrument at age 6 in her native Caguas, Puerto Rico, and carried it with her as her principal instrument for her studies at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston.What makes her take behind the Desk with her four piece band stand out is not just her dexterity on the instrument, but also how she incorporates tradition into a very contemporary musical setting. You can hear that musical vision and dedication to storytelling through both Méndez’s vocals and also in the song “Tributo A Mis Abuelos,” an instrumental that conjures up visions of the pastoral Puerto Rican countryside where the jibaro (rural) culture thrives.In Méndez’s hands, the cuatro becomes not just an example of a rich, Afro-Caribbean culture, but also an instrument to spread joy. SET LIST“Seis Chorreao”“Lamento en Celinés”“Tributo a Mis Abuelos”“Canción de Amor”“Aguinaldo Jíbaro”MUSICIANSFabiola Méndez: vocals, Puerto Rican cuatro, tipleJuan Maldonado: bassMiguel Martínez: percussionWilliam García: drumsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Felix ContrerasDirector/Editor: Kara FrameAudio Technical Director: Neil TevaultHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua BryantAudio Engineer: Josephine NyounaiProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Sofia SeidelTiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #fabiolamendez
Words, sounds and the art of listening with Aja Monet | Amplify with Lara Downes NPR Music 2024-09-27 | Lara Downes | September 27, 2024A few hours before we filmed this conversation, I got a call from Aja Monet’s manager. Aja was running a bit late; her grandmother had passed away that morning. I immediately offered to reschedule, but Aja wanted to keep our appointment. When she arrived, a little frazzled and shaken, I invited her to sit and relax for a minute in the NPR green room.My mom had died just four months earlier, and I was also deep in a vortex of fresh grief. And so we talked, quietly and a little haltingly, about loss, especially the untethering feeling of losing the women who brought us into the world and guided us through it — the strong women who helped us and challenged us to develop our own strength.I had recently come to a new understanding in my own grieving process. Something about our relationships with the dead — the reshaping of things, the time travel that becomes possible, the unbreakable power of lineage that we can only experience with those who are no longer with us on this earth. I was in the process of finding a new way to be together with my mother, and understanding how much I am her.Lineage and legacy, family and community are at the heart of Aja’s work. In her 2015 poem What My Grandmother Meant To Say Was, she wrote: “I am a woman ahead of her time. I shimmered in the scars. I live in the bloodline.” These lines honor the power of our inheritance, the love and courage that gets passed down to us, as well as the damage and pain. During this conversation, Aja and I were both feeling all of those at their fullest.So when the cameras started to roll, they found us midstream, navigating the currents of memory and the flow of bloodline. We reflected together about the necessity of surrounding ourselves in community, made up of both the living and the dead, and of listening to the voices, past and present, that tell us the stories of our own lives.WATCH OTHER EPISODES OF AMPLIFYyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLy2PCKGkKRVaTy4dPhq6TCQ8V6pIJ5Y2C#johnholiday #amplify #nprmusic
Ivan Cornejo: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-09-26 | This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.Amamaria Sayre | September 26, 2024Whether in a stadium of 75,000 or behind a desk in an office building, Ivan Cornejo sings two notes and the heart quiets. His voice invites harmony, reflection, llorando, gritando — whatever the listener needs to feel whole again.The 20-year-old Mexican American has emerged as a happy anomaly in recent years — a singer-songwriter who not only captivates audiences with excruciatingly descriptive lyricism but also invokes an ancestral wisdom. Cornejo voices the pains of adolescence in styles and sounds that refuse to fit boxes; he communicates in a language that makes fans feel both different and true.The singer, endearingly nervous at the Tiny Desk, found a perfect home in the intimate space for some rockier arrangements of his hit “Ya Te Perdí” and a softer performance of the genre-pushing “Baby Please.” He ends the show with a performance of “J.,” which he dedicates to the girl who broke his heart. In Cornejo’s infinite shades of blue, we all find ourselves a little grateful for heartbreak.SET LIST“Aquí Te Espero”“Baby Please”“Mirada”“Ya Te Perd픓J.”MUSICIANSIvan Cornejo: vocalsGonzalo Cordero Riquelme: guitarRicardo Ramos: guitarEdgar Alejandro Cornejo: bassPepe Hidalgo Ramos:drumsSpecial thanks to: Rob TrujilloTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Anamaria SayreDirector/Editor: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Josephine NyounaiHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Mitra I. ArthurAudio Engineer: Josh NewellProduction Assistant: Elle MannionPhotographer: Zayrha RodriguezTiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Ashley PointerExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #tinydesk #ivancornejo
OKAN: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-09-24 | This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.Felix Contreras | September 24, 2024Spending time with the Afro-Cuban sounds of OKAN is to be immersed in the sounds of tradition mixed with the present.Co-leaders Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magdelys Savigne lead their five-piece band through the melodic and rhythmic celebration of their heritage with a sense of fun that can mask the intensity of the musicianship.From the opening chant of the group’s first number “Eshu Nigüe (Elegua),” all the way through “La Reina del Norte,” OKAN is another example of musicians who honor the role of tradition while stretching the boundaries of how that tradition is expressed. And I’m not mad at the fact that every song is another reason to dance.SET LIST“Eshu Nigüe (Elegua)”“Okantomi”“Oriki Oshun”“La Reina del Norte”MUSICIANSElizabeth Herrera Rodriguez: lead vocals, violinMagdelys Savigne: lead vocals, percussionCamila Cortina: piano, vocalsYissy García: drumsGerson Lazo-Quiroga: bass, vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Felix ContrerasDirector/Editor: Kara FrameAudio Technical Director: Josephine NyounaiHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua BryantAudio Engineer: Tiffany Vera CastroProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Michael ZamoraTiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #okan
Daniel, Me Estás Matando: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-09-20 | This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.Felix Contreras | September 20, 2024From the opening flourish of its first song, the Mexican band Daniel, Me Estás Matando, aka DMEM, makes it obvious that the group is leaning into the drama and passion of the Latin song style known as bolero. In fact, with just a hint of a raised eyebrow, the band describes its own take as “Boleroglam.”On DMEM’s first song, it’s as if lead vocalist, drummer and band namesake Daniel Zepeda is mustering up his last bit of emotional courage to spin this tale of heartbreak. Show business schtick aside, what impresses during the group’s turn behind the Desk is the high quality of musicianship from DMEM co-leader and guitarist Iván de La Rioja and the rest of the band. The four part harmonies in only the first two minutes of the opening song reinforce the “heart on the sleeve” emotions of the genre.If you grew up with this style of boleros, you probably imagine a group of guys in neat, three-piece suits gathered around a mic or the table at your favorite Mexican restaurant. It’s the music of our parents but in the hands and voices of Daniel, Me Estás Matando, the agony of love with these intricate harmonies becomes intergenerational.SET LIST“Intro”“Lo Hice, Te Dej锓Es Verdad”“¿Qué Se Siente Que Me Gustes Tanto?”“Ya Sé”MUSICIANSFernando Iván Martinez Sosa: electric guitar, vocals, microKORGDaniel Zepeda Alvírez: drums, vocalsAlonso López Valdés: electric bassJorge Alejandro Chacón Rodríguez: acoustic guitar, BGVEmmanuel Cisneros Solís: Nord synthesizer, vocals Emily Beth Booher: celloTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Anamaria SayreDirector: Maia SternAudio Technical Director: Hannah GluvnaHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterEditor: James HughesVideographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Alanté SereneAudio Engineer: Valentina Rodríguez SánchezProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Elizabeth GillisTiny Desk Team: Joshua Bryant, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #danielmeestasmatando
Danny Ocean: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-09-18 | This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.Isabella Gomez Sarmiento | September 18, 2024We had no idea, when we invited Danny Ocean to the Tiny Desk, that his concert would take place amidst another wave of political protests and violent repression in his native Venezuela. Despite the tumultuous timing, Danny and his band eased right into his lover boy pop anthems “Me Rehúso,” and “Volare.” The latter, kicked off by an ingenious jingle of plastic bottle caps, transformed into a beach-side serenade complete with a saxophone and singalong. Later, during a surprise percussion breakdown in the middle of “AMOR” from his latest album REFLEXA, the Tiny Desk magic couldn’t have been clearer: a studio-polished song took on new life because the band was clearly having fun just jamming out.Then, Ocean paused to acknowledge the crisis unfolding back home. “Venezuela, I love you with my whole heart,” he said in Spanish. “Whatever it is we’re going through, I hope we can resolve it.” Off the cuff, he played the first half of “por la pequeña Venecia” off his EP venequia. NPR staffers and guests waved Venezuelan flags; some of us got teary-eyed. But just like that, Danny Ocean and his band kept the good vibes going. The moment is indicative of the balance the artist has always managed to strike: making universal music about love and heartbreak without losing sight of the larger human struggle for peace and justice.SET LIST“Me Rehúso”“Volare”“AMOR”“por la pequeña Venecia”“Vuelve”“Fuera del Mercado”MUSICIANSDanny Ocean: vocalsCurtis Crump: keys, saxophoneTiago González: bassJune Medina: drumsDaniel Feldman: percussionAlvaro Cadavid: percussionMauricio Guerrero, Jr: guitarTINY DESK TEAMProducers: Anamaria Sayre, Isabella Gomez SarmientoDirector/Editor: Maia SternAudio Technical Director: Josephine NyounaiVideographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Zayrha RodriguezHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterAudio Engineer: Josh NewellProduction Assistant: Elle MannionPhotographer: Sofia SeidelTiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Ashley PointerExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#dannyocean #tinydesk #nprmusic
