NPR Tiny Desk Concerts poster

NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

TV Show 2008 7.0/10 1786 episodes

Synopsis

Intimate musical performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.

Not playing, wrong audio, or no subtitles? Use the player buttons below to try a different server — most playback and subtitle issues are fixed by switching players.

Season 2011 Episodes

Episode 1 EP 1
Abigail Washburn

Watch the singer-songwriter mix American bluegrass and Chinese folk from the NPR Music offices.

Episode 2 EP 2
Gyptian

The reggae star performs his hit "Hold You" and more from the NPR Music offices in Washington, D.C.

Episode 3 EP 3
David Wax Museum

The band brings a frenetic, infectious blend of American and Mexican folk to the NPR Music offices.

Episode 4 EP 4
Ballake Sissoko And Vincent Segal

The masterful kora-and-cello duo performs a transfixing set combining African and European strings.

Episode 5 EP 5
Iron And Wine

Sam Beam gives a fresh side of his new songs at NPR, and tops it off with a devastating 2004 gem.

Episode 6 EP 6
Basia Bulat

The Canadian singer-songwriter sings highlights from her two albums, plus a surprise from Poland.

Episode 7 EP 7
Richard Thompson

Watch the folk-rock legend perform songs from his 20th solo album, Dream Attic, at NPR Music.

Episode 8 EP 8
Stars

Watch Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell transform three of Stars' songs into spare, pretty folk music.

Episode 9 EP 9
Ivan And Alyosha

The band showcases its Beatles-esque pop harmonies and sweet melodies from the NPR Music offices.

Episode 10 EP 10
Esperanza Spalding

The jazz bassist, singer and Best New Artist Grammy winner performs in the NPR Music offices.

Episode 11 EP 11
Turtle Island Quartet

With an eclectic palette of sounds and styles, the Turtle Island Quartet swings at NPR Music.

Episode 12 EP 12
Adele

In a three-song set at the NPR Music offices, the U.K. pop star showcases her brilliant voice.

Episode 13 EP 13
Local Natives

The L.A. band brings its euphoric choruses and clattering Afrobeat rhythms to the NPR Music offices.

Episode 14 EP 14
Damien Jurado

Hear Jurado's raw, time-worn, authentically graceful music, performed in the NPR Music office.

Episode 15 EP 15
Steve Riley And The Mamou Playboys

Watch the Grammy-nominated Cajun band play an upbeat yet bittersweet set from the NPR Music offices.

Episode 16 EP 16
Lizz Wright

In this two-song set at the NPR Music offices, Wright channels the gospel and soul of her past.

Episode 17 EP 17
Nellie McKay

McKay's bold, audacious personality shines in this set recorded at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 18 EP 18
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars

Hear the Refugee All Stars' upbeat reggae grooves, performed live at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 19 EP 19
Josh Ritter

Ritter can't hide his enjoyment of a performance, even when his songs convey obsession or disaster.

Episode 20 EP 20
Otis Taylor

Watch the banjo player perform his trademark trance-inducing blues at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 21 EP 21
Mount Kimbie

Watch the dubstep duo perform our first-ever electronic Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR offices.

Episode 22 EP 22
Pokey LaFarge

Watch LaFarge play '20s- and '30s-inspired music with the help of his band, The South City Three.

Episode 23 EP 23
Steve Earle

A singer, author, actor and activist, Earle showcases many of his talents at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 24 EP 24
Wu Man

Watch the world's reigning pipa virtuoso play ancient music from her Chinese homeland.

Episode 25 EP 25
Booker T. Jones

Jones' name is synonymous with the Hammond B3 organ. Watch him play one in the NPR Music offices.

Episode 26 EP 26
Julieta Venegas

After six albums, including last year's Otra Cosa, Venegas is still defying expectations.

Episode 27 EP 27
Neil Innes

Watch the Rutles alumnus play three of his classic satirical songs in the NPR Music offices.

Episode 28 EP 28
Future Islands

Watch the band's short but intense and cathartic set, performed live in the NPR Music offices.

Episode 29 EP 29
Low

Singers Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker perform three songs from their gorgeous new album, C'mon.

Episode 30 EP 30
Jackie Evancho

Watch the 11-year-old perform Handel's "Ombra mai fu" at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 31 EP 31
The Kopecky Family Band

The Tennessee band's sweet, swollen folk-rock songs keep blooming into something irresistible.

Episode 32 EP 32
The Black Angels

Hear a bold and surprising mix of sensibilities — at once icy and rustic, cavernous and confined.

Episode 33 EP 33
Chris Thile And Michael Daves

Watch Thile and Daves play traditional bluegrass with New York intensity at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 34 EP 34
Charlie Siem

Watch the stylish young violinist pull out a bag of tricks in music by Paganini.

Episode 35 EP 35
The Decemberists

With Chris Funk and Sara Watkins, Colin Meloy plays three sparkling songs from The King Is Dead.

Episode 36 EP 36
YACHT

Watch the electro-pop band's striking and infectious performance at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 37 EP 37
The Civil Wars

Watch Joy Williams and John Paul White's swooning chemistry and stirring harmonies at NPR Music.

Episode 38 EP 38
Milos

Watch the newcomer from Montenegro play Spanish standards and a passionate ode to his homeland.

Episode 39 EP 39
The Blind Boys Of Alabama

Hear the gospel greats' mix of polished blues, swinging soul and from-the-gut expressions of faith.

Episode 40 EP 40
Julian Lage Trio

The guitarist, 23, was once called a prodigy. But he's maturing into a distinctive bandleader, too.

