Henry Threadgill conducts vocalist Fay Victor and the Society Situation Dance Band. Shahar Azran/Courtesy of Harlem Stage Henry Threadgill addresses the crowd with Jason Moran on day one of the two-day event. Marc Millman/Courtesy of Harlem Stage Saxophonists Darius Jones (left) and Steve Lehman perform music from the repertoire of the band Air, as Jason Moran watches on. Marc Millman/Courtesy of Harlem Stage Both Pheeroan akLaff (left) and JT Lewis were on hand to perform the music of the Henry Threadgill Sextett, an ensemble which featured two drummers. ...

Credit: Courtesy of the Artist The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space. A few years ago, some of us on the NPR Music team stumbled upon a copy of Demi Lovato's 2013 book, Staying Strong: 365 Days A Year. Reading Lovato's heartfelt daily reflections became a workday habit; her transparency and vulnerability made us ardent admirers who wanted nothing but the very best for Demi. We made it our mission to get Demi to the Tiny Desk, and though the pandemic had other plans, Lovato's Tiny Desk (home) concert was worth the wait. Recorded on a sunny spring day in her Los Angeles backyard, Lovato begins with a moving rendition of "Tell Me You Love Me" from her 2017 record of the same name, ...

Enlarge this image Aaron Lee Tasjan Curtis Wayne Millard/Courtesy of the artist Curtis Wayne Millard/Courtesy of the artist "Up All Night" "Another Lonely Day" "Don't Overthink It" "Computer of Love" Even though Aaron Lee Tasjan's song "Up All Night" sounds like a lot of fun – if you listen close, the lyrics touch on many of the things you may have been worried about over this past year. Things like health, being alone, and money. And while some of his songs on his new album Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! sound like they were inspired by the pandemic, Tasjan's had these things on his mind since before the lockdown. One night, while ...

Enlarge this image Frans Schellekens/Getty Images Saxophonist Sonny Simmons left an indelible impression on fellow alto player Steve Lehman, who vividly remembers the first time he heard Simmons live: It was 1997, Lehman was assisting drummer Pheeroan akLaff – on the faculty at Wesleyan University at the time, where Lehman was a student – who had a gig with Simmons that Lehman attended. The impact was immediate. "He was somebody who could bring people to their feet and make them shout, just with his sound," Lehman writes in an email. "You hear it right away and there's no faking it. That kind of clarity and vision for what you want your instrument to do. And to move people in that way — with just your sound and phrasing and the nuances of inflection — that's something I'm still striving for." "... to move people in that way — with just your sound and phrasing and the nuances of inflection... " ...