Juanes: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-09-16 | This Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 NPR Music celebrates artists from all corners of Latinidad with an 'El Tiny' takeover.Felix Contreras | September 16, 2024From the moment Colombian superstar Juanes started singing “Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor,” we know we were in for something special.He usually performs in arenas and stadiums all over the Spanish speaking world, but he brought his intensely personal songs to the Tiny Desk — and none of them lost their power of speaking directly to the heart.A highpoint for me was when he converted his popular song “La Luz” into a Dominican merengue, complete with crowd singalong. But what brought the house down was his surprise encore of “A Dios Le Pido,” proving this performance celebrates the power of his artistry and the familiarity of his music in our lives.SET LIST“Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor”“Cecilia”“Mala Gente”“La Luz“A Dios Le Pido”MUSICIANSJuanes: lead vocals, guitarFelipe Navia: bassJuan Pablo Daza: guitarRichard Bravo: percussionMarcelo Novati: drumsMiguel Ortiz: trumpetFelipe Silva: tenor SaxPercy Recavarren: tromboneNicolle Horbath: vocals Daniel Olivero: vocals Emmanuel Briceño: keyboards, musical direction TINY DESK TEAMProducer: Anamaria SayreDirector/Editor: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Josh NewellHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Estefania Mitre, Zayrha RodriguezAudio Engineer: Valentina Rodríguez SánchezPhotographer: Virginia LozanoTiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Ashley Pointer, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #tinydesk #juanes
Remi Wolf: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-09-12 | Bobby Carter | September 12, 2024Just minutes into soundcheck, I realize that Remi Wolf may be a superhero who isn’t entirely aware of her powers. After wrapping song one, she asks, “Can you hear me ok out there?” I recalled a similar conversation with her last year when she popped in as a guest vocalist for Kenny Beats’ Tiny Desk, and I told her that her voice is one of the few at the Desk that cuts through every instrument played. I also knew she would be standing front and center for her own Tiny Desk at some point, and Remi’s second album, Big Ideas, is chock full of songs that fall right in the sweet spot for an excellent performance here. Cuts like “Motorcycle” and “Alone in Miami” provide a healthy balance between the big pop songs on Big Ideas. The restraint allows her soulful side to shine while still maintaining the quirky funk. The singer admitted that she can get bored with her songs, but thankfully she played “Sexy Villain” from her debut album that we couldn’t get enough of in 2021, Juno. This bossa nova rendition of “Sexy Villain” veers just enough to feel new while remaining true to the original. SET LIST“Toro”“Alone in Miami”“Sexy Villain”“Motorcycle”“Pitiful”MUSICIANSRemi Wolf: lead vocalsConor Malloy: drumsAlex Pachino: guitar, vocalsMatt Horton: guitarAnna Bettendorf: keysZev Shearn-Nance: percussionMaddie Jay: bass, vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Bobby Carter Director/Editor: Kara FrameAudio Technical Director: Josh NewellVideographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Mitra I. Arthur, Sofia SeidelAudio Engineer: Tiffany Vera CastroPhotographer: Elizabeth GillisTiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Ashley Pointer, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #remiwolf
Mdou Moctar: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-09-10 | Lars Gotrich | September 10, 2024As soon as Mdou Moctar plugs in at the Tiny Desk, the Saharan shred begins. The music feels midstream, as if the licks never cease in his fingers — guitar strings bend with the utmost gentility, but, in an instant, set fire to the fretboard. Born and based in Niger, Moctar comes from the Tuareg tradition: hypnotic desert blues that swim in rock distortion. (Think Tinariwen, Bombino and Al Bilali Soudan, all of whom have played Tiny Desk in their own distinct styles.) For more than a decade, Moctar has built an extensive repertoire that not only mesmerizes musically but also speaks to the joy of his homeland and resistance to those who exploit its people. Unlike his acoustic-driven Tiny Desk (home) concert, Moctar and his berobed band here play up the chunky riffs and body-rattling volume of 2024’s Funeral for Justice: Orange amps, Fender Strats and, for this occasion, a kick-and-djembe combo that absolutely whips. Moctar’s aim is true: a plea, in Tamasheq, to preserve Niger’s native tongue (“Imouhar”); a protest against politicians who sell out Africa’s land and resources (“Funeral for Justice”); a battle versus inner demons (“Takoba”). In these songs, there’s a righteous fury, to be sure, but also a reminder that the good fight is always worth fighting. SET LIST“Imouhar”“Funeral for Justice”“Takoba”MUSICIANSMdou Moctar: guitar, vocalsAhmoudou Madassane: guitar, vocalsSouleymane Ibrahim: drums, vocals Mikey Coltun: bass, vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Lars GotrichDirector/Editor: Kara FrameAudio Technical Director: Neil TevaultHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Alanté SereneAudio Engineer: Josephine NyounaiProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Zayrha RodriguezTiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #mdoumoctar
Hurray for the Riff Raff: Field Recordings x Aspen Ideas Festival NPR Music 2024-09-05 | Suraya Mohamed | September 5, 2024This Field Recording almost didn’t happen. A heavy rain drenched the Aspen Ideas Festival campus two hours before we were scheduled to record with Alynda Segarra, a.k.a. Hurray for the Riff Raff. Thankfully, the sky dried out so Segarra, tourmate Johnny Wilson and our production team hiked up a grassy hill and down to this fragrant sage-filled meadow to record five stunning songs.The setting was apt. Segarra’s music can be sweet and tender, like the leaves that blur parts of our camera shots, but their personal stories told through song are as wide-screen as the Elk Mountains in the background. What’s really impressive is how full this music sounds with only two guitars and the occasional harmonization from Wilson, who sings at just the right moments and complements Segarra’s melodic lines with perfect intonation.Our Field Recording features stripped-down songs of love, loss and vulnerability from Hurray for the Riff Raff’s ninth album, The Past Is Still Alive, one of our favorites of the year. Segarra wrote the lyrics to process their past trauma, current identity and dreams for a better future. This was recorded on June 26, 2024 on the campus of the Aspen Ideas Festival.SET LIST “Alibi”“Buffalo”“Hawkmoon”“Colossus of Roads”“Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive)”MUSICIANSAlynda Segarra: vocals, guitarJohnny Wilson: vocals, guitarNPR TEAMDirector: Mito Habe-EvansEditor: Annabel EdwardsVideographers: Tsering Bista, Mito Habe-EvansAudio Engineer: Josh NewellPost-Production Coordinator: Tsering BistaSupervising Editor: Becky LettenbergerExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedVP, Visuals and Music: Keith JenkinsASPEN IDEAS TEAM Senior Producer: Ava Hartmann Videographers: Ryan Lohr, Will SardinskyAudio Engineer: Michael MilotaAudio Services Director: Matt WindholzFestival Director: Graham VeyseySPECIAL THANKSKemy J
Chris Thile: Field Recordings x Aspen Ideas Festival NPR Music 2024-09-04 | Suraya Mohamed | September 4, 2024Footpaths and a man-made stream bisect Anderson Park, an open grassy area in the middle of the Aspen Ideas Festival campus. An 800-pole bamboo sculpture was under construction nearby where Nickel Creek’s Chris Thile, violinist Sofia Hashemi-Asasi, and students from the Aspen Music School were setting up for this performance. Thile was excited as he coached the group through a rehearsal of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043, 3rd Movement. Soon, an audience gathered on the hill to watch the concert and we were finally ready to begin. The long grass rustled close to our microphones and added a texture of tranquility to this joyful performance. Afterward, Thile played two of his own compositions, “Dionysus” and “Ecclesiastes 2:24.” Before his paean to the god of wine-making, he said “So I think this is undeniably a nice place, right here, part of the natural world that we get so little of these days and it brings to mind wine for me, because I feel like that's one of the most successful collaborations humankind has had with the natural world.” Before wrapping things up, Thile got emotional. “It’s good for a person to eat and drink and take pleasure in their work, and I don't know when I’ve made music with people who were taking more pleasure in their work, than these extraordinary young musicians I just got to play the third movement of the Bach double with,” Thile said. “I feel very very lucky in the moment.”SET LIST Bach: Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043, 3rd Movement“Dionysus”“Ecclesiastes 2:24”MUSICIANSChris Thile: mandolin, vocalsSofia Hashemi-Asasi: violin soloistMadelyne Garnot: violinJohn Lee: violinMartha Mulcahy: violaHa eun Song: celloChad Rogers: double bassNPR TEAMDirector: Mito Habe-EvansEditor: Alanté SereneVideographers: Tsering Bista, Mito Habe-EvansAudio Engineer: Josh NewellPost-Production Coordinator: Tsering BistaSupervising Editor: Becky LettenbergerExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedVP, Visuals and Music: Keith JenkinsASPEN IDEAS TEAM Senior Producer: Ava Hartmann Videographers: Ryan Lohr, Will SardinskyAudio Engineer: Michael MilotaAudio Services Director: Matt WindholzFestival Director: Graham Veysey#nprmusic #fieldrecordings #christhile
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra: Field Recordings x Aspen Ideas Festival NPR Music 2024-09-03 | Suraya Mohamed | September 3, 2024The Aspen Ideas Festival campus spans 40 acres and is filled with art installations, event venues, grassy fields and picturesque gardens. Sounds perfect, right? But when we tried to find a place to record Jonathan Scales’ steelpans, the landscape actually presented a challenge.Scales’ instruments were once authentic oil barrels that were pounded, finished and tuned just for the Fourchestra. Despite the fact that it originated in tropical Trinidad and Tobago, the steelpan is highly sensitive to the sun’s heat, which impacts the metal so drastically that if left in the sun even for a short period of time, it can warp out of tune. Our team spent a lot of time trying to find a shady spot to capture this Field Recording and we finally found a nook protected by a strand of Aspen trees. Jonathan Scales Fourchestra has been performing for 17 years, and in the process he’s established the steelpans as a signature jazz instrument. This performance features bassist Cody Wright, who used to play with the group and made a special appearance for this performance. Their energetic, creative four-song set revels in the uncategorizable area between jazzy funk and bluegrass.SET LIST“Desert”“Box in the Sky”“Lurkin' ”“The Trap”MUSICIANSJonathan Scales: steelpansCody Wright: bassMaison Guidry: drumsNPR TEAMDirector: Mito Habe-EvansEditors: James HughesVideographers: Tsering Bista, Mito Habe-EvansAudio Engineer: Josh NewellPost-Production Coordinator: Tsering BistaSupervising Editor: Becky LettenbergerExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedVP, Visuals and Music: Keith JenkinsASPEN IDEAS TEAM Senior Producer: Ava Hartmann Videographers: Ryan Lohr, Will SardinskyAudio Engineer: Michael MilotaAudio Services Director: Matt WindholzFestival Director: Graham VeyseySPECIAL THANKSBrandi Wynne#nprmusic #fieldrecordings #jonathanscalesfourchestra
