Erykah Badu NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Aug 15 2018 Felix Contreras -- Some folks around the NPR Music office said they felt an almost spiritual connection to Erykah Badu during her visit to the Tiny Desk And that was before she and her band even played a single note It came from the waft of earthly scents that followed in her wake to the flowing dreads and clothes that hung on her like robes After her self-introduction which included a rundown of her spiritual and creative aliases Badu rolled into one of her earliest musical calling cards Rimshot It's an ode to the sound the percussionist makes when a drumstick is struck against the metal edge of the snare drum On this performance as on her 1997 album Baduizm it becomes a device to play with time stretching it stopping it suspending it Propelled by jazz chords on the piano and the steady pulse of the acoustic bass the playful performance unfolded in the tradition of the best bebop But the panoramic song Green Eyes is the centerpiece of Badu's Tiny Desk performance It's wide-ranging in scope and musical arrangement and brilliantly executed by the jazz and hip-hop musicians in her backing band The story of heartbreak is striking enough but her interpretation showcases her formidable vocal skills By the time it was over we were all just as emotionally and spiritually spent as she was from the experience Erykah Badu is an artist for the ages To old-school jazz fans like myself names like Nina Simone Betty Carter and Shirley Horn come to mind as much as Billie Holiday because of Badu's singular approach to a lyric They all cut their own creative path and left behind a legacy that you can identify with just one note Erykah Badu is on that same path and one day her name will be mentioned along with the other Elders who share her spirit of musical adventure Set List Rimshot Green Eyes Musicians Erykah Badu lead vocals RC Williams Keys Braylon Lacy bass Cleon Edwards Drums Frank Moka Percussion Kenneth Whalum Sax Keyon Harrold Trumpet Dwayne Kerr Flute Credits Producers Abby O'Neill Morgan Noelle Smith Creative Director Bob Boilen Audio Engineer Josh Rogosin Videographers Morgan Noelle Smith Maia Stern Kara Frame Khun Minn Ohn CJ Riculan Production Assistants Catherine Zhang T a Mottolese Photo Morgan Noelle Smith NPR

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