Samora Pinderhughes: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

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.

Nikki Birch | April 15, 2022
The opening piano notes are barely sufficient warning to brace for the sweet and powerful voices that transport us to Samora Pinderhughes' Tiny Desk (home) concert, shot on film. "The Cry" heralds our journey into the Bay Area native's sophomore album, GRIEF. The vocalists move briefly out of frame for "Masculinity," a probing, open letter that addresses masculine stereotypes with directness and compassion. The song blooms beautifully, with Pinderhughes accompanied by strings, a background chorus, and his sister, renowned flutist Elena Pinderhughes.

Between tunes, Pinderhughes greets us and shares that the setting for this Tiny Desk (home) concert is his exhibition, "The Healing Project," at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Five years in the making, the project explores trauma and healing from structural violence with conversations, film, music and art created by incarcerated artists, including the artist Pitt Panther. Pinderhughes then plays "Holding Cell," a dedication to those behind the walls. For his next song, Pinderhughes leads us to a blue space, a memorial shrine with candles, offerings and dedications, where we encounter the haunted pleas of "Grief."

Pinderhughes' ability to be vulnerable makes his music incredibly intimate. He reminds us of this quiet strength once again as he introduces the last song in his set, "Process," with some final thoughts: "I think a lot of times we get a message that we should just succeed or triumph over something that's difficult in our life, particularly things like depression or grief or anxiety. But sometimes it's about living alongside those things and just taking it one day at a time."

SET LIST
"The Cry / Masculinity"
"Holding Cell"
"Grief"
"Process"

MUSICIANS
Samora Pinderhughes: vocals, piano, keyboard
Nio Levon: vocals, vocal arrangements
Elliott Skinner: vocals, guitar
Jehbreal Muhammad Jackson: vocals
Dani Murcia: vocals
Elena Pinderhughes: flute
Clara Kim: violin
Giancarlo Latta: violin
Carly Scena: viola
Saul Richmond-Rakerd: cello

CREDITS
Director: Christian Padron
Cinematographer: Jon Harrison
Audio Engineer: Jack DeBoe
Producers: Christian Padron, Samora Pinderhughes, Jesse Sachs, Hana Mogulescu
Creative Direction: Samora Pinderhughes, & Christian Padron
Editor: Christian Padron
1st AC: Linhdan Le
2nd AC: Nam Anh Nguyen
Gaffer: Carlos Gonzalez
PD/Grip: Irene Peng
Shot on Kodak Film
Filmed in "The Healing Project" exhibition at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Visual Pieces in Exhibition by Samora Pinderhughes, Pitt Panther, Emeka Ekwelum, Josh Begley, Christian Padron, Vashni Korin, Daniel Pfeffer, Christopher Burch, Nico Cary, Eli Marienthal, Raquel Pinderhughes, Dwayne Betts and Titus Kaphar.

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bob Boilen
Video Producer: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Tiny Production Team: Bobby Carter, Michael Zamora, Maia Stern, Ashley Pointer
Executive Producer: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

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