Son Little: Field Recordings x Aspen Ideas Festival NPR Music 2024-09-02 | Suraya Mohamed | September 2, 2024The sun was high when musician Son Little arrived at Anderson Park on the campus of the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado. While looking for a shady place to capture this Field Recording, we trekked down a steep rocky trail, all the way to the edge of the nearby Roaring Fork River, only to find it too tight for our crew and musical guest. And because the river was indeed roaring, we headed back to the top of the hill to record this intimate set.Son Little had never performed a concert in a field before, but he was completely at ease on the hot hill, waiting patiently while we set up the cameras and microphones. He played a lovely four-song set that radiates vulnerability and affection, starting with “bend yr ear” and “what’s good” (both from his latest album, Like Neptune), and finished the set with two of his bigger hits, “mad about you” and “neve give up.”SET LIST “bend yr ear”“what’s good”“mad about you”“neve give up”MUSICIANS Son Little: guitar, vocalsNPR TEAMDirector: Mito Habe-EvansEditor: Mitra I. ArthurVideographers: Tsering Bista, Mito Habe-EvansAudio Engineer: Josh NewellPost-Production Coordinator: Tsering BistaSupervising Editor: Becky LettenbergerExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedVP, Visuals and Music: Keith JenkinsASPEN IDEAS TEAM Senior Producer: Ava Hartmann Videographers: Ryan Lohr, Will SardinskyAudio Engineer: Michael MilotaAudio Services Director: Matt WindholzFestival Director: Graham Veysey#nprmusic #fieldrecordings #sonlittle
Pygmy Lush: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-08-30 | Lars Gotrich | August 30, 2024How rare is it for the same group of musicians to create not one but two beloved bands of the punk scene? Around the turn of the millennium, pg. 99 pushed heavy music to its most chaotic extremes, inspiring tattoos and the next generation of hardcore. Then a few members of pg. 99 started Pygmy Lush — something quieter and sweeter, though no less experimental. Pygmy Lush never broke up, life just happened; this Tiny Desk is the atmospheric folk band’s first live performance in seven years. While its catalog can get noisy, Pygmy Lush here relies on haunted campfire singalongs from 2008’s Mount Hope (“Asphalt,” “Dead Don’t Pass” and “Hard to Swallow”) and “It’s a Good Day to Hide” from its split LP with the hardcore band Turboslut. Like those records, the foundations here are simple — acoustic guitars, looped melodies, repeated phrases, hushed vocals — but its gentle swells allow small feelings to grow roots and wander. Blood and chosen family surrounds this set. Chris and Mike Taylor’s mother came to see Pygmy Lush perform for the very first time — the way they lit up when she entered the NPR Music office is too precious for words. Johnny Ward’s mother sat beside her. Mike Widman’s eldest daughter sings on “Hard to Swallow.” And, because Pygmy Lush has always featured an orbit of collaborators, Aimée Argote from the shapeshifting indie-rock band Des Ark plays piano and sings — their touch is so delicate, yet gives the monochromatic mood so much color. Pygmy Lush closes this Tiny Desk with “I’ll Wait with You,” a personal request of mine. In years previous, I’ve seen the band howl its catharsis with deafening volume: “To the end,” a declaration of friendship forged in and through hardship. An unbreakable bond. Here, the scream becomes a smile, a promise. SET LIST“Asphalt”“It’s a Good Day to Hide”“Dead Don't Pass” “Hard to Swallow”“I'll Wait with You”MUSICIANSChris Taylor: vocals, guitarJohnny Ward: vocals, guitarMike Taylor: guitar, vocalsMike Widman: bassAndy Gale: drumsAimée Argote: piano, vocalsEzra-June Widman: vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Lars Gotrich Director/Editor: Kara FrameAudio Technical Director: Josephine NyounaiHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Kara Frame, Mitra I. Arthur, Alanté Serene, Elizabeth GillisAudio Engineer: Carleigh StrangeProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Estefania MitreTiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Maia Stern, Joshua BryantExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #pygmylush
Conductor Jonathon Heyward keeps breaking classical music barriers NPR Music 2024-08-29 | Lara Downes | Aug 29, 2024In September 2023, Jonathon Heyward began a 5-year term as the music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. The appointment made him, at 31, the youngest conductor of any major American orchestra, and the first Black music director in the organization’s 107-year history. He stepped into trailblazing shoes; his predecessor, Marin Alsop, had become the first woman to lead a major American orchestra when she took the job 16 years earlier.I have this theory, which I shared with Jonathon during this conversation. I think that any of us who have ever gone first -- who’ve ever had to break any barrier or glass ceiling, ever felt uninvited or unseen -- has an innate and intense need to create a more inclusive world. As a boy in South Carolina, Jonathon first encountered classical music via his public elementary school’s music program, and he’s picked up the work of public education and engagement with a wholehearted energy. In Baltimore, he’s embraced the OrchKids program, which Alsop founded early in her tenure, inviting underserved youth across the city to experience music as a vehicle for developing creative – and life — skills. He’s committed not only to opening the doors of the symphony hall to new and diverse audiences, but also to physically meeting those audiences where they are. The orchestra performs in multiple community spaces throughout a city that struggles with severe socioeconomic disparities and racial divisions.It might seem unrealistic to think that music can play a role in healing the troubles of our cities, our nation and our world. But if you believe it, and if you work hard to prove it, the more clearly you realize how very true it is. Music, which echoes creative expression through centuries of human troubles, can ignite a flame of wonder, imagination and emotional well-being that just might have the power to heal people and their communities.This summer, Jonathon started another new job: music director of New York’s Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center, formerly known (since 1973) as the orchestra of the Mostly Mozart Festival. The rebranding is part of a radical transformation at Lincoln Center, driven by a mission to create programming and policies that make the arts accessible to the city’s diverse population. Jonathon’s first concerts with the orchestra were focused on invitation and inclusion. A “Symphony of Choice” concert let audience members vote on which pieces the orchestra should play. “City of Floating Sounds,” by the Chinese-born composer Huang Ruo, came with an app that allowed people to hear musical fragments all over the city before they came to the live performance.Jonathon is full of ideas about how to change the way people perceive and experience music and what it means. When you go first, you can carve a new path. And when you’re the youngest, there’s a long path ahead. It will be thrilling to watch Jonathon Heyward move forward.WATCH OTHER EPISODES OF AMPLIFYyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLy2PCKGkKRVaTy4dPhq6TCQ8V6pIJ5Y2C#jonathanheyward #amplify #nprmusic
Lainey Wilson: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-08-27 | Stephen Thompson | August 27, 2024Lainey Wilson took a long, winding path to country-music stardom, beginning with a high school stint as a Hannah Montana impersonator. That path led the Louisiana native to a Grammy for best country album earlier this year — for her terrific 2022 breakthrough, Bell Bottom Country — and it continues with Whirlwind, which dropped Friday.Just days before the new album’s release, Wilson took yet another victory lap at the Tiny Desk, where she performed three songs from Whirlwind before closing with the first single from Bell Bottom Country, “Heart Like a Truck.” Though she and her band opened the set with two killer songs about romantic devotion, the show’s grabbiest moments — and the ones likeliest to go viral — came during the irreverent “Ring Finger,” a kiss-off song for the ages. (How we made it to 2024 without a banger containing the words “I got the ring / He got the finger” will have to remain a mystery.)The whole deeply charming set announced Wilson as a star with staying power. She’ll maintain a presence at the Tiny Desk, too: She left us her hat for safekeeping.SET LIST“Hang Tight Honey”“4x4xU”“Ring Finger”“Heart Like a Truck”MUSICIANSLainey Wilson: lead vocals, guitar Aslan Freeman: guitar, vocalsTommy Scifres: bass, vocalsKevin Nolan: keys, electric guitar, vocalsMatt Nolan: drums, vocalsSav Madigan: violin, guitar, mandolin, vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Suraya MohamedDirector/Editor: Kara FrameAudio Technical Director: Josh NewellHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Mitra I. ArthurAudio Engineer: Andie HuetherProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Alanté SereneTiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Hazel CillsSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #laineywilson
Katy Kirby: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-08-26 | Elle Mannion | August 26, 2024Texas-born Katy Kirby has a talent for creating songs that start quietly — so tenderly that the listener almost feels like they’re eavesdropping on a personal conversation — then build with intricate arrangements before returning to that intimacy. It’s that sort of dynamism, paired with Kirby’s clear voice and distinctive lyrical imagery, that really shine in her Tiny Desk performance.Kirby begins with “Juniper,” a swinging hit from her debut album Cool Dry Place, followed by “Fences,” off her latest album Blue Raspberry. On “Cubic Zirconia,” after an instrumental break led by Logan Chung’s electric guitar riffs, the band fades as Kirby sings to “the prettiest mermaid in the souvenir shop,” describing a “face framed by hoodie like an oyster in a shell.” Kirby then plays a stripped back version of the usually roaring “Table” before ending with the arresting “Portals,” a song Kirby told us tends to make her girlfriend tear up. Also, you may notice that the “woohoo!” sounds from the audience sound a bit higher pitched than usual. That’s because Kirby was playing to an audience of young musicians attending the Girls Rock! DC day camp, hosted at NPR headquarters the day of this recording. We're glad Kirby could show them what it's like to rock out at the Tiny Desk.SET LIST“Juniper”“Fences”“Cubic Zirconia”“Table”“Portals”MUSICIANSKaty Kirby: vocals, electric guitar Austin Arnold: drums Margaux Bouchegnies: electric bass Logan Chung: guitar, keysLane Rodges: piano TINY DESK TEAMProducer: Elle Mannion Director/Editor: Kara Frame Audio Technical Director: Hannah GluvnaVideographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Mitra I. Arthur Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer Photographer: Sofia Seidel Tiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Maia SternExecutive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #katykirby
