Tag: NPR

This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk honors the anniversaries of landmark albums that have shaped the course of music and culture. Bobby Carter | June 20, 2025 Before he stepped behind the Tiny Desk, Beenie Man contemplated our office space. The man born Moses Anthony Davis is accustomed to performing at maximum velocity, touching every part of a big stage … and here were but a few square feet for him to move. Nevertheless, the king of dancehall brings Kingston to Washington, D.C. As an exemplar of longevity, he pauses to remind us just how long he’s been at it: [See More…]

This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk honors the anniversaries of landmark albums that have shaped the course of music and culture. Mitra I. Arthur | June 17, 2025 Once the Tiny Desk logo fades away, one of the things you’ll notice is a wall of amps. Robust sound has always been a hallmark of bassist Stanley Clarke’s musicality; he reminded our audio team not only to pay attention to what the soundboard says but also if it sounds good. Clarke’s storied career has been awash with showcases in his virtuosity on the acoustic and electric basses. He’s worked with fellow [See More…]

This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk honors the anniversaries of landmark albums that have shaped the course of music and culture. Ashley Pointer | June 13, 2025 CeCe Winans’ voice transcends genre, race and generations — something incredibly rare in the gospel and Christian music realms. Her Tiny Desk concert, which celebrates the 30th anniversary of her solo debut Alone in His Presence, is a moving journey through the many eras of her monumental career. Winans laughed when she told me, “Ashley, you had me working today!” She dusted off songs she hadn’t performed in decades to craft this moment. [See More…]

This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk honors the anniversaries of landmark albums that have shaped the course of music and culture. Bobby Carter | June 10, 2025 Wiz Khalifa’s Kush & Orange Juice came out 15 years ago. To honor the anniversary, the Pittsburgh emcee assembled a group of Tiny Desk veterans, Pennsylvania natives and his DJ to reimagine highlights from the classic mixtape, plus tracks from Kush & Orange Juice 2, its similar, yet more mature follow-up. Something was happening during the entire show and lots of us in the room could feel it. We were waiting for him [See More…]

This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk honors the anniversaries of landmark albums that have shaped the course of music and culture. Alanté Serene | June 6, 2025 When Amerie arrived at the Tiny Desk, her enthusiastic energy and bright smile was an instant mood boost. The warm entrance felt fitting for an artist whose music embodies the soul of summer: bold percussion, breezy vocals and the feeling of endless possibilities. When her sophomore album Touch dropped in 2005, it introduced a national audience to the infectious rhythms of go-go. Rooted in Washington, D.C., go-go is known for its layered percussion, [See More…]

This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk honors the anniversaries of landmark albums that have shaped the course of music and culture. Bobby Carter | June 2, 2025 Bay Area ambassador E-40 moves with the energy of an up-and-coming emcee, but he’s been around a minute. To put it 40 Water’s way: “I’ve been doing this since Kermit the Frog was a pollywog!” Our biggest hurdle to clear was packing in three decades of music at the Tiny Desk, but 40 Fonzarelli and his band clocked weeks of rehearsal to make sure this office was rockin’. E-40’s sophomore solo album In [See More…]

Felix Contreras | May 27, 2025 Based on real-life events and people, Buena Vista Social Club features many characters and lots of great Cuban music. It takes such skill to reflect music of a bygone era, even more to sound fresh and vibrant night after night for months at a time. Scaled down for the Tiny Desk, the show is no less magical. Before it was a Broadway musical racking up Tony Award nominations, the Buena Vista Social Club was a second chance. After the Cuban Revolution, many of the country’s beloved musicians were lost to time, but in 1996, [See More…]

Felix Contreras | May 16, 2025 Carín León is an old soul. There is no other way to account for the power of the emotion in his voice. His 16-piece band tests the limited space behind the Tiny Desk, but when the brass takes over to punctuate a performance, Leon’s commanding presence shows why he’s one of the best at what he does. Regional Mexican music is based upon song forms from another era, but León’s lyrics add a new spin on heartbreak and love lost. This set opens with “Ese Vato No Te Queda,” followed by two songs from [See More…]

Bobby Carter | April 28, 2025 For Madison McFerrin to deliver the proper experience of her live show at the Tiny Desk, she wanted to be sure she had the freedom to use the instruments that helped identify her. The LA-based singer has become well-known for looping vocals over and over again; thus, creating instruments in real-time. To celebrate her upcoming album, SCORPIO, McFerrin brings a Chicago-based band led by Kameron Lowe and featuring The Lovely Lowe Sisters on background vocals. Given her family history, McFerrin’s dive into the music business was a foregone conclusion. She and her brothers Taylor [See More…]

Anamaria Sayre | April 24, 2025 Grupo Frontera, which was headlining backyard bailes well before stadium shows, feels perfectly made for Tiny Desk. Beneath the glow of fluorescent office lights and backed against trinket-stuffed shelves, the match feels divinely ordained. Normally, jazzy vocal trills and norteño cumbia rhythms are star-crossed lovers, but not at the Tiny Desk. At the center of a pop-infused reinvigoration of traditional Mexican sounds, the members of Grupo Frontera are masters of unlikely pairings. Mega-producer and songwriter Edgar Barrera discovered Grupo Frontera at a quinceanera in his hometown, enthralled by the band’s authenticity. He encouraged the [See More…]