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Thursday May 31, 2012

Michael Katzif/NPR

Tiny Desk

Patrick Watson: Tiny Desk Concert

May 31, 2012 • With a gifted backing band on hand to help flesh out three songs from Adventures in Your Own Backyard, Watson conducts a swirl of interlocking loveliness that still finds room for surprises, from a singing saw to a microphone that makes his voice sound as if it's bouncing off some faraway satellite.

Patrick Watson: Tiny Desk Concert

Listen · 14:44 14:44

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Wednesday May 30, 2012

Henry Cole And The Afrobeat Collective: Live In Concert

Henry Cole. John Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.com hide caption

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John Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.com

Toast Of The Nation

Henry Cole And The Afrobeat Collective: Live In Concert

WBGO

May 30, 2012 • In his native Puerto Rico, a jazz drummer found that his friends could all get down to Fela Kuti. So in New York, Cole assembled an 11-piece band to locate the African heart of Caribbean party music.

Henry Cole And The Afrobeat Collective In Concert

1:23:59

Gilad Hekselman Quartet: Live In Concert

Gilad Hekselman. John Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.com hide caption

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John Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.com

The Checkout: Live

Gilad Hekselman Quartet: Live In Concert

WBGO

May 30, 2012 • The guitarist called his last album Hearts Wide Open, a mission statement built around his search for the core in modern jazz. Along the way, he wrote a few tunes for a band of top New York players.

Gilad Hekselman Quartet In Concert

57:25

Father John Misty's J. Tillman performs on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic." KCRW hide caption

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KCRW

Favorite Sessions

KCRW Presents: Father John Misty

KCRW

May 30, 2012 • On his way into the studio, former Fleet Foxes drummer J. Tillman grabbed a photo of David Lynch off the walls — a fitting gesture to his surreal musical alter ego. Here, he performs on KCRW.

Sauti Sol performs for a Field Recording on the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge in Austin, Texas, during SXSW 2012 Mito Habe-Evans/NPR hide caption

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Mito Habe-Evans/NPR

Field Recordings

A Morning Walk With Sauti Sol

May 30, 2012 • The Afro-fusion quartet from Nairobi greets the morning birds and joggers on the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge in Austin, Texas, with a version of its recent single "Love or Leave."

Tuesday May 29, 2012

Trampled By Turtles: Midwest Bluegrass Royalty

Courtesy of Nate Ryan/The Current

Favorite Sessions

Trampled By Turtles: Midwest Bluegrass Royalty

The Current

May 29, 2012 • Watch Trampled by Turtles' members perform songs at Minnesota's The Current and discuss their intimate but universal take on bluegrass.

Saturday May 26, 2012

Emily Bogle/NPR

Tiny Desk

Canadian Brass: Tiny Desk Concert

May 26, 2012 • Chuck Daellenbach and his fresh-faced players, each with red-striped sneakers and matching outfits, strolled into the NPR Music offices, took their places behind Bob Boilen's desk and started blowing as if they'd played this peculiar gig a hundred times.

Canadian Brass: Tiny Desk Concert

Listen · 13:38 13:38

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Thursday May 24, 2012

Alialujah Choir: Bowler Hats And Harmonies

opbmusic.org

Favorite Sessions

Alialujah Choir: Bowler Hats And Harmonies

OPB

May 24, 2012 • Portland's Alialujah Choir lives by two rules: Have fun and harmonize. Watch this new trio perform songs at Type Foundry studios for opbmusic.org.

Tuesday May 22, 2012

David Bromberg: In The Studio, A New Lease On Life

David Bromberg performs on Folk Alley. Folk Alley hide caption

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Folk Alley

Favorite Sessions

David Bromberg: In The Studio, A New Lease On Life

Folk Alley

May 22, 2012 • The prolific folksinger and guitarist took 17 years off from recording before returning to the scene with 2007's Try Me One More Time. Watch him perform with a full band.

Monday May 21, 2012

Doriane Raiman/NPR

Tiny Desk

Yann Tiersen: Tiny Desk Concert

May 21, 2012 • The French singer and multi-instrumentalist just released a new album called Skyline, and it captures his aesthetic perfectly: Its rich, buzzy, liltingly eccentric pop music is constructed from lots of sweet, intricate pieces.

Yann Tiersen: Tiny Desk Concert

Listen · 13:27 13:27

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Thursday May 17, 2012

Doriane Raiman/NPR

Tiny Desk

Arborea: Tiny Desk Concert

May 17, 2012 • While clearly rooted in acoustic traditions, the folk music of Arborea stands out for its calm beauty and rough edges. The duo incorporates harmonium, electric guitars played with an EBow, and a Ban-Jammer — a hybrid instrument that's part banjo, part mountain dulcimer.

Arborea: Tiny Desk Concert

Listen · 16:11 16:11

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Wednesday May 16, 2012

Abby Verbosky/NPR

Tiny Desk

Chuck Brown: Tiny Desk Concert

May 16, 2012 • In Washington D.C., Brown is revered as the Godfather of Go-Go. So to have Brown play in a corner of the NPR Music offices with an 11-member group was dream come true for a lot of NPR staffers.

Audio Only: Chuck Brown's Tiny Desk Concert

Listen · 27:27 27:27

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Debo Band: Ethiopian Funk On A Muggy Afternoon

Katie Hayes Luke for NPR

Field Recordings

Debo Band: Ethiopian Funk On A Muggy Afternoon

May 16, 2012 • Compared to a club of dancing fans, a humid and sunny Austin afternoon isn't the ideal setting for a Debo Band performance. But it didn't take long to get caught up in the band's deep groove.

Tuesday May 15, 2012

Stephin Merritt: A Few Ways To Off Your Ex

Joe Grimaldi/WFUV

Favorite Sessions

Stephin Merritt: A Few Ways To Off Your Ex

WFUV

May 15, 2012 • The Magnetic Fields' frontman stops by the WFUV studio to perform his song "Your Girlfriend's Face," armed only with a ukulele. Along the way, the song's wit and dark humor get an intimate showcase.

Monday May 14, 2012

Doriane Raiman/NPR

Tiny Desk

Pedro Soler And Gaspar Claus: Tiny Desk Concert

May 14, 2012 • The improvisational music of father and son Pedro Soler and Gaspar Claus functions as a beautiful conversation. Soler plays a delicate flamenco guitar, while Claus turns the cello into an exquisitely expressive voice. The two bring that spirit to their intimate performance in the NPR Music offices.

Pedro Soler And Gaspar Claus: Tiny Desk Concert

Listen · 17:59 17:59

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