Maxwell: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-08-23 | Mitra I. Arthur | August 23, 2024Have you ever been in a room where you can feel a palpable, collective swooning? Welcome to a Maxwell Tiny Desk. The crooner’s sensual falsetto and rooted baritone have seduced audiences since his debut album dropped in 1996. One of the leading voices in the resurgence of soul music during the late ’90s, Maxwell’s albums are full of tender songs recounting love, life and heartbreak that have resonated with generations of fans looking for ways to be vulnerable.Clad in soothing neutrals, Maxwell charmingly admitted his nervousness at being at the Desk, stating that “This is where real music can’t lie. You cannot lie here.” The audience was there with encouragement — singing along, screaming in pure glee and adding the party vibe when needed. His set here featured “Sumthin' Sumthin'” complete with a funky bass solo from Darrell "Free" Freeman. “Lifetime” features impressive work from Travis Sayles on the keys and Shedrick “Shed” Mitchell on the Hammond B3 organ, an instrument I’m admittedly partial to. Maxwell presented his latest single during this set, a cover of the Al Green classic “Simply Beautiful,” breathing life into the song and paying homage to the soul singer. To end his set, Maxwell performed the song that launched his career, “Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder).” Percussionist Charles Haynes gave us a little D.C. go-go flavor as everyone partied.SET LIST“Sumthin' Sumthin'”“Bad Habits”“Lifetime”“Pretty Wings”“Simply Beautiful”“Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)”MUSICIANSMaxwell: lead vocals Shedrick "Shed" Mitchell: keys, musical director Hod David: guitar Travis Sayles: keys Darryl "Lil Man" Howell: drums Darrell "Free" Freeman: bass LaTina Webb: vocals Aaron Marcellus: vocals Charles Haynes: percussionTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Bobby CarterDirector/Editor: Maia SternAudio Technical Director: Josephine NyounaiVideographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Sofia Seidel, Zayrha RodriguezAudio Engineer: Ted MebanePhotographer: Estefania MitreTiny Desk Team: Kara Frame, Ashley Pointer, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #tinydesk #maxwell
Keyon Harrold: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-08-16 | Nikki Birch | August 15, 2024It's a family reunion when jazz, R&B and hip-hop get together, and Keyon Harrold brought it all to his Tiny Desk, where he talked about “the good, the band, and the ugly of what life can be.”“Gotta Go (Outer Space),” set the table for the affair, introducing Harrold and the killin’ musicians in the rhythm section and giving them a chance to settle in before special guests arrived. “Find Your Peace,” is about letting go. Seasoned with a verse from Nick Grant, a sprinkle of Rhodes by jazz rockstar, Robert Glasper, and a dash of featured vocalist, Tiana Major9, it was a tasty first course.The title track of Harrold’s latest album, “Foreverland,” is love and longing brought to the table by STOUT. Together, with Harrold taking turns as a vocalist, they told a story about the possibilities of a dreamy romance with the support of Michelle Hunt and Mary Floyd singing background vocals. The next dish is an entrée consumed, perhaps, with a bit of reluctance. “Don’t Lie,” features Malaya pleading for answers, to which Harrold responds with a reassuring trumpet solo.It’s apparent from everyone’s smiles, whether performing songs about joy or yearning, that they’re family creating a memory. Harrold spoke about a lesson he learned recently: friendship is an essential ingredient that nourishes the soul. For the final course, he and longtime friend PJ Morton proclaim that, with the right perspective, everyday is a “Beautiful Day.”SET LIST“Gotta Go (Outer Space)”“Find Your Peace” (feat. Robert Glasper, Nick Grant & Tianna Major 9)“Foreverland” (feat. Robert Glasper and STOUT)“Don’t Lie” (feat. Malaya)“Beautiful Day” (feat. PJ Morton)MUSICIANSKeyon Harrold: trumpet, lead vocalsRobert Glasper: keysPJ Morton: keys, vocalsTiana Major9: vocalsSTOUT: vocalsMalaya: vocalsNick Grant: vocalsShedrick Mitchell: keysDavid 'DJ' Ginyard: bassNir Felder: guitarJaylen Petinaud: drumsMichelle Hunt: vocalsMary Floyd: vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Nikki BirchDirector/Editor: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Neil TevaultHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Sofia SeidelProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Alanté SereneTiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel Cills Executive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #tinydesk #keyonharrold
Sierra Ferrell: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-08-14 | Ann Powers | August 14, 2024Sierra Ferrell is the May Queen of American roots music — no matter what month it is. For her summertime stop at the Tiny Desk, the West Virginia native adorned herself in garb befitting Florence Pugh’s star turn in Midsommar, a trail of cloth pansies encircling her eyes. Ferrell, whose 2024 album is appropriately called Trail of Flowers, quickly showed that her finery wouldn’t get in the way of a stellar musical performance; her fiddling in this set’s first song “I Could Drive You Crazy” anchored both the band and the entire performance in the technically challenging yet boisterous, bluegrass-meets-old-timey sound that’s made Ferrell a fast-rising star alongside friends like Billy Strings and Zach Bryan. Focusing on the music, only pausing for some whimsical banter about the legendary city of tunnels that lies beneath Washington, D.C., Ferrell showed how her blend of warmth, chops and inventiveness is remaking Americana music.A former busker who learned roots music during her itinerant twenties, Ferrell shows no fealty to any one style while honoring many in her sparkling, insightful songs. For “Dollar Bill Bar” she switched to guitar and sang with the sexy ease of a young Bonnie Raitt as Oliver Bates Craven spooled out some Beatles-esque guitar licks. (He and mandolinist Josh Rilko have played with Ferrell off and on since she first wowed Nashvillians a decade ago on hipster nights at the American Legion Hall.) Then the band shifts to a Spanish stroll for “In Dreams,” throws in a bluegrass breakdown, and ends the set with the beautiful “American Dreaming,” a ballad that Linda Ronstadt might have recorded in her early days. No circus hoop descended for Ferrell to grab and levitate — as she did at her last Nashville New Year’s Eve show — but she’d still managed to fill the Tiny Desk with sparkle and joy.Trail of Flowers: https://found.ee/SFTrailOfFlowersSET LIST“I Could Drive You Crazy”“Dollar Bill Bar”“In Dreams”“American Dreaming”MUSICIANSSierra Ferrell: lead vocals, acoustic guitar, fiddleJosh Rilko: mandolin, octave mandolin, acoustic guitar, vocalsOliver Bates Craven: fiddle, electric guitar, vocalsGeoff Saunders: bass, vocalsMatty Meyer: drumsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Lars Gotrich Director/Editor: Maia SternAudio Technical Director: Neil TevaultHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Mitra I. ArthurAudio Engineer: Carleigh StrangeProduction Assistant: Elle MannionPhotographer: Elizabeth GillisTiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Kara Frame, Ashley PointerExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #sierrafarrell
Chucho Valdés: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-08-12 | Felix Contreras | August 12, 2024Pianist Chucho Valdés is the past, present and future of Cuban piano.Throughout over six decades as a professional musician, he has performed in a variety of small groups and large orchestras, always incorporating the influence of Africa, Spain and jazz from the United States. As the son of pianist and composer Bebo Valdés, he was raised with a connection to over 100 years of Cuban piano tradition, studying pianists from Havana at the turn of the 20th century as a child. You can hear how Valdés absorbed the lessons of the pianists who came before him in this stunning solo performance, delving into the most forward thinking piano improvisations that blend jazz, classical and Cuban tradition. One of those moments is on full display about four minutes into the first tune: his left hand is deftly playing one of his signature tunes, “Mambo Influenciado,” while his right hand is reaching into the outer limits of harmony, melody and rhythm. His turn on what he called “Impromptu Desk” is a rare opportunity to witness how his musical mind wanders from jazz to blues to haunting melodies. In his 80s, Valdés still displays the bottomless fountain of creativity with small group performances, the occasional solo piano gig and reviving the groundbreaking band Irakere. It was an incredible personal treat to host him behind the Desk and have him transport us. SET LIST“Mambo Influenciado”“Impromptu Desk”“Ponle la Clave”MUSICIANSChucho Valdés: pianoTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Felix ContrerasDirector/Editor: Kara FrameAudio Technical Director: Josephine NyounaiHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Grace RaverAudio Engineer: Phil EdforsProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Estefania MitreTiny Desk Team: Joshua Bryant, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #chuchovaldes
DEVO: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-08-09 | Robin Hilton | August 9, 2024Shortly before beginning the band’s set, Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh learned we have a closet full of stage props and costumes, everything from lab coats and wigs to a rubber chicken and fake blood. After quickly rummaging through the boxes and racks of clothes, he returned with a stack of hats that he eventually — and repeatedly — swapped out during a sometimes breathless performance.The band’s set included songs members say they hadn’t performed in more than 40 years, opening with “It Takes a Worried Man,” a track Devo had originally recorded for the little-known 1982 comedy film Human Highway. The group also performed a skittering version of 1979’s “Blockhead,” and “Come Back Jonee” from the band’s 1978 debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!Now 74, Mothersbaugh hasn’t slowed down or lost the playfully subversive style that’s defined his time with Devo, at one point working his way into the audience with a megaphone to ask people just inches away what they’re doing with their hands (for the song “Praying Hands”). Devo’s set comes after releasing a career-spanning box set, 50 Years of De-Evolution (1973-2023), late last year.SET LIST“It Takes a Worried Man”“Blockhead”“Praying Hands”“Come Back Jonee”MUSICIANSGerald Casale: bass, vocalsJeff Friedl: percussionJosh Hager: guitar, vocalsMark Mothersbaugh: keys, vocalsBob Mothersbaugh: guitar, vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Robin HiltonDirector/Editor: Kara FrameAudio Technical Director: Josh NewellHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Christina ShamanAudio Engineer: Josephine NyounaiProduction Assistant: Elle MannionPhotographer: Zayrha RodriguezTiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #devo
