Folks usually ask us how we choose artists to play the Desk. It is a difficult reply, however Yu Sakai and the TBN Trio made their method right here by blissful coincidence.
Final March, two colleagues and I had been in Tokyo to assist launch Tiny Desk Japan. One afternoon, we had been strolling alongside 1000’s of individuals by Shibuya Crossing, which could be the busiest pedestrian intersection on the planet. Think about the chances that Nate Smith, a celebrated drummer, was there, too. We bumped proper into him, exchanged hellos after which he invited us to see a present he was taking part in the subsequent night.
On the WWWX Shibuya, one in all Tokyo’s greatest music areas, we had been mesmerized by the efficiency of those 4 musicians. Takeshi Oybayashi is a soulful pianist who could be very lively on the worldwide jazz scene. Smith, who has a Tiny Desk of his personal, is one in all my favourite jazz drummers taking part in as we speak. Bassist Ben Williams, one other Tiny Desk alumnus, is a D.C. native who’s performed with the likes of Pat Metheny and Lauryn Hill.
After which there’s Yu Sakai, whom I found that evening in Tokyo and have become an instantaneous fan. His efficiency model is so vibrant and his vocal high quality is so distinctive. Sakai loves all types of music — J-pop, gospel, R&B and jazz — which he celebrates with an ebullient power on this Tiny Desk. We predict you may fall in love with him, too.
SET LIST
- “Get It Collectively”
- “Story”
- “Gaze, Daydream”
- “Rose & Rhodes”
- “Sinatra, The Darkness of Cherry Blossom”
MUSICIANS
- Yu Sakai: vocals, keys
- Takeshi Ohbayashi: piano
- Ben Williams: bass
- Nate Smith: drums
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Technical Director: Neil Tevault
- Host/Collection Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Body, Maia Stern
- Audio Engineer: Josh Newell
- Manufacturing Assistants: Ashley Pointer, Dora Levite
- Photographer: Zayhra Rodriguez
- Tiny Desk Collection Editor: Lars Gotrich
- Collection Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins