People often ask us how we select artists to play the Desk. It's a complicated answer, but Yu Sakai and the TBN Trio made their way here by happy coincidence.
Last March, two colleagues and I were in Tokyo to help launch . One afternoon, we were walking alongside thousands of people through Shibuya Crossing, which might be the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world. Imagine the odds that , a celebrated drummer, was there, too. We bumped right into him, exchanged hellos and then he invited us to see a show he was playing the next evening.
At the WWWX Shibuya, one of Tokyo's best music spaces, we were mesmerized by the performance of these four musicians. Takeshi Ohbayashi is a soulful pianist who is very active on the international jazz scene. Smith, who has a , is one of my favorite jazz drummers playing today. Bassist , , is a D.C. native who's played with the likes of and .
And then there's Yu Sakai, whom I discovered that night in Tokyo and became an instant fan. His performance style is so vibrant and his vocal quality is so unique. Sakai loves all kinds of music — J-pop, gospel, R&B and jazz — which he celebrates with an ebullient energy in this Tiny Desk. We think you'll fall in love with him, too.
SET LIST
- "Get It Together"
- "Story"
- "Gaze, Daydream"
- "Rose & Rhodes"
- "Sinatra, The Darkness of Cherry Blossom"
MUSICIANS
- Yu Sakai: vocals, keys
- Takeshi Ohbayashi: piano
- Ben Williams: bass
- Nate Smith: drums
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Technical Director: Neil Tevault
- Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern
- Audio Engineer: Josh Newell
- Production Assistants: Ashley Pointer, Dora Levite
- Photographer: Zayhra Rodriguez
- Tiny Desk Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
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