Milton Nascimento & esperanza spalding: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert NPR Music 2024-08-07 | Suraya Mohamed | August 7, 2024We almost never post Tiny Desk (home) concerts anymore. But to have the glorious Brazilian musical icon Milton Nascimento with his gifted friend and collaborator, esperanza spalding, be an exception is perhaps the opportunity of a lifetime. Nascimento is 81 years old now and has difficulty traveling out of Brazil.It’s hard to explain the gravity of Nascimento’s career and his significant influence on all genres of music. Performing for more than 60 years, the singer, musician and songwriter’s discography includes more than 40 albums. In his prime, his rich voice spanned many octaves. While his vocal quality might not be as strong now, there is an intangible essence that fills the void. “What’s so amazing is the quantum resonance of this elder’s life and you can’t make that sound,” spalding told WRTI’s Nate Chinen last month. “It’s not a sound, it’s a lived thing that does travel on the frequencies, obviously, but we don’t even have the words to describe what we’re actually picking up.”In 2022, Nascimento was on his farewell tour, but in 2023 he put his retirement on hold after deciding to collaborate with spalding on their upcoming album, Milton + esperanza. Songs from that record are featured in this magical (home) concert. Recorded last month in Nascimento’s living room in Rio de Janeiro, it’s likely to be the only video performance of this music.The songs here are gentle, lush and filled with passion. The beautiful harmonies and syncopated rhythms combine with spalding’s acrobatic bass lines to give the music a playful, dance-like feel. But what really stands out in this performance is the deep friendship, admiration and love Nascimento and spalding hold for one another.Milton + esperanza https://found.ee/Milton-esperanzaSET LISTMilton Nascimento: “Cais”Milton Nascimento: “Outubro”Guinga, Paulo César Pinheiro: “Saci (feat. Guinga)”Milton Nascimento, Fernando Brant: “Saudade Dos Aviões Da Panair (Conversando No Bar) (feat. Maria Gadú)”Wayne Shorter, Edgy Lee: “When You Dream (feat. Maria Gadú)”MUSICIANSMilton Nascimento: vocalsesperanza spalding: vocals, arrangements, bass, musical directionMaria Gadú: vocalsGuinga: acoustic guitarLeo Genovese: piano, synthDedê Silva: drumsRonaldo Silva: percussionShabaka Hutchings: fluteFilipe Coimbra: electric guitarLula Galvão: acoustic guitarCREDITSDIRECTION/PRODUCTIONMusic Director & Executive Artistic Director: esperanza spaldingFilm Director: Matheus SenraSenior Project Manager: Nathalia BorghiExecutive Producer - Milton Nascimento: Augusto NascimentoExecutive Producer - esperanza spalding: Héloïse DarcqExecutive Producer: Fernanda MaltaProduction Manager: Roberta GuedesProduction Coordinator: Erika FreddoProducer: Renata AmaralCAMERA CREWDOP: André HawkCamera Operator: Gabriel ZambroneCamera Operator: Marcio Nunes Camera Operator / Gaffer: Rodrigo OcampoLogger / Assistant Camera: Camila Baggio Assistant Electrician / Assistant Camera: Guilherme O'DoroVideo Assistant / Assistant Camera: Beatriz SalgadoART DEPARTMENTArt Director: Nathalia SiqueiraArt Assistant: Fernanda SierraAUDIO CREWAudio Technical Director: Aurélio Kauffmann Audio Technical Producer: Jimmy JuniorRecording Engineer: Ronaldo LimaAudio - Roadie: França BabilôniaBackline Equipment: Star no Palco BacklineMISCELLANEOUSTeleprompter Operator: Danilo NuhaSpecial Thanks: Raphael Pulga, Concord Records Team, Jason Linder, Universal Records Brazil, Paul Kremen, Fernanda Mesa, Janice Mascarenhas, Wes Rodrigues, Nat Rosa, Lutera ThabisaPOST PRODUCTIONEditor: Juliana NevesColor Correction: Bernardo NederSound Mix: Arthur Luna, William Luna Junior e Luciano ScalercioMastering: Arthur LunaMastering Assistant: Enzo MenegazziMastering Assistant: Raphael Rui CastroTranslation and Subtitling: All Dub EstudioTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Suraya MohamedVideo Producer: Maia SternAudio Mastering: Josephine NyounaiHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterTiny Production Team: Hazel Cills, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Ashley PointerExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#miltonnascimento #esperanzaspalding #nprmusic #tinydesk
Shae Universe: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-08-06 | Ashley Pointer | August 6, 2024I just happened to be looking out of the office window when British-Nigerian singer-songwriter Shae Universe first pulled up outside of NPR HQ, just in time to see her take it all in. It was evidently a surreal moment for her as an up-and-coming artist, but once she began to fill the room up with her unique and stunning voice, it was clear that she had arrived — not just at the Tiny Desk, but effervescently onto America’s R&B and soul scene.“This moment right here is not just one for British culture and R&B, this is for the independent artists, this is for the self-managed artists, this is for the darker-skinned Black women, this is for the shy ones with undeniable gifts, this is for the slow-burners,” Universe says in her set. Performing selections from her most recent album, Love’s Letter, Universe takes us on a journey of love in this concert in all forms: lust, romance and self-love. On “You Lose” she also takes a moment to pay homage to her early days as the pioneer of the U.K. subgenre R&Drill, where we hear her flex not only her smooth vocals but her bars with admirable precision. Universe closes out the show with “More Than Enough,” a gospel-infused ballad. It was beautiful witnessing her sing these affirmations for herself, and made me so excited for those who will discover her for the first time through this concert. Prepare yourself.SET LIST“OOTW”“Summertime”“LOML”“Warzone” “Passenger Princess” “What's Luv?” “You Lose”“More Than Enough”MUSICIANSShae Universe: lead vocals Isaac Oshuntola: bass John Monk: guitar Brandon Stennett: drums Ronnie Heard: sax Veritus Miller: keys Kaylla Samuel: vocals Auriana Chisholm: vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Ashley PointerDirector: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Neil TevaultHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterEditor: Maia Stern Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Mitra I. ArthurAudio Engineer: Tiffany Vera CastroAudio Mix: Josephine NyounaiPhotographer: Michael ZamoraTiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#shaeuniverse #nprmusic #tinydesk
Alana Springsteen: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-08-05 | Robin Hilton | August 5, 2024We first started talking with Alana Springsteen about a Tiny Desk concert more than a year ago, back when she began releasing the three EPs that would make up her stunning debut album Twenty Something. By the time we finally got her in the office, she showed up ready to make it count, with a carefully arranged setlist she delivered in an impossible-to-miss, bright red, leather suit, backed by an incredible band.Springsteen’s set featured multiple surprises, including a version of the Tiësto song “Hot Honey” (a track she guested on when Tiësto released it last month). She also performed a brand new song we’re premiering called “feels good,” a twisted tale about flirting with death, going to extremes and self-sabotage.Springsteen also included a slow-burning version of “ghost in my guitar,” swapping the electric guitar performed by Chris Stapleton on her album for a cello, before closing with a stripped-down version of the title cut to Twenty Something, a deeply moving coming-of-age song that left a lot of us at the office in tears.SET LIST“ghost in my guitar”“Hot Honey”“feels good”“twenty something”MUSICIANSAlana Springsteen: lead vocals, acoustic guitar, pianoAlec Parrish: drums, vocalsJosh Beatty: lead guitar, acoustic guitarGideon Klein: steel guitar, celloDaniel Cooper: piano, guitar, vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Robin Hilton Director/Editor: Kara FrameAudio Technical Director: Neil TevaultHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Grace RaverAudio Engineer: Valentina Rodriguez SanchezProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Sofia SeidelTiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #tinydesk #alanaspringsteen
The LOX: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-08-02 | Bobby Carter | August 2, 2024Experience with a live band is a prerequisite for most artists who want to play the Tiny Desk. The space isn’t kind to groups who aren’t locked in with each other and it will fully expose a lack of preparation. In the case of The LOX, chemistry has allowed the group to prevail in any environment. It’s the primary element of the trio’s longevity, so we all took a chance to build this performance from scratch. It took the audience a second to figure out what was happening, but the “woos” in tandem with the music affirmed everything. After 30 years in the game, we experienced The LOX, fresh and new again.The trio of Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch might not spring to mind when it comes to rappers who work with live bands. Established in Yonkers, N.Y., in the 1990s, the group specializes in gritty street anthems, usually best presented with two turntables and a microphone. The LOX utilized the typical tools of the trade three years ago to dominate The Diplomats and reinvigorate the rappers’ careers in their Verzuz battle. The band assembled here consists of Tiny Desk alumnus Carrtoons and Kiefer, Daru Jones on drums and vocalist Le’Asha. The arrangements added a level of sophistication never heard before from The LOX, and for the grand finale, they brought a string section — or “more band,” as Styles put it.SET LIST“All for the Love”“Recognize”“Good Love”“Good Times”“By Your Side”“Kiss Your A** Goodbye”“Money, Power & Respect”“We Gonna Make It”MUSICIANSJadakiss: lead vocalsStyles P: lead vocalsSheek Louch: lead vocalsCarrtoons: bass, musical directionKiefer: pianoDaru Jones: drumsLe’Asha: vocalsTechnician The DJ: DJLelia-Michelle Walker: violaKeith Colon: violinClarke Randolph: violin Johnny Walker, Jr.: celloTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Bobby CarterDirector/Editor: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Josephine NyounaiVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Mitra I. ArthurAudio Engineer: David GreenburgProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Alanté SereneTiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #tinydesk #thelox
Kehlani: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-07-31 | Alanté Serene | July 31, 2024When I first heard Kehlani’s debut mixtape, it was a comfort that reminded me of home. The proud Oakland, Calif. native was 19 years old when that project dropped, and so was I. The tracklist was exactly what I needed as a new Washington, D.C. transplant, thousands of miles away from all of my loved ones in the Bay Area. Over the past decade I’ve followed Kehlani along their journey, growing with them as we both experienced young adulthood. Vulnerability is their superpower, and that power was put to the test at the Tiny Desk, where Kehlani succeeds with flying colors.“It’s been a long time coming. I definitely know I’m overdue for doing this [Tiny Desk],” Kehlani says in their set. The journey starts with “Nights Like This,” the heartbreak single from their 2019 mixtape, While We Wait. Then, Kehlani switches gears into “Distraction,” from their debut album SweetSexySavage, followed by an effortless merge into “The Way,” from the 2015 project, You Should Be Here. After the sultry sounds of “Can I,” Kehlani parks their performance for a moment. “I want to take a second to say: Free Palestine. Free Congo. Free Sudan. Free Yemen. Free Hawaii. Free Guam,” they say. “It’s deeper than this. I need everybody that’s here right now, everybody that’s watching, to step up, to use their voices.” The set then accelerates into “After Hours,” the groovy, summertime anthem from their latest album, CRASH. Kehlani conquers the Desk with raw and real talent, setting them up for a future in music that is full of possibilities. I’m eager to see their next destination.SET LIST“Nights Like This”“Distraction”“The Way”“Can I”“After Hours”MUSICIANSKehlani: lead vocalsFreaky Rob: guitar, musical directionDoctor O: keysSimba: bassJermaine Poindexter: drumsKaryn Porter: vocalsChelsea West: vocalsJasmine Patton: vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducers: Alanté Serene, Bobby CarterDirector/Editor: Maia SternAudio Technical Director: Hannah GluvnaVideographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Grace RaverAudio Engineer: Phil EdforsProduction Assistant: Elle MannionPhotographer: Keren CarriónTiny Desk Team: Kara Frame, Ashley Pointer, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#kehlani #nprmusic #tinydesk
