Every January, I attend globalFEST at a New York City nightclub and see some of the most fantastic music I'll experience all year. Now, given the pandemic's challenges and the hardening of international borders, NPR Music and globalFEST moved the 2021 edition from the nightclub to your screen of choice and shared the festival with the world. We called it Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST. We presented 16 artists in intimate settings (often behind desks donning globes), all hosted by African superstar Angélique Kidjo.
Martha Redbone performs her Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST performance from her home studio in Brooklyn's Navy Yards. Native and African-American singer-songwriter Martha Redbone is known for her mix of folk, blues and gospel from her childhood in Harlan County, Ky., which she infuses with the eclectic grit of pre-gentrified Brooklyn. Inheriting the powerful vocal range of her gospel-singing African-American father and the resilient spirit of her mother's Cherokee, Shawnee and Choctaw culture, Redbone broadens the boundaries of American Roots music.
SET LIST "The Garden of Love" "Talk About It" "The Underdog"
MUSICIANS Martha Redbone: vocals, percussion Aaron Whitby: keys Marvin Sewell: guitars
CREDITS Producer: Martha Redbone Video and Audio: Martha Redbone and Aaron Whitby Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST
TINY DESK TEAM Producer: Bob Boilen Video Producer: Morgan Noelle Smith Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin Associate Producer: Bobby Carter Tiny Production Team: Kara Frame, Maia Stern Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann
GLOBALFEST TEAM Co-Directors: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer, and Bill Bragin 2021 Curators: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer, Bill Bragin, and Viviana Benitez Event Producer: Ian Thake Host: Angélique Kidjo Social Media Manager: Valerie French Publicity: Brendan Gilmartin, Chart Room Media Legal Services: Tamizdat Legal Services: Duane Morris Producer: THE OFFICE performing arts + film Video Production: MODEMA Studios
