Milton Nascimento & esperanza spalding: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

Milton Nascimento & esperanza spalding: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert with tags npr, npr music, national public radio, live, performance, tiny desk, tiny desk concert, tony desk, tiny concert

Suraya Mohamed | August 7, 2024

We almost never post Tiny Desk (home) concerts anymore. But to have the glorious Brazilian musical icon Milton Nascimento with his gifted friend and collaborator, esperanza spalding, be an exception is perhaps the opportunity of a lifetime. Nascimento is 81 years old now and has difficulty traveling out of Brazil.

It’s hard to explain the gravity of Nascimento’s career and his significant influence on all genres of music. Performing for more than 60 years, the singer, musician and songwriter’s discography includes more than 40 albums. In his prime, his rich voice spanned many octaves. While his vocal quality might not be as strong now, there is an intangible essence that fills the void. “What’s so amazing is the quantum resonance of this elder’s life and you can’t make that sound,” spalding told WRTI’s Nate Chinen last month. “It’s not a sound, it’s a lived thing that does travel on the frequencies, obviously, but we don’t even have the words to describe what we’re actually picking up.”

In 2022, Nascimento was on his farewell tour, but in 2023 he put his retirement on hold after deciding to collaborate with spalding on their upcoming album, Milton + esperanza. Songs from that record are featured in this magical (home) concert. Recorded last month in Nascimento’s living room in Rio de Janeiro, it’s likely to be the only video performance of this music.

The songs here are gentle, lush and filled with passion. The beautiful harmonies and syncopated rhythms combine with spalding’s acrobatic bass lines to give the music a playful, dance-like feel. But what really stands out in this performance is the deep friendship, admiration and love Nascimento and spalding hold for one another.

SET LIST

Milton Nascimento: “Cais”

Milton Nascimento: “Outubro”

Guinga, Paulo César Pinheiro: “Saci (feat. Guinga)”

Milton Nascimento, Fernando Brant: “Saudade Dos Aviões Da Panair (Conversando No Bar) (feat. Maria Gadú)”

Wayne Shorter, Edgy Lee: “When You Dream (feat. Maria Gadú)”

MUSICIANS

Milton Nascimento: vocals

esperanza spalding: vocals, arrangements, bass, musical direction

Maria Gadú: vocals

Guinga: acoustic guitar

Leo Genovese: piano, synth

Dedê Silva: drums

Ronaldo Silva: percussion

Shabaka Hutchings: flute

Filipe Coimbra: electric guitar

Lula Galvão: acoustic guitar

CREDITS

DIRECTION/PRODUCTION

Music Director & Executive Artistic Director: esperanza spalding

Film Director: Matheus Senra

Senior Project Manager: Nathalia Borghi

Executive Producer - Milton Nascimento: Augusto Nascimento

Executive Producer - esperanza spalding: Héloïse Darcq

Executive Producer: Fernanda Malta

Production Manager: Roberta Guedes

Production Coordinator: Erika Freddo

Producer: Renata Amaral

CAMERA CREW

DOP: André Hawk

Camera Operator: Gabriel Zambrone

Camera Operator: Marcio Nunes

Camera Operator / Gaffer: Rodrigo Ocampo

Logger / Assistant Camera: Camila Baggio

Assistant Electrician / Assistant Camera: Guilherme O'Doro

Video Assistant / Assistant Camera: Beatriz Salgado

ART DEPARTMENT

Art Director: Nathalia Siqueira

Art Assistant: Fernanda Sierra

AUDIO CREW

Audio Technical Director: Aurélio Kauffmann

Audio Technical Producer: Jimmy Junior

Recording Engineer: Ronaldo Lima

Audio - Roadie: França Babilônia

Backline Equipment: Star no Palco Backline

MISCELLANEOUS

Teleprompter Operator: Danilo Nuha

Special Thanks: Raphael Pulga, Concord Records Team, Jason Linder, Universal Records Brazil, Paul Kremen, Fernanda Mesa, Janice Mascarenhas, Wes Rodrigues, Nat Rosa, Lutera Thabisa

POST PRODUCTION

Editor: Juliana Neves

Color Correction: Bernardo Neder

Sound Mix: Arthur Luna, William Luna Junior e Luciano Scalercio

Mastering: Arthur Luna

Mastering Assistant: Enzo Menegazzi

Mastering Assistant: Raphael Rui Castro

Translation and Subtitling: All Dub Estudio

TINY DESK TEAM

Producer: Suraya Mohamed

Video Producer: Maia Stern

Audio Mastering: Josephine Nyounai

Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter

Tiny Production Team: Hazel Cills, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Ashley Pointer

Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson

VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

#miltonnascimento #esperanzaspalding #nprmusic #tinydesk