Adam Blackstone captured the essence of Black Music Month when he mentioned throughout his Tiny Desk live performance: “With a purpose to pay it ahead, it’s a must to pay it again…” That sentiment was the spirit of his efficiency, a multi-genre celebration of the legacy of Black music.

Should you’re not conversant in Adam, for those who’ve watched The Voice, the place he was an advisor, The Masked Singer and even Rihanna‘s Tremendous Bowl LVII halftime efficiency, for which he was music director, I guarantee you you are already acquainted together with his brilliance. The multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter is musical director to the celebs.

The set opened with a shock collaboration. Adam’s mentor, the legendary DJ and producer Jazzy Jeff, joined the band and sprinkled within the jazz bop, “Brother J,” with one of many key parts of hip-hop: the scratch. Then Adam launched certainly one of his favourite vocalists, Blakely, who captivated the workplace with a heartfelt rendition of Thelonius Monk‘s “‘Spherical Midnight.” The jazz vibe continued with a silky clean composition by trumpeter Melvin Jones referred to as, “The Storm Will Cross.”

Taking time to replicate on his early profession, Adam shared how one session with a sure artist modified his life. To the shock and delight of these gathered, that particular person was none apart from Musiq Soulchild, who carried out two of his hit songs, “teachme” and “Simply Associates (Sunny).”

SET LIST

• “Brother J”
• “‘Spherical Midnight”
• “The Storm Will Cross”
• “teachme”
• “Legacy”https://www.npr.org/”Simply Associates (Sunny)”

MUSICIANS

• Adam Blackstone: upright bass
• DJ Jazzy Jeff: DJ
• DJ Aktive: DJ
• Musiq Soulchild: vocals
• Blakely: vocals
• Ebony Joi: vocals
• Michael Reid: drums
• Melvin Jones: trumpet
• Michael Burton: saxophone
• Wilbert Williams: trombone
• Chris Farr: saxophone
• Justin Gilbert: keys

TINY DESK TEAM

• Producer: Nikki Birch
• Director: Kara Body
• Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
• Artistic Director: Bob Boilen
• Collection Producer: Bobby Carter
• Videographers: Kara Body, Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Sofia Seidel
• Editor: Sofia Seidel
• Audio Assistant: Hans Copeland
• Manufacturing Assistant: Ashley Pointer
• Photographer: Elizabeth Gillis
• Tiny Desk Workforce: Suraya Mohamed, Hazel Cills
• VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
• Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann