We have had lots of of various voices and devices behind the Tiny Desk through the years, however to my ears the efficiency that featured Omar Sosa and Seckou Keita sounded as if it was dropped immediately from the heavens of musical compatibility proper into our laps.

From the very begin of “Allah Léno,” the notes started to sprinkle down like mushy snowflakes from Sosa’s piano and Keita’s magnificent 24-string West African kora, whereas percussionist Gustavo Ovalles’ tasteful drumming percolated beneath the interaction of Sosa and Keita. Proving as soon as once more that the Tiny Desk area is sacred floor for musical inspiration, barely 4 minutes in, Keita ended an impressed run with an enormous smile acknowledged by his bandmates in addition to these fortunate sufficient to be within the NPR Music places of work that day.

The title of the second music “Kharit” means “friendship” within the Senegalese language wolof and it begins with Ovalles’ spellbinding, rhythmic work with conventional Venezuelan maracas. It begins at a relaxed tempo however picks up pace with intuitive interplay between Sosa and Keita.

The final music “Maam” is dedicated to “all moms,” a sentiment that cuts throughout borders. That is really a global band with Sosa hailing from Cuba, Keita from Senegal and Ovalles from Venezuela and the music titles are a mixture of Arabic and west African wolof. And for about twenty, wonderful minutes, the Tiny Desk was a weigh station alongside an historical musical route connecting our imaginations with the imaginative and prescient of a very outstanding trio.

SET LIST

• “Allah Léno”
• “Kharit”
• “Maam”

MUSICIANS

• Omar Sosa: piano
• Seckou Keita: kora
• Gustavo Ovalles: percussion

TINY DESK TEAM

• Producer: Felix Contreras 
• Director/Editor: Kara Body
• Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
• Inventive Director: Bob Boilen 
• Collection Producer: Bobby Carter
• Videographers: Kara Body, Maia Stern, Sofia Seidel
• Audio Assistant: Neil Tevault
• Manufacturing Assistant: Ashley Pointer
• Photographer: Elizabeth Gillis
• Tiny Desk Crew: Suraya Mohamed, Joshua Bryant, Hazel Cills
• VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
• Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann