Alsarah and The Nubatones: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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I first encountered Alsarah and The Nubatones when doing the Global Elite Music Radio Podcast Supershow. I immediately fell in love with their music and featured their track "3roos Elneel" on Episode 16 which originally aired September 24, 2018. Back then, I wrote:

According to the group's Facebook page: "Alsarah & The Nubatones came together out of a collective love for Nubian music and a genuine belief that Soul transcends all cultural and linguistic barriers. Inspired by the pentatonic scale they blend a selection of Nubian 'songs of return' from the 1970s-today with original material and traditional music of central Sudan. Their set is a musical journey through diaspora and migration from an urban lense."

NPR adds:

“When singer Alsarah left her native Sudan, she was just a child who'd shown an interest in music. She's said it served as her coping mechanism during a subsequent transition to life here in the U.S. That passion led her to a university degree in ethnomusicology.”

The group stopped by NPR’s Tiny Desk in 2016 for three songs.

Setlist:

  1. "Ya Watan"

  2. "3roos Elneel"

  3. "Fulani"

Players:

  • Alsarah (vocals)

  • Nahid (backing vocals)

  • Rami El Aasser (percussion, backing vocals)

  • Mawuena Kodjovi (bass, backing vocals)

  • Brandon Terzic (oud)

Other Important People:

  • Producers: Felix Contreras, Niki Walker

  • Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin

  • Videographers: Niki Walker, Nicole Boliaux

  • Production Assistant: Jenny Gathright

  • Photo: Raquel Zaldivar/NPR