Gary Bartz: Tiny Desk Concert

13:20

Tom Jones: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

03:36

Shakira - Inevitable (Live at Roseland Ballroom, New York, 2001)

18:17

Theo Croker: Tiny Desk Concert

17:18

Lightspeed Champion at SXSW 2008

02:49

GAYLE - sleeping with my friends (official audio)

20:08

Chick Corea & Gary Burton: Tiny Desk Concert

464,814 views

Gary Bartz: Tiny Desk Concert with tags npr, npr music, national public radio, live, performance, tiny desk, tiny desk concert, tony desk, tiny concert

Mitra I. Arthur | May 20, 2024

The lyrics "Music is my sanctuary, music is my life," hold special meaning at the Tiny Desk. Penned and sung by 2024 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, saxophonist Gary Bartz, the words capture the feelings of countless artists who have appeared in front of these cluttered shelves. Bartz has worked with jazz luminaries like Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Max Roach, Miles Davis and Charles Mingus, to name a few. He has released more than 45 solo albums, with appearances on more than 200 additional albums. His recent collaborations with Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge for their Jazz is Dead series illustrate how the 83-year-old is still as relevant as ever.

In a recent interview, Bartz declared that "Music, for me, is the only religion." He sets the stage for his worship with the bluesy "Nommo - The Majick Song," as Mumu Fresh's accompanying poetry invokes the spirit necessary for both delivering and receiving the band's message. 1973's "I've Known Rivers," inspired by Langston Hughes, furthers the ancestral connection in both text and sound. On "Reparations," poet J. Ivy provides excerpts from his 2022 track "Lay Down'' to reflect on the debt America owes descendants of enslaved people. And as Bartz delivers a benediction in the form of "The Song of Loving-Kindness," declaring it "written for everyone and everything that ever was," it feels like a blessing on the Tiny Desk.

SET LIST

"Nommo - The Majick Song (feat. Mumu Fresh)"

"I've Known Rivers"

"Reparations (feat. J. Ivy)"

"Music Is My Sanctuary"

"The Song of Loving-Kindness"

MUSICIANS

Gary Bartz: alto saxophone

Barney McAll: piano

Marc Cary: keys

James King: bass

Kassa Overall: drums