NPR Music Events Go Virtual

Plus, hear John Prine's last recorded song.

by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna NPR From virtual meetings and online schooling to Zoom weddings, life has been moved online. And that goes for NPR Music, too. We’ve taken the spirit of the Tiny Desk from NPR HQ to homes across the world with Tiny Desk (home) concerts, and we’ve listened to new releases from Fiona Apple and Jason Isbell together while socially distanced with our online listening parties. (And our friends at NPR Events have been hosting tons of great digital conversations, trivia nights and more.)  We’re especially excited about the virtual get-togethers NPR Music hosted this week — so we asked Tiny Desk associate producer Bobby Carter to share a little about them: “We’ve had an exciting week of collaborations, livestreams and firsts here at NPR Music. This week, each of our Tiny Desk (home) concerts featured Black women who appear on the soundtrack of HBO’s hit series Insecure. And NPR Music’s Sidney Madden took to Instagram to interview the co-creator and star of the show, Issa Rae, and the show’s music supervisor, Kier Lehman. If you missed these fantastic interviews, they’re both waiting for you on our IGTV feed right now.  This week, we also kicked off Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf, a weekly livestream series where we’re sharing some of the best entries to the 2020 Tiny Desk Contest. Yours truly was the first guest host, since I’m a judge for the Contest this year. I chatted with Bob Boilen about some of my favorite submissions from this year’s Contest. That’s on YouTube right now, goooooo!” Lights, camera, action, Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna P.S. Sure, you subscribe to the NPR Music newsletter, but do you follow NPR Music on YouTube? Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music On this week’s All Songs Considered mix, Bob Boilen shares just some of the urgent new music that’s been released in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, including songs from Fantastic Negrito, Leon Bridges and Mickey Guyton. Guyton, a Nashville vet forced to forge her own path in country music, spoke with Jewly Hight last week about her track, “Black Like Me,” and what led to the song’s release at this moment.  Before his death in January, saxophonist Jimmy Heath went to the studio to record Love Letter, a ballads album featuring an all-star roster of musicians, including Wynton Marsalis and Cécile McLorin Salvant. Due out July 17, the record feels like a bittersweet parting gift from the NEA Jazz Master. When John Prine died on April 7 due to complications from COVID-19, he left behind a rich legacy. Following a virtual tribute event featuring legions of musicians this week, Oh Boy Records has released his last recorded song, “I Remember Everything,” produced by Dave Cobb. When pianist Brad Mehldau began to shelter in place, he also got to work composing new music. As the name implies, Suite: April 2020, out now, details a specific stretch of the pandemic timeline – a month noted for the heavy toll it took on New York, and among the broader jazz community.  Throughout history, one song has often been called into use to invoke the need for change in the face of America's greatest sins. Bettye LaVette brings "Strange Fruit" back to the center of the conversation. Featuring In the midst of our national reckoning with racial injustice, our colleague Suraya Mohamed has been talking to her 25-year-old son about the music that is helping him, and his friends, cope with the anger and pain they’re feeling. It inspired us to reach out to young black listeners to ask about the music that’s helping them and compile their responses in a playlist. George Floyd grew up in Houston's Third Ward, home to the city's hip-hop and rap scene — and while he lived there, he recorded as part of the city's influential Screwed Up Click rap collective. NPR's David Greene spoke with Floyd's former collaborators about his musical past. This week, the Recording Academy announced changes for the names and definitions of four Grammy Award categories traditionally associated with artists of color. But what does that mean for systemic changes at the Grammys? Artists like the masked songwriter Orville Peck or viral star Lil Nas X, both of whom identify as gay, may seem like outliers in the world of country music. But in reality, as our roundtable of writers and musicians attest, the landscape of queer expression in country music is broad, varied and segmented. (While you read, listen along to our not-at-all-exhaustive LGBTQIA+ country playlist.) Tiny Desk Photographer/Source This week we featured Tiny Desk (home) concerts from artists who appear on the soundtrack of the HBO show Insecure; the show consistently features up-and-coming artists. We kicked the series off with the raw, real vulnerability (and incredible voice) of Tiny Desk veteran Baby Rose. We also featured a spunky and color-coordinated performance from KIRBY and a spirited set from Los Angeles songwriter PJ.  Incoming Next week marks the 10th anniversary of Alt.Latino, our podcast that spotlights the world of Latinx arts and culture through music, stories and conversation. Host Felix Contreras loves a celebration; we’ll be sharing anniversary interviews and episodes throughout the week. One More Thing Keep reading; stay present. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? 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