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The Best Episodes of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts Season 10

Every episode of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts Season 10 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts Season 10!

The Best Episodes of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts Season 10

Intimate musical performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.
  1. Background image for Declan McKenna
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    #1 - Declan McKenna

    S10:E1

    Hear the spirited young singer-songwriter take on religion, poverty and politics, armed with just a guitar and some unrelenting hooks.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  2. Background image for Donny McCaslin
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    #2 - Donny McCaslin

    S10:E2

    Hear McCaslin, the saxophonist and bandleader whose group backed David Bowie on Blackstar, near the anniversary of that album's release. Selections include an instrumental take on Bowie's "Lazarus."

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  3. Background image for Lila Downs
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    #3 - Lila Downs

    S10:E3

    With a voice that borrows heavily from opera, Downs performs the kind of full-throated mariachi singing that would fit right in at Mexico City's Garibaldi Square — ground zero for mariachi.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  4. Background image for Brent Cobb
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    #4 - Brent Cobb

    S10:E4

    Cobb's words shimmer like a tall glass of sweet tea in the late-morning sun. Watch the country singer-songwriter perform four songs from his debut album.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  5. Background image for BADBADNOTGOOD
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    #5 - BADBADNOTGOOD

    S10:E5

    The jazz band, known for its soulful interpretations of songs by Nas and Ol' Dirty Bastard, plays its own new material live in the NPR Music offices.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  6. Background image for Miramar
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    #6 - Miramar

    S10:E6

    Watch the Virginia band sweep the NPR crowd off its feet with a collection of exquisite boleros by Puerto Rican composer Sylvia Rexach.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  8. Background image for Gallant
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    #7 - Gallant

    S10:E7

    The rising R&B star performs three falsetto-drenched highlights from his 2016 debut, Ology — including "Bourbon," which features a guest rap from Chance The Rapper collaborator Saba.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  9. Background image for D.R.A.M.
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    #8 - D.R.A.M.

    S10:E8

    The rapper/singer storms the NPR Music offices, activating his signature smile and bouncing through five highlights from his catalog — including the smash single "Broccoli."

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  10. Background image for Run The Jewels
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    #9 - Run The Jewels

    S10:E9

    Killer Mike and El-P continue to out-muse each other in a supergroup that somehow seems to get better, louder, and more pertinent since their start in 2013.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  11. Background image for Esmé Patterson
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    #10 - Esmé Patterson

    S10:E10

    Esmé Patterson has dropped the banjos and folk from her previous project Paper Bird, and in their place are electric guitars and a backing band worth getting behind.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  12. Background image for Agnes Obel
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    #11 - Agnes Obel

    S10:E11

    Agnes Obel manipulated the Tiny Desk to better suit the deeply alluring and powerful music she brought to us.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  13. Background image for Little Simz
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    #12 - Little Simz

    S10:E12

    Little Simz has been compared to Lauryn Hill for her self-reflective wordplay. And though the British lyricist is a relative new-comer, her Tiny Desk performance was poised and confident.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  14. Background image for Dirty Dozen Brass Band
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    #13 - Dirty Dozen Brass Band

    S10:E13

    To celebrate Fat Tuesday, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band brought their euphoric horns to the Tiny Desk for a raucous, joyous set.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  15. Background image for Ninet
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    #14 - Ninet

    S10:E14

    One of Israel's very popular artists may be walking a similar path to early-career Joan Jett — she brought that same intensity to the Tiny Desk.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  16. Background image for Maren Morris
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    #15 - Maren Morris

    S10:E15

    One of the newest Grammy winners stops by the Tiny Desk to share her winking, sometimes tongue-in-cheek songs.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  17. Background image for Tank And The Bangas
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    #16 - Tank And The Bangas

    S10:E16

    Tank And The Bangas' victory lap around the Tiny Desk was momentous, celebratory and deeply touching, with a flair and alchemy of styles that could come from New Orleans.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  18. Background image for Red Baraat's Holi Celebration
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    #17 - Red Baraat's Holi Celebration

    S10:E17

    The Brooklyn bhangra band come to the Tiny Desk in celebration of Holi, the Hindu festival of color that welcomes the coming of spring.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  19. Background image for Sampha
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    #18 - Sampha

    S10:E18

    A Tiny Desk Concert as intimate as it gets (that's saying something). Just Sampha, a piano and three heart-wrenching songs that seem to double as coping mechanisms.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  20. Background image for Delicate Steve
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    #19 - Delicate Steve

    S10:E19

    This fierce and lyrical guitar player writes playful instrumental music led by hooky vocals — but there is no voice, just the human-like twang of a glass slide on a guitar.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  21. Background image for Overcoats
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    #20 - Overcoats

    S10:E20

    Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell's vibrant vocal harmonies are set against an electronic backdrop that feels spacious and refreshing.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  22. Background image for Noname
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    #21 - Noname

    S10:E21

    The power of language to penetrate a difficult subject, and the power of performance to share that language, are the gifts Noname brought to the Tiny Desk.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  23. Background image for Tash Sultana
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    #22 - Tash Sultana

    S10:E22

    It's astonishing to watch Sultana's fluidity on her instrument, like a natural extension of her body. She also plays bass, saxophone, trumpet, flute and more, but kept it "simple" for the Tiny Desk.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  24. Background image for Sinkane
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    #23 - Sinkane

    S10:E23

    You can hear a great New York jazz band in the rhythms of Sinkane, but you can also hear the influence of Bob Marley and the hypnotic repetition of Sudanese desert sounds.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  25. Background image for Ljova And The Kontraband
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    #24 - Ljova And The Kontraband

    S10:E24

    Composer, arranger and viola player Ljova lead his Kontraband to the Tiny Desk for an eclectic swirl of Western classical, jazz, tango and Eastern European and Balkan folk music.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  26. Background image for Chicano Batman
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    #25 - Chicano Batman

    S10:E25

    Chicano Batman comes with a sound that perfectly captures dark lounges, quinceñera dances, car shows and backyard parties.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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Season 10 Ratings Summary

"Declan McKenna" is the best rated episode of "NPR Tiny Desk Concerts" season 10. It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/3/2017. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "Donny McCaslin".