Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST: Vox Sambou, Aditya Prakash, Martha Redbone And More

The Tiny Desk is teaming up with globalFEST this year for a thrilling virtual music festival: Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST. The online fest includes four nights of concerts featuring 16 bands from all over the world. From Monday, Jan. 11, through Thursday, Jan. 14, we'll be streaming new performances at 8 p.m. ET on NPR Music's YouTube channel and NPR.org.

Every January, I attend globalFEST at a New York City nightclub and see some of the most fantastic music I'll experience all year. Now, given the pandemic's challenges and the hardening of international borders, NPR Music and globalFEST is moving from the nightclub to your screen of choice and sharing this festival with the world. Each night, we'll present four artists in intimate settings (often behind desks donning globes), and it's all hosted by African superstar Angélique Kidjo, who performed at the inaugural edition of globalFEST in 2004.

For the third night of the festival, we have Vox Sambou's energetic Hatian funk from Montreal, Carnatic Indian music from Aditya Prakash Ensemble, a blend of old and new with Italian singer-songwriter Rachele Andrioli, and an expansion and exploration of American Roots music from globalFEST alum Martha Redbone.

Below you'll find short descriptions about each act, written by the globalFEST team.

VOX SAMBOU

There are few performers as "alive" as Vox Sambou, whose energy and soul transcends the virtual space. He starts his performance at Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST with a short moment between himself and his son, overseen by a painting of his mother, highlighting the ways we pass down traditions from generation to generation. Based in Montreal, Quebec, Vox Sambou writes and performs in Hatian-Creole, French, English, Spanish and Portuguese. His music is a joyous fusion of Haitian funk, reggae and hip-hop.

SET LIST

• "African Diaspora"
• "My Rhythm"
• "Everyone"

ADITYA PRAKASH ENSEMBLE

Performing from their home base in Los Angeles, Aditya Prakash Ensemble highlights songs borne from South India's Carnatic tradition. Prakash uses his voice as an instrument to tell powerful, emotive stories — which he reimagines in a fresh, dynamic way. Aditya Prakash Ensemble's modern take on traditional music mixes in jazz and hip-hop and features a diverse L.A. ensemble.

SET LIST

• "Greenwood"
• "Vasheebava"
• "Payoji"

RACHELE ANDRIOLI

Recording from southern Italy, Rachele Andrioli's performance highlights her mix of old and new, of traditional music and modern technology. Her trance vocals and loop pedals create a sound all her own, mixing music from Italian, Indian, Lebanese, Albanian and Romani cultures and traditions.

SET LIST

• "Te Spettu"
• "Pranvera Filloi Me Ardh"
• "Ederlezi"

MARTHA REDBONE

Martha Redbone performs her Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST performance from her home studio in Brooklyn's Navy Yards. Native and African-American singer-songwriter Martha Redbone is known for her mix of folk, blues and gospel from her childhood in Harlan County, Ky., which she infuses with the eclectic grit of pre-gentrified Brooklyn. Inheriting the powerful vocal range of her gospel-singing African-American father and the resilient spirit of her mother's Cherokee, Shawnee and Choctaw culture, Redbone broadens the boundaries of American Roots music.

SET LIST

• "The Garden of Love"
• "Talk About It"
• "Underdog"

Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST

TINY DESK TEAM

• Producer: Bob Boilen
• Video Producer: Morgan Noelle Smith
• Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
• Tiny Production Team: Maia Stern
• Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
• Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

GLOBALFEST TEAM

• Co-Directors: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer, and Bill Bragin
• 2021 Curators: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer, Bill Bragin, and Viviana Benitez
• Event Producer: Ian Thake
• Host: Angélique Kidjo
• Social Media Manager: Valerie French
• Publicity: Brendan Gilmartin, Chart Room Media
• Legal Services: Tamizdat
• Legal Services: Duane Morris
• Producer: THE OFFICE performing arts + film
• Video Production: MODEMA Studios

THE OFFICE performing arts + film consists of Diane Eber, Rachel Chanoff, Laurie Cearley, Olli Chanoff, Erica Zielinski, Gabrielle Davenport, Catherine DeGennaro, Noah Bashevkin, Lynn Koek, Bruna D'Avila, Chloe Golding, Kyla Gardner, Zion Jackson, Tess Peppis, Scout Eisenberg

MODEMA Studios consists of Jammal Lemy (director and editor), Matt Deitsch (producer), Theo Braun (audio), and Gary Blake (editor)

Special Thanks: Joshua Feigenbaum, Mona Golub, Steven Kirkpatrick, Daniel C. Smith, Ken Umezaki

globalFEST 2021 funders include The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, The Québec Government Office in New York

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.