NaN/100 votes#1 - Miguel Zenón feat. Spektral Quartet
Season 12 Episode 1 - Aired 1/4/2019
The saxophonist is a big thinker whose mesmerizing compositions chronicle the music of his native Puerto Rico with the help of an adventurous jazz quartet.
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NaN/100 votes#2 - Buddy
Season 12 Episode 2 - Aired 1/9/2019
The preacher's son from Compton brought his flair for the dramatic, and an air of rebellion, to the Tiny Desk.
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NaN/100 votes#3 - Carolina Eyck and Clarice Jensen
Season 12 Episode 3 - Aired 1/11/2019
Carolina Eyck, the first artist to bring a theremin to the Tiny Desk, plays the air with the kind of lyrical phrasing and "fingered" articulation that takes a special kind of virtuosity.
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NaN/100 votes#4 - Aaron Lee Tasjan
Season 12 Episode 4 - Aired 1/15/2019
Aaron Lee Tasjan arrived in an ascot and mustard-colored shirt, sporting red, round sunglasses and mutton chops. It was a fashionable nod to the psych-pop and rock sound he brought to the Tiny Desk.
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NaN/100 votes#5 - Nate Wood - fOUR
Season 12 Episode 5 - Aired 1/16/2019
The multi-instrumentalist says he only wishes he had more limbs; but Wood still manages to simultaneously play a bass guitar, keys and drums, all while singing into a wearable microphone.
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NaN/100 votes#6 - Stella Donnelly
Season 12 Episode 6 - Aired 1/22/2019
Watch the Australian singer-songwriter perform three new songs from her upcoming full-length debut, Beware of the Dogs.
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NaN/100 votes#7 - Blood Orange
Season 12 Episode 7 - Aired 1/29/2019
This Blood Orange Tiny Desk is a beautifully conceived concert showing off the craft and care that has made Devonté Hynes a groundbreaking producer and songwriter.
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NaN/100 votes#8 - Cat Power
Season 12 Episode 8 - Aired 2/4/2019
Chan Marshall and her band perform a brisk and beautifully orchestrated medley of Cat Power songs: "Wanderer," "Woman" and 2006's "The Moon."
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NaN/100 votes#9 - Kurt Vile
Season 12 Episode 9 - Aired 2/6/2019
Kurt Vile and his musical mate, Rob Laakso casually lose themselves in complex guitar lines that are effortlessly beautiful and lyrical.
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NaN/100 votes#10 - Lau Noah
Season 12 Episode 10 - Aired 2/11/2019
There's a magical aura that surrounds Lau Noah as she sits behind the Tiny Desk and unspools thought-provoking story-songs.
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NaN/100 votes#11 - Mountain Man
Season 12 Episode 11 - Aired 2/13/2019
The voices of Amelia Meath, Molly Erin Sarlé and Alexandra Sauser-Monnig come together behind the Tiny Desk, with songs that conjure a simpler life: dogs, friends, moonlight or skinny dipping.
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NaN/100 votes#12 - Scott Mulvahill
Season 12 Episode 12 - Aired 2/18/2019
Scott Mulvahill has been trying to win the Tiny Desk Contest for each of its four years. And while he's never won, we all loved him so much we had to invite him to play.
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NaN/100 votes#13 - The Pedrito Martinez Group
Season 12 Episode 13 - Aired 2/20/2019
The Afro-Cuban percussionist mesmerizes with his almost otherworldly talent on congas.
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NaN/100 votes#14 - Natalie Prass
Season 12 Episode 14 - Aired 2/25/2019
Decked out in matching, cobalt blue outfits, the singer and her band had a clear vision: If you want to overcome the times, find strength in numbers.
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NaN/100 votes#15 - Zaytoven
Season 12 Episode 15 - Aired 2/28/2019
The Atlanta trap super-producer and son of a preacher man saved the day with a soulful Tiny Desk.
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NaN/100 votes#16 - Phony Ppl
Season 12 Episode 16 - Aired 3/4/2019
The Brooklynites stand out for their inventive and seamless blend of jazz, R&B and hip-hop.
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NaN/100 votes#17 - Meg Myers
Season 12 Episode 17 - Aired 3/6/2019
Myers replaces her album's roaring electric guitars and electronics with a pulsing string quartet, piano and brushed drums — and uncorks a cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill."
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NaN/100 votes#18 - Leikeli47
Season 12 Episode 18 - Aired 3/11/2019
The artist came to the Tiny Desk masked up, as always, the better to catch a glimpse of her soul.
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NaN/100 votes#19 - Kaia Kater
Season 12 Episode 19 - Aired 3/13/2019
Multi-hyphenate artist Kaia Kater uses the architecture of roots music, which she studied in West Virginia, to establish a simultaneous dialogue with both the present moment and her own past.
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NaN/100 votes#20 - Nao
Season 12 Episode 20 - Aired 3/18/2019
The U.K.-based singer-songwriter takes the Tiny Desk on a cosmic journey through her Saturn return.
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NaN/100 votes#21 - Alejandro Escovedo
Season 12 Episode 21 - Aired 3/20/2019
The veteran rocker and a backup band from Italy play songs from their album The Crossing, chronicling an American Dream of rock and roll and Beat poetry.
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NaN/100 votes#22 - &More (Chill Moody & Donn T)
Season 12 Episode 22 - Aired 3/25/2019
Philadelphia Rapper Chill Moody and singer Donn T, along with their crew known as &More, were one of the standout entrants in last year's Tiny Desk Contest. They bring a message of hope and love.
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NaN/100 votes#23 - Andrea Cruz
Season 12 Episode 23 - Aired 3/27/2019
The singer from Puerto Rico is part of a movement on the island that emphasizes largely acoustic instruments and a folk-based approach to interpreting life before and after the hurricane of 2017.
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NaN/100 votes#24 - Weezer
Season 12 Episode 24 - Aired 4/1/2019
Performing unplugged, the band forgoes its usual meticulousness in favor of a shaggy, entirely acoustic mix of new songs and '90s-era deep cuts.
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NaN/100 votes#25 - Courtney Marie Andrews
Season 12 Episode 25 - Aired 4/3/2019
It was a day when sunlight drenched the office and the songs of heart from Courtney Marie Andrews felt right at home.
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The Best Episodes of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts Season 12
Every episode of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts Season 12 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts Season 12!
Intimate musical performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.
Network:YouTube
Season 12 Ratings Summary
"Miguel Zenón feat. Spektral Quartet" is the best rated episode of "NPR Tiny Desk Concerts" season 12. It scored N/A/10 based on 0 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 1/4/2019. This episode is rated NaN points higher than the second-best, "Buddy".