Conductor Thomas Wilkins asks orchestras to ‘jump off a cliff’ with him NPR Music 2024-07-30 | Lara Downes | July 30, 2024For a soloist, working with a conductor for the first time is like a blind date — one that takes place in front of around 100 people. Typically, you have a quick, private meeting to go over any special thoughts about the music. But then you move to the stage where the orchestra musicians are waiting, and you take the piece from the top for the first time. That’s when you find out if you have musical chemistry. Just like a first date, it can all go terribly wrong, for any number of reasons. But when I had my first rehearsal with Thomas Wilkins and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra last year, it was clear that we were a match.Thom and I just got each other, and we had so much fun during those days in Indianapolis. I think that’s because we are both deeply committed to finding the joy in music. We have a fluid approach, a healthy disregard for boundaries of genre, and we keep our ears and minds open to new understandings. This is instinctive, but also intentional — part and parcel of our common goal of opening the doors to music, widening its reach and connecting people.Thom has an eclectic, multi-faceted life in music. One day he’s working with Earth, Wind & Fire at the Hollywood Bowl, where he has been principal conductor since 2014, the next with classical soloists at the Boston Symphony Orchestra or Virginia Symphony, where he holds resident positions. He loves the constant pivoting, the creative journey that this career offers. After all, as he says in our conversation, “music is just music.”He’s also a devoted teacher and mentor as chair of orchestral conducting at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. For him, part of teaching is learning from your students, and part of mentoring is taking cues from the next generation, showing respect for what’s to come, acknowledging our shortcomings, knowing that we don’t have all the answers. What if everyone in a position of leadership lived by those words? I think the world would be a much better place.WATCH OTHER EPISODES OF AMPLIFYyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLy2PCKGkKRVaTy4dPhq6TCQ8V6pIJ5Y2C#thomaswilkins #amplify #nprmusic
Ryan Leslie: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-07-26 | Bobby Carter | July 26, 2024Ryan Leslie was in go mode as he arrived at NPR headquarters after an early morning road trip from New York. He bounced all over the space even when the cameras weren’t rolling. I was curious to hear how he would take his big, synth-heavy sound and adapt it to the Tiny Desk, but then was quickly reminded that at his core, he’s a creator. Leslie made songs like “Diamond Girl,” “How It Was Supposed To Be” and Cassie’s “Long Way 2 Go,” so to watch him recreate them here with ease shouldn’t have been a surprise.After writing and producing Cassie’s debut album and hits for others, the singer-songwriter and entrepreneur decided to focus on being a solo artist. It’s not easy to go into a studio by yourself and walk out with a complete album, but R. Les is that artist. The viral video of him creating “Addiction” is remarkable proof. In 2013, he walked away from the traditional music industry, removing his music from streaming services and created a new platform utilizing his social media following to promote and sell his work. Unlike many in Leslie’s class of producers from the early 2000s, he crafted a distinctive style, branching out and creating high demand as a writer and producer. It’s a style, proven here at his Tiny Desk, to be timeless.SET LIST“Just Right”“Something That I Like”“Diamond Girl”“Long Way 2 Go”“Fly Together”“How It Was Supposed To Be”“Addiction”MUSICIANSRyan Leslie: vocals, keysGabriel Lambirth: guitarJason Taylor: keys John Young: bassJermaine Parrish: drums, percussionCharity Davis: vocalsSamara Brown: vocalsLatif Williams: vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Bobby CarterDirector/Editor: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Alanté Serene, Christina ShamanAudio Engineer: Josh NewellProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Zayrha RodriguezTiny Desk Team: Kara Frame, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #nprmusic #ryanleslie
Feist: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-07-24 | Stephen Thompson | July 24, 2024There’s always been a disconnect between Leslie Feist’s music — soothing, thoughtful, deliberately crafted — and her warm, wryly funny personality. We got to witness both in her long-awaited Tiny Desk debut, which finds her showcasing new and old material amid self-effacing commentary on the pandemic, public speaking and her strange moment of reality-TV fame.“The great joke that will always remain about [her song ‘Hiding Out in the Open’] is that we ended up singing it to contestants on The Bachelor — where true love rules all, of course,” Feist said between songs. “So singing truisms about eternal love to youth on a game show changed the context forever.”Performing two songs from last year’s wonderful Multitudes (“In Lightning” and “Hiding Out in the Open”) and two songs from 2011’s Metals (“Caught a Long Wind” and “The Bad in Each Other”), Feist was joined by a group of players and singers who’ve each performed notable work in their own right: Keyboardist Rose Droll is a terrific solo singer-songwriter, drummer Andrew Barr plays in The Slip and The Barr Brothers, bassist Todd Dahlhoff often plays and records with Devendra Banhart and Meshell Ndegeocello, and multi-instrumentalist Amir Yaghmai is a member of The Voidz. Together, though, they sound like one impeccable organism, with Feist herself as its bold, unfailingly kind beating heart.SET LIST“In Lightning”“Caught a Long Wind”“Hiding Out in the Open”“The Bad in Each Other”MUSICIANSLeslie Feist: lead vocals, guitarAmir Yaghmai: violin, guitar, vocalsTodd Dahlhoff: bass, vocals, musical directionAndrew Barr: drumsRose Droll: keys, piano, vocals TINY DESK TEAMProducer: Stephen Thompson Director: Joshua Bryant Audio Technical Director: Neil TevaultEditor: Kara FrameHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Zayrha Rodriguez Audio Engineer: Hannah GluvnaProduction Assistant: Ashley Pointer Photographer: Michael Zamora Tiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Maia Stern Executive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Norah Jones: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-07-22 | Mitra I. Arthur | July 22, 2024“I finally made it to Tiny Desk,” singer-songwriter Norah Jones excitedly declares during her performance. Her first Tiny Desk experience was a solo piano and vocal (home) concert, which reflected all the meditative, sonic hallmarks of performing in isolation. Since her juggernaut debut album, Come Away With Me, was released in 2002, she has crafted intimate songs that showcase her beguiling vocals. In the course of building her genre expansive catalog, she has racked up nine Grammy awards and collaborations with as varied a group as you can imagine, from Herbie Hancock and Willie Nelson, to Q-Tip and Foo Fighters.For her long-awaited in-person performance, Jones presents a light, breezy set of soulful tracks from her newest album, Visions, a collaboration with producer Leon Michels. “Paradise,” a deceptively light and whimsical tune about letting go, begins the concert, followed by the contemplative “Swept Up in the Night.” For the psychedelic “Staring at the Wall,” featuring Jones on the guitar, drummer Brian Blade and bassist Josh Lattanzi lay down a fun, body-moving groove. To close her set, Jones turns to the title track from her debut album, disclosing that the tune was written only using the five guitar chords she knew at the time. Here she reimagines her classic, opening it up in a dreamy fashion.SET LIST“Paradise”“Swept Up in the Night”“Staring at the Wall”“Come Away With Me”MUSICIANSNorah Jones: piano, lead vocalsSami Stevens: glockenspiel, vocalsSasha Dobson: guitar, vocalsJosh Lattanzi: bass Brian Blade: drumsTINY DESK TEAMProducers: Mitra I. Arthur, Felix ContrerasDirector/Editor: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Josh NewellHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Grace RaverAudio Engineer: Josephine NyounaiProduction Assistant: Elle Mannion Photographer: Michael ZamoraTiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #tinydesk #norahjones
Álvaro Díaz: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-07-19 | Anamaria Sayre | July 19, 2024Puerto Rican rapper Álvaro Díaz’s fresh take on his greatest hits at the Tiny Desk brought all the sal and soul of the Isla to NPR.Opening with jazzy piano and synth riffs that evoked a sweet ocean breeze on “Todo Bien,” he quickly set the tone for the concert, throwing a shout-out to his mama, the inspiration for the track. Switching to “Chicas de la Isla,” he used smooth, electric guitar and stunning background vocals for a rendition of the first song he ever made, conveying a relaxed energy fit for a jam with friends.After years of collaborating with all kinds of Puerto Rican artists from Jowell & Randy to Bad Bunny and everyone in between, despite being center stage for his Tiny Desk, Díaz took the opportunity to share the space with a whole crowd of Tiny Desk veterans and newcomers from all across the island. The community feel of his music fueled the energy and excellence of every single musician he shared the Desk with.SET LIST“Todo Bien”“Chicas de la Isla”“Miles De Mujeres”“Groupie Love”MUSICIANSÁlvaro Díaz: lead vocalsBen Aler: piano Manuel Lara: drumsFélix Lara: programmingElisent Massanet: vocals Tanicha López: vocals Luis Alfredo Del Valle: bassXavier Rodriguez: guitarBebo Dumont: vocals, vocal arrangementTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Anamaria SayreDirector/Editor: Maia SternAudio Technical Director: Hannah GluvnaHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Zayrha RodriguezAudio Engineer: Josephine NyounaiProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Keren CarriónTiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#alvarodiaz #nprmusic #tinydesk