Episode 41 EP 41
Ben Sollee

The genre-bending cellist and songwriter has created a unique take on folk music.

Episode 42 EP 42
Joe Boyd And Robyn Hitchcock

Boyd reads from White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, while Hitchcock plays songs from the era.

Episode 43 EP 43
Y La Bamba

Watch Luzelena Mendoza and Y La Bamba craft joyfully rich vocal harmonies in the NPR Music offices.

Episode 44 EP 44
Givers

At the NPR offices, the band plays a sunny, exuberant set, suitable for dancing and bobbing along.

Episode 45 EP 45
They Might Be Giants

Watch the band perform two of its brand-new songs, as well as "Fingertips," a classic 1992 chestnut.

Episode 46 EP 46
Amanda Shires

The singer plays a charming set featuring songs from Carrying Lightning at the Tiny Desk.

Episode 47 EP 47
Noah And The Whale

The London band plugs in its drum machine, but sweet simplicity still reigns in the NPR offices.

Episode 48 EP 48
Paul Jacobs

Watch the miraculous hands (and feet) of the Grammy-winning organist in an all-Bach performance.

Episode 49 EP 49
Gaby Moreno

Watch the Guatemalan singer's breathtaking and passionate set at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 50 EP 50
Other Lives

The Oklahoma band brings its spacious minor-key hymns to the NPR Music offices.

Episode 51 EP 51
James Vincent McMorrow

The Irishman has one of the most arresting voices of any young singer you're likely to hear.

Episode 52 EP 52
CALLmeKAT

Watch the synth-pop musician perform a hauntingly beautiful set at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 53 EP 53
Phosphorescent

Watch Matthew Houck play a stirring, road-ragged solo Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 54 EP 54
King Creosote And Jon Hopkins

Diamond Mine's unassuming creators lose little of their charm and mystique in the NPR Music office.

Episode 55 EP 55
Foster The People

Armed with the summer song of 2011, the band brings "Pumped Up Kicks" and more to NPR Music.

Episode 56 EP 56
Diego Garcia

Watch the former Elefant frontman perform songs from his album Laura at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 57 EP 57
Sean Rowe

Rowe brings his booming voice and ever-louder acoustic-guitar set-ups to the NPR Music offices.

Episode 58 EP 58
Jeremy Messersmith

The Twin Cities singer is a pop genius, with creative ambition to match his considerable charm.

Episode 59 EP 59
Beirut

Beirut performs worldly, inspired songs from its new album The Rip Tide at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 60 EP 60
Jenny Lin

The pianist usually plays eight-foot Steinways. See what she does on an electronic keyboard.

Episode 61 EP 61
The Klezmatics

Ring in Rosh Hashanah with three globe-trotting tunes from one of the world's greatest Jewish bands.

Episode 62 EP 62
Trombone Shorty

The New Orleans native achieved stardom with his voice and his horn. But he just wants you to dance.

Episode 63 EP 63
Mates Of State

The band's performance in the NPR Music offices creates a vibe of ragged, awkward intimacy.

Episode 64 EP 64
Fountains Of Wayne

These songs showcase a band with tremendous narrative gifts and a flair for subtle beauty.

Episode 65 EP 65
JEFF The Brotherhood

Of course, the power-punk duo took off their shirts at the NPR Music offices, because why not?

Episode 66 EP 66
Grouplove

The upstart band brings youthful, infectious energy to the NPR Music offices.

Episode 67 EP 67
Chris Bathgate

The Michigan native's deliberately paced music is too rustic and pretty to be a true downer.

Episode 68 EP 68
Wilco

Armed with tiny amps and a ton of grace, Wilco plays new songs and an old favorite at the Tiny Desk.

Episode 69 EP 69
Hilary Hahn

The classical violinist blends Bach and Charles Ives with flair, then tops it off with a fedora.

Episode 70 EP 70
Ben Williams And Sound Effect

The jazz star and his band perform two songs from their album State of Art at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 71 EP 71
Lisa Hannigan

Exuding both musical and personal warmth, the Irish singer mesmerized at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 72 EP 72
Juanes

Watch the charismatic Colombian superstar give an intimate performance at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 73 EP 73
Jens Lekman

The Swedish singer shows off his humor and charm in this intimate set at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 74 EP 74
Marketa Irglova

At the NPR Music offices, Irglova mixes the exotic and the familiar; sweetness and longing.

Episode 75 EP 75
Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile And Stuart Duncan

The genre-bending cellist heads a dream team of string players who borrow from bluegrass.

Episode 76 EP 76
Joe Henry

Asking the fearless, easygoing singer to perform in a crowded office never felt like an imposition.

Episode 77 EP 77
Hospital Ships

Hospital Ships' beautiful, crushing songs pack an emotional punch in this performance at NPR Music.

Episode 78 EP 78
Gabriel Kahane

Hear the agile musician's rigorously crafted songs, which fall somewhere between classical and pop.

Episode 79 EP 79
tUnE-yArDs

tUnE-yArDs sings of rage and inequality, but also celebrates the joy of letting out a wild sound.

Episode 80 EP 80
I Wayne

As the cameras rolled, the reggae star came to life, showcasing his smooth voice and vibrant energy.

Episode 81 EP 81
Gem Club

Maybe you couldn't hear a pin drop when Gem Club played, but you could hear the click of a keyboard.

Episode 82 EP 82
The Music Tapes

The Elephant 6 alum plays a holiday set compete with bowed banjos, singing saws and tape machines.

Episode 83 EP 83
Maria Volonte

The Argentine singer blends tango, Latin blues and the traditional music of Brazil and Peru.

You May Also Like