For the third year, Tiny Desk concerts team up with globalFEST for a thrilling online music festival — Tiny Desk meets globalFEST.

Bob Boilen | January 26, 2023
Hosted by Angélique Kidjo, the series echoes globalFEST’s live flagship event in spirit but is centered in the framework of the Tiny Desk concert series. This collaboration presents exclusive video performances from nine artists filmed in their respective homelands, on the road and in exile all over the world. There will be three nights of concerts, each featuring three bands, on consecutive nights beginning Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. ET. The globalFEST team wrote the following biographical information about each performer.

Taraf de Caliu, Romania
After more than three decades of relentlessly touring all over the world, the founding members of Taraf de Haidouks reunited for a new project: Taraf de Caliu. The musicians from Clejani, Romania are the last generation of “lautari” that carry on this authentic traditional music from southern Romania, the music that defined them as one of the best gypsy bands in the world. Under the lead of Caliu, the iconic violinist of the taraf, they are on the road again.

SET LIST
"Ca la Breaza"
"Hora lui Caliu"
"Dragostea de la Clejani"
"Ciocârlia"

MUSICIANS
Gheorghe Anghel “Caliu”: violin
Robert Gheorghe: violin
Iulian Vlad: double bass
Marin Manole: accordion, vocals
Ionuț Gulună: vocals
Cristinel Turturică: cimbalom

CREDITS
Production: Șaraimanic & DWMT Production
Producer: Călina Purje
Director: Andrei Gheorghe
1st AD: Tudor Costache
Camera operators: Alexandru Yatesey, Răzvan Leucea, Paul Chirilă
Camera assistant: Daniel Sandu
Live recording: Mihai “Mushu” Popa
Mix and master: Mihai “Mushu” Popa, Andrei Boanță
Video edit and colorization: Paul Vlăsceanu
Props on set: Dan Statache
Special thanks to Larisa Perde, Răzvan Murgu, Șaraimanic Community, Diud, Michel Winter, Isabel Soffer

Noura Mint Seymali, Mauritania
Noura Mint Seymali is Mauritania's defining artist on the international stage. Drawing on the timeless repertoire of the Moorish griot, a hereditary class of musical poets / historians, her band conjures "a full blown sandstorm of hypnotic grooves, melding traditional Mauritanian instruments within an electrified psychedelic rock band.” Expanding a sound born of Arab and Sub-Saharan roots, Noura Mint Seymali bends the arc of Moorish musical tradition to fit our contemporary moment.

SET LIST
"Na Ha"
“Tasirit"
"Ghlana"

MUSICIANS
Noura Mint Seymali: vocals, ardine
El Jeich Chighaly: guitar
Ousmane Touré: bass
Matthew Tinari: drums

CREDITS
Producer: Matthew Tinari
Audio: Dahman Ba
Video: Dahman Ba, Line Diop, 2F Xaliss
Special thanks to Levrig Restaurant, Nouakchott

Justin Adams & Mauro Durante, UK / Italy
Justin Adams & Mauro Durante released an award-winning debut album, Still Moving, in 2021, moving from serene minimalism to wild catharsis. Adams (producer of Tinariwen’s breakout albums and guitarist with Robert Plant) plays with a post-punk guitar approach enriched by his passion for Arabic music and African trance blues, while Durante is a sought-after violinist and percussionist and leader of southern Italy’s acclaimed Canzionere Grecanico Salentino, who performed its iconic taranta and pizzica dance songs at globalFEST in 2012.

SET LIST
“Talassa"
"Cupa Cupa"
"Dark Road Down"

MUSICIANS
Justin Adams
Mauro Durante

CREDITS
Producer: Run Productions
Audio: Yanna Plougoulm, Antonin Volson
Video: Samuel Volson, Camera Silens

TINY DESK TEAM
Creative Director: Bob Boilen
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Editing: Joshua Bryant
Tiny Desk Team: Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer

GLOBALFEST TEAM
Co-Directors: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer and Bill Bragin
2023 Curators: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer, Bill Bragin and Meera Dugal
Event Producer: Ian Thake
Host: Angélique Kidjo
Legal Services: Tamizdat
Legal Services: Duane Morris
Video Production: Karim Tabbaa

FUNDERS:
The Mellon Foundation
The National Endowment for the Arts
NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

SPECIAL THANKS:
Ken Umezaki
Fabian Alsultany
Steven Kirkpatrick
David Komar