Phish: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-07-17 | Maia Stern | July 17, 2024Trey Anastasio is no stranger to the Tiny Desk, having performed a solo set in 2015. Bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman also performed for our Tiny Desk (home) concert series in 2020 with guitarist Leo Kottke. And now, finally, we get a full Phish Tiny Desk concert.The set began with “Sigma Oasis,” which included a little musical reference to the All Things Considered theme song. The band continued with “Evolve,” a track from its 16th studio album released last week. Before the band’s final song, Anastasio and Gordon warmed up their fingers on tiny trampolines, which likely had the uninitiated scratching their heads. But for fans of this band, it was a clear signal of what was coming next: “You Enjoy Myself,” a song that dates back to the band’s beginnings and can safely be called a Phish classic. In live performances, the jam segment features choreographed bouncing, and the band brought that spectacle right into our office.After, the band ended its set and swerved out slowly through the crowd, singing while giving out high fives. But the audience's applause didn’t stop, so Phish came back out and played two bonus tracks: “Sample in a Jar” and “Chalk Dust Torture.” “When we started the band, we used to practice in a room exactly this size… it was probably smaller,” Anastasio shared. What a gift to get to watch Phish perform in a similarly sized room 41 years later.SET LIST“Sigma Oasis”“Evolve”“You Enjoy Myself”“Sample in a Jar”“Chalk Dust Torture”MUSICIANSTrey Anastasio: guitar, lead vocalsMike Gordon: bass, vocalsJon Fishman: drums, vocalsPage McConnell: keys, vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer/Director: Maia Stern Audio Technical Director: Neil TevaultHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Mitra I. ArthurAudio Engineer: Valentina Rodríguez SánchezProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Elizabeth GillisTiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#phish #tinydesk #nprmusic
Nathy Peluso: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-07-15 | Anamaria Sayre | July 15, 2024Ever the queen of self-assured experimentation, Spanish-Argentine artist Nathy Peluso brought all of her genre-bending, vocal powerhouse energy to her Tiny Desk concert.Playing with the flow of urban sounds and salsa beats, the singer showcased the most jazzy, feel-good, playful parts of her discography in the acoustic space. Hopping from up-tempo tracks like “LEGENDARIO” with leading percussion and bass, to the soulful and wildly skilled vocal performance of “ENVIDIA,” Peluso delivered a versed ode to Latin American and Spanish rhythms. Peluso is a master of the unexpected, and from first note to last the concert represented what an artist can bring when they highlight the full breadth of their vision. Prepared to show the world what an Argentine-born, Spanish-raised artist can play with in a more wildly diverse Spanish-speaking diaspora than ever before, Peluso came and rompió. SET LIST“BUENOS AIRES”“APRENDER A AMAR”“LEGENDARIO”“ENVIDIA”“REMEDIO”MUSICIANSNathy Peluso: lead vocalsBen Aler: guitarDidi Gutman: pianoFrancisco Alduncín: drumsVictoria Oviedo: vocalsMiriamne Martinez: vocalsRodner Padilla: bassEric Chacón: saxophoneJoel Martinez: tromboneRoinel Vega: trumpetManuel Lara: musical direction, percussionTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Anamaria SayreDirector/Editor: Kara FrameAudio Technical Director: Josephine NyounaiHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Michael ZamoraAudio Engineer: Tiffany Vera-CastroProduction Assistant: James HughesPhotographer: Estefania MitreTiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #eltiny #nathypeluso
The Wiz: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-07-12 | Mitra I. Arthur | July 12, 2024One afternoon the Tiny Desk traveled to Emerald City. Or rather, we got to meet the cast of the newest Broadway revival of The Wiz. Debuting in Baltimore, Md. in 1974, the musical unapologetically centered Black culture in its reenvisioning of The Wizard Of Oz and helped usher in a new era of Black theatrical storytelling. In its various stage productions and 1978 screen adaptation, audiences for The Wiz get to see a futuristic and fantastical depiction of the Black imagination. As an 8-year-old, seeing The Wiz ignited my love of musical theater. I have no doubt countless audiences will feel the same joy and awe I felt when this new imagining of The Wiz goes back on tour at the top of 2025.The mystique in Alan Mingo, Jr.'s performance of “Meet the Wizard” as The Wiz illustrates that even when Broadway casts visit the Tiny Desk out of costume and away from their sets, they can’t help but channel the physicality of the characters they portray eight times a week. Melody A. Betts’ Aunt Em provides a loving but firm correction of Dorothy (Nichelle Lewis) in “The Feeling We Once Had” that is both warm and familiar. Avery Wilson’s voice elastically dances up and down the notes in “You Can’t Win,” mimicking the way his limbs move as the Scarecrow. Phillip Johnson Richardson’s gut-wrenching performance of “What Would I Do If I Could Feel” will have your heart bursting and make you want to offer it to his Tinman. And the charming Kyle Ramar Freeman gave us all the ultimate false bravado and bluster of the Lion in “Mean Ole Lion.”The show’s finale, “Home,” was particularly special for Virginia native Nichelle Lewis. Her vulnerable performance had the audience, which included her mother, cheering her on. As Lewis’ fellow cast members enveloped her in hugs after her performance, we were reminded of the same lessons that Dorothy learns in the show: Home isn’t just a physical space, it’s the people who build you up and love you.SET LIST“The Feeling We Once Had” “Meet The Wizard”“You Can’t Win”“What Would I Do If I Could Feel” “Mean Ole Lion”“Ease On Down the Road - Reprise”“Home”MUSICIANSNichelle Lewis: vocals, as DorothyMelody A. Betts: vocals as Aunt Em/EvilleneAlan Mingo, Jr.: vocals as The WizKyle Ramar Freeman: vocals as LionPhillip Johnson Richardson: vocals as TinmanAvery Wilson: vocals as ScarecrowPaul Byssainthe Jr.: piano, musical directionTrevor Holder: drumsMichael Olatuja: bassTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Mitra. I ArthurDirector/Editor: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Neil TevaultHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Alanté Serene, Sofia SeidelAudio Engineer: Hannah GluvnaProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Michael ZamoraTiny Desk Team: Kara Frame, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #tinydesk #thewiz
Julius Rodriguez: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-07-10 | Ashley Pointer | July 10, 2024There was a palpable curiosity in the audience as to who Julius Rodriguez was before the artist and his band took their places behind the Desk. But the crowd was headbanging as soon as the grooves started. The band’s energy emanated into the crowd, and it was like we were teleported to a house show with old friends. There weren’t many words exchanged throughout this 23-minute set, just hearty laughs and chuckles, juxtaposed by virtuosic playing. “I’m not a big words guy,” Rodriguez said towards the end of his performance, “but I will say that being here is such an honor and a dream come true. I’m very glad to have some of my best friends and the greatest musicians in the world with me.” While the New York-bred and Los Angeles-based pianist and multi-instrumentalist has been regarded as a young master in the jazz world, his sophomore album, Evergreen, expands his sound beyond any simple categorization. Backed by Brian Richburg Jr on drums, Philip Norris on upright bass, Alonzo Demetrius on trumpet and Chris Lewis on sax, they kick off the performance with the infectious, gospel-tinged “Run To It (The CP Song).” Rodriguez follows with the uplifting “Around The World,” as he shows off his chops in a dizzying whirl of solos that transition seamlessly into a moving tribute, “Elegy (For Cam),” dedicated to the late actor Cameron Boyce, and then into the lush and soulful “Love Everlasting.” Returning to his debut album Let Sound Tell All, Rodriguez closes his set with “Gift Of The Moon.” SET LIST“Run To It (The CP Song)”“Around The World”“Elegy (For Cam)”“Love Everlasting”“Gift Of The Moon”MUSICIANSJulius Rodriguez: keysAlonzo Demetrius: trumpet, flugelhornChris Lewis: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophonePhilip Norris: bassBrian Richburg Jr: drumsTINY DESK TEAMProducers: Ashley Pointer, Bobby CarterDirector: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Hannah GluvnaEditor: Kara FrameVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Estefania Mitre, Mitra I. ArthurAudio Engineer: David GreenburgPhotographer: Sofia SeidelTiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Maia SternExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #juliusrodriguez
Silvia Pérez Cruz: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-07-09 | Anamaria Sayre | July 9, 2024Spanish singer Silvia Pérez Cruz grew up in the cradle of magnificent extremes. Her hometown Palafrugell on the Costa Brava of the Mediterranean sea is renowned as much for its stunning turquoise waters and dazzling summer sun as it is for biting bitter winds and unforgiving winter nights.Amidst that chaos her songs were born: brilliantly distinct little capsules of human experience. Whether singing about joy, pain, grief or curiosity, that duality between sunshine and gray skies is present in her work.“Yo soy inescrutable (I am inscrutable),” she cries on “Salir distinto.” Her emotive, jazz-tinged voice and ’54 acoustic guitar (she picked it up at a vintage shop some years ago in New York) transcends time and physical space. “Yo prefiero el desastre / Y escucharte sin perjuicio (I prefer disaster / And to listen to you without prejudice),” she coos. And in this moment, she’s impossible to turn away from — a vessel for eons of melancholic Mediterranean secrets at the Tiny Desk.SET LIST“Salir distinto”“La flor”“Man of the Trees”“Mañana”MUSICIANSSílvia Pérez Cruz: vocals, guitarMarta Roma Tort: celloAgapit Llibori Albero Tapias: double bassTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Anamaria SayreDirector: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Hannah GluvnaEditor: James HughesVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Sofia SeidelAudio Engineer: Josephine NyounaiHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterProduction Assistant: Elle MannionPhotographer: Alanté SereneTiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Ashley Pointer, Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #silviaperezcruz
