Bobby Carter | February 14, 2024
Months before he released Amén (The Nomad's Dream), Atlanta singer Berhana shared his Tiny Desk vision with me: He wanted to pay homage to his roots with Ethiopian jazz pianist Kibrom Birhane and members of the Ethio Cali band to showcase their authentic take on East African rhythms. Draped in a traditional Ethiopian scarf at the Tiny Desk, he incorporates those elements to a T.

So much of the genre-fluid Amén is about personal growth and finding home. His first trip to Ethiopia was the driving force behind the new project, but the storytelling prowess is carried over from 2019's HAN. Before closing his set with "Going Home," he expressed his gratitude for the moment. "It's because we live within this confined amount of time, that we're able to find meaning," he says. "I've been trying to accept that a little bit more and be grateful for the little moments like this that I get to share with you guys right now."

SET LIST
"Gone (Abebe Bikila)"
"Break Bread"
"Someday"
"Golden"
"Honeycomb"
"Don't Go"
"Going Home"

MUSICIANS
Berhana: lead vocals
Kahlil Cummings: percussion
David Shimon Goodwin: bass
Randal Fisher: saxophone
Evan Christopher Greer: drums, vocals
Nadav Peled: guitar
Glenn Kelly Holdaway: trumpet
Kibrom Birhane: piano, krar
Josef Lamercier: vocals
Xenia Karungu: vocals
Tasan Thompson: vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Director: Joshua Bryant
Audio Technical Director: Josh Rogosin
Editor: Maia Stern
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Mitra I. Arthur, Zayrha Rodriguez
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Hazel Cills, Kara Frame
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#tinydesk #nprmusic #berhana