Singers We Love :: Daniel Caesar - "Best Part"

Toronto based R&B singer treats us to a beautiful rendition of “Best Part”, a sparkling cut taken from his spectacular Grammy nominated debut album Freudian.

Directors We Love :: Ryan Coogler Breaks Down a Fight Scene

Just when we thought our love for Black Panther couldn't run any deeper, here comes Ryan Coogler with a detailed breakdown how of one of our favorite scenes was constructed. Love deepens. 

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On this episode of "Notes on a Scene," Black Panther's director and co-writer Ryan Coogler breaks down a fight scene in the movie featuring Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, and Chadwick Boseman.

Concerts We Love :: Ibeyi - NPR Tiny Desk ConcertS

The twin sisters in Ibeyi started their turn behind the Tiny Desk by singing an invocation of a West African Yoruba deity.

They come by their connection to the Afro-Cuban culture by way of their late father, Miguel "Anga" Diaz, an in-demand Cuban percussionist who was part of a vanguard musicians who reinvigorated Cuban music before he died prematurely at age 45 in 2006. The sisters, Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Díaz, carry that calling in their DNA, and how they've manifested it into their own art is nothing short of amazing.

As you see in this video, the twins (Ibeyi means 'twins" in Yoruban) perform their music with the batá drums associated with Yoruban sacred music and their elaborate vocal arrangements channel the call-and-response of traditional African music. The melding of their voices when they harmonize can be breathtaking, but the same can be said about the messages behind their songs, themes that inspire both inward introspection and celebrations of life.

Enjoy.

SET LIST

• "Oddudua"

• "Deathless"

• "Valé"

• "Transmission/Michaelion"

MUSICIANS

Lisa-Kaindé Diaz, Naomi Díaz

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