María José Llergo: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-07-08 | Felix Contreras | July 8, 2024In the moment that María José Llergo took her place behind the Tiny Desk, those of us lucky enough to be in the audience (and now anyone who watches the video document it — lucky you) were transported to her native Andalusia in southern Spain, the traditional home of flamenco.But the Spanish music scene that Llergo is part of is exploding with new energy, too. Her vocals are based in the Arab-influenced vocal trilling of cante jondo, but like many artists from Spain these days, she uses tradition as a springboard for stylistic mash-ups with hip-hop, R&B and jazz.Her cross-genre expressions display a nuanced balance of her respect for the deeply-ingrained cultural influences left over from the 16th century that is her family background as well as 21st century music that is her day-to-day reality.Llergo’s performance is propelled by a vivacious spirit, and her final song, “LO QUE SIENTO,” is a meditation on and homage to what it means to be a Spanish musician in this moment when the boundaries of genre and tradition can be both celebrated and expanded.SET LIST"RUEDA, RUEDA""JURAMENTO""SUPERPODER""APRENDIENDO A VOLAR""LO QUE SIENTO"MUSICIANSMaría José Llergo Sanchez: vocalsJulio Martin Macias: keyboardsCarlos Sosa Zambrano: drumsJuan Manuel Montoya: bass, guitarTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Anamaria Sayre Director: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Neil TevaultHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterEditor: Maia SternVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Christina ShamanAudio Engineer: Carleigh StrangeProduction Assistant: Elle MannionPhotographer: Michael ZamoraTiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Ashley PointerExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #mariajosellergo
Laura Jane Grace & the Mississippi Medicals: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-07-03 | Lars Gotrich | July 3, 2024The set list kept changing, right up until showtime. Laura Jane Grace had to cram more than two decades of music — both solo material and from her influential punk band Against Me! — into 15 minutes. Her band was used to this gleeful chaos. Grace's wife, Paris Campbell Grace, Drive-By Truckers' Matt Patton and The Ergs' Mikey Erg make up the Mississippi Medicals, a loving and stabilizing force for a catalog of songs about American injustice, creative frustration, identity and broken promises… but also hope through collective action and personal revelation. In this Tiny Desk, you'll see them play newer songs ("I'm Not a Cop" and "All F***** Out"), but also throwbacks to “Pints of Guinness Make You Strong” (a personal request) and an absolutely powerful version of "Black Me Out."An Against Me! show changed my life. Before Grace's set, I shared a story about a sweet, sheltered suburban kid who spent his freshman year at shows instead of studying for class. (I lost my college scholarship, but, hey it worked out for me in the end.) Reinventing Axl Rose had just come out, but everyone knew every single word. In the small living room, the mass of bodies moved like high tide, pushing and pulling as we gleefully sang, “ ‘Cause, baby, I’m an anarchist / And you’re a spineless liberal." We knew that the world can be rotten and cruel, yet could be beautiful, too, in how we fight for freedom together. At one point, the swell spilled over and I fell out the back door, then was quickly pulled back up because that’s what we do when someone falls.Walking back to my dorm room afterward, beaming and bruised, I had a realization: Punk is complex and contradictory; it will fail and frustrate you… but it will also set you free. That paradox still haunts and challenges me, but I wear these songs — and all that have come after — like armor.SET LIST“I’m Not a Cop” “All F***** Out”“Supernatural Possession” “Pints of Guinness Make You Strong”“Black Me Out” MUSICIANSLaura Jane Grace: vocals, guitarParis Campbell Grace: vocalsMatt Patton: bass, vocalsMikey Erg: drums, vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Lars GotrichDirector/Editor: Maia SternAudio Technical Director: Josephine NyounaiHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Elizabeth GillisAudio Engineer: Carleigh StrangePhotographer: Estefania MitreTiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Kara Frame, Ashley PointerExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #tinydesk #laurajanegrace
SWV: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-06-28 | This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk is giving the ladies their flowers. We’re releasing nine Tiny Desk concerts from Black women artists, from veterans who’ve paved the way for what we hear today in Black music, to those who are carving out their own paths.Bobby Carter | June 28, 2024We conclude 2024’s Black Music Month celebration at the Tiny Desk with the catalyst for the all-female lineup, SWV. Year after year, I’ve begged who I consider the greatest girl group ever to come play the Desk. Like the other Black women we’ve hosted this month, SWV has yet to receive the proper acknowledgment for its influence over the past three decades. There was a moment, similar to the sing-along portion of Chaka Khan’s show, when Coko, Taj and Lelee were taken aback while the audience kept the party going after the band stopped playing “I’m So Into You.”Sisters With Voices originated in the church before the group started recording R&B music. It broke through in the 1990s, a decade that was the pinnacle of girl groups. In a landscape including En Vogue, TLC, Xscape and dozens more, SWV remained in front of the pack, topping the charts, amassing gold and platinum plaques and breaking new ground in music, style and sexual liberation. Before playing “You’re The One,” Lelee introduced the song, reminding us that they “kinda took a beating for the team because our music was a little risqué.”As a new appreciation for ’90s R&B has emerged over the past several years, SWV has reigned supreme. Watching the audience sway and sing to songs like “Weak” and “Rain,” I’m reminded of the lasting quality of SWV that continues to connect us.SET LIST“I'm So Into You”“Right Here (Human Nature Radio Mix)”“You're the One”“You're Always On My Mind”“Rain”“Weak”“Anything (Old Skool Radio Version)”MUSICIANSCoko: vocalsTaj: vocalsLelee: vocalsE. Will: keys, musical directionShago Elizondo: guitarCJ Mercer: bassToussaint Lipton II: drumsCurtis Jones Jr.: tromboneTheljion Allen: trumpetBrent Birckhead: saxophoneAnisa Stoot: vocalsDonisha Berryman: vocalsJayye Michael: vocalsDaNell Daymon: vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Bobby CarterDirector/Editor: Joshua BryantAudio Technical Director: Josephine NyounaiVideographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Alanté SereneAudio Engineer: Valentina Rodriguez SanchezProduction Assistant: Ashley PointerPhotographer: Estefania MitreAnimation: Jackie LayFlorist: Kelanda EdwardsTiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel CillsExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#nprmusic #tinydesk #swv
Countertenor John Holiday isnt trying to make you love him | Amplify with Lara Downes NPR Music 2024-06-27 | Lara Downes | June 27, 2024When John Holiday sings Vivaldi’s aria “Ah, ch'infelice sempre” (Ah, how unhappy always), as he did with the Academy of Ancient Music in a 12th-century church in London, he’s singing about loneliness, a lament for lost love. Holiday’s performance brings a timeless depth of emotion to this music from almost 400 years ago.When he sings the pop ballad “All By Myself,” which he did as a finalist on NBC’s The Voice, the judges – Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton – rose to their feet and collectively lost their minds as the crowd went wild. But ignore all that. Just listen to what Holiday is doing with this song about loneliness, this lament for lost love.Both of these performances bring the same artistry, the same complete investment of soul and self, the same devastating power of authentic expression that activates our own emotions, our memories of what it is to be alone. A Baroque cantata or a 1970s pop hit – for John, it’s all the same. Music is music, and it comes from his heart for one purpose: to help us connect with our feelings and experience our shared humanity.John’s voice is extraordinary. He’s a countertenor – a male voice that can sing as high as a woman. The history of music written for the countertenor voice is entwined with narratives of queerness and gender throughout the centuries. As a gay man, John is part of that history, and he also belongs to the histories of Black singers across musical genres. He grew up singing in the Calvary Way Missionary Baptist Church in Houston. As a member of the Fort Bend Boys Choir, he sang as a soloist with the Houston Symphony and was inspired to consider the world of opera when he had the chance to perform with visiting mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. In 2017, Holiday’s career got a major boost when he won the Kennedy Center’s Marian Anderson Vocal Award, enfolding him in the legacy of that groundbreaking African-American icon.But this inheritance of otherness can be a superpower; it instills an awareness of how hard this world can be, and the importance of empathy and understanding for ourselves and each other. John talks openly about self-acceptance and self-love, doing the work to feel strong and grounded in the fullness of who you are and where you come from. Because the greatest gift you give is not your high notes, extraordinary as they are, but your wide-open heart.WATCH OTHER EPISODES OF AMPLIFYyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLy2PCKGkKRVaTy4dPhq6TCQ8V6pIJ5Y2C#johnholiday #amplify #nprmusic
Flo Milli: Tiny Desk Concert NPR Music 2024-06-26 | This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk is giving the ladies their flowers. We’re releasing nine Tiny Desk concerts from Black women artists, from veterans who’ve paved the way for what we hear today in Black music, to those who are carving out their own paths.Ashley Pointer | June 26, 2024The Tiny Desk has humbled many artists, but Flo Milli strutted into NPR HQ and behind the Desk with the unwavering confidence of an OG. While her appearance gave soft and feminine, clothed in blush pink with baby’s breath scattered throughout her hair, Milli’s lyrical prowess sliced like a sword. Her bars were bratty and braggadocious alongside Atlanta’s own Band of Brothers and her background singers she dubbed “The Floettes.” Flo Milli has carved out her own lane in hip-hop. At just 24 years old, she’s dropped a trilogy of albums — 2020’s Ho, Why Is You Here?, 2022's You Still Here, Ho? and 2024’s Fine Ho, Stay — and scored her first Billboard Hot 100 charting single with the infectious “Never Lose Me.” Performing with a live band for the first time, we get a taste of each of these albums in her performance. The opener, a medley of “Conceited” and “Bed Time,” gets a rock makeover with some heavy keybass and electric guitar. Then, Milli and her band take us back to her debut days with the song that put her on the map, “Beef FloMix,” which takes on a soulful, guitar-led makeover. Closing her set with a treat, the band exchange their instruments for acoustic guitars to perform a special rendition of “Never Lose Me” — with a new verse, exclusively for the Tiny Desk audience.SET LIST“Conceited”“Bed Time”“In The Party”“Beef FloMix”“Weak”“Never Lose Me”MUSICIANSFlo Milli: vocalsSlim Wav: keys, musical direction, guitarAndré Brown: bass, guitarMarlon Allen: guitarJordan Hemby: drums, bassSamira "Yah Yah" Gordon: vocalsDesiré Gaston: vocalsTINY DESK TEAMProducer: Ashley PointerDirector/Editor: Kara FrameAudio Technical Director: Neil TevaultHost/Series Producer: Bobby CarterVideographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Alanté SereneAudio Engineer: Josephine NyounaiPhotographer: Estefania MitreAnimation: Jackie LayFlorist: Kelanda EdwardsTiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Maia SternExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedSeries Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen ThompsonVP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins#tinydesk #nprmusic #flomilli
