Watch Jacob Collier’s Magical, Multiplying Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

Plus the best new songs you may have missed during quarantine. by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna [lead photo]( Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images Ask anyone at NPR Music about their favorite summer pastimes, and you’ll hear one thing: live music. Things feel a little different this summer, with nearly all concerts and festivals [on pause due to the pandemic](. Our friends at [World Cafe]( are feeling this, too. So they put together an “[imaginary music festival]( of sorts — a playlist of some of their favorite live tracks. Of course, since it’s an imaginary festival, they could book whomever they like: Joni Mitchell playing next to Aretha Franklin; Otis Redding right before John Prine. We asked our teammates to join the fun and share some of their favorite live recordings, too. Assistant editor Cyrena Touros often returns to [Joan Baez’s live version]( of “Gracias A La Vida,” and editor Daoud Tyler-Ameen says he rewatches [TV On The Radio’s 2006 Letterman performance]( on a regular basis. Senior manager Otis Hart would argue that [this Daft Punk track]( is “the best song of any kind to be released in 2007.” Resident Viking Lars Gotrich chose Dave Chappelle's Block Party, “the rare concert film that tells a genuinely affecting story — plus that Fugees reunion still slams.” And as for your newsletter editors: Lyndsey will never not love Bruce Springsteen’s [Winterland '78]( performance of “Prove It All Night,” while Marissa is reliving the joyous feeling of dancing in a crowded room full of strangers with Fever Ray’s [Live at Troxy album]( from last year. Freebird, Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- New Music - This week on [New Music Friday]( from All Songs Considered: We discuss the first posthumous album from Chicago rapper Juice WRLD, a soaring new record from Margo Price, rock-inspired Sudanese jazz from Sharhabil Ahmed and more. - For the next edition of their Song Project, our friends at Morning Edition turned to [singer-songwriter Angelica Garcia]( who conjured the four horsemen of the apocalypse in a disquieting piano ballad. - Sufjan Stevens’s epic indictment of American culture, Lonnie Holley’s collaboration with the late producer Richard Swift, storytelling humor from Bill Callahan and more: Hear it all on [this week’s new mix]( from All Songs Considered. - We’ve continued to update Press Pause and Hit Play, our playlist of the [best songs you may have missed during quarantine](. This week, we’ve added a majestic new track from Wye Oak, a stirring song from Anjimile and more. --------------------------------------------------------------- Featuring - Lady A, the country trio formerly known as Lady Antebellum, [has sued Lady A]( the Seattle-based singer Anita White who has been performing under the name for two decades. - [Italian composer Ennio Morricone]( died Monday in Rome at the age of 91. A giant in the world of film scores, Morricone began writing music at the age of six, and never stopped; he wrote the music for more than 500 movies, including the iconic theme for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. - Twenty years ago, as R&B and pop reigned the charts, Jack and Meg White released [their second album as The White Stripes]( De Stijl. It became a bellwether of what was to come, a dispatch from a future so unlikely the duo didn't even realize they were representing it. - [Singer, songwriter and bandleader Charlie Daniels]( died Monday in Nashville. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016, Daniels served as an important link between country and rock. He was 83 years old. --------------------------------------------------------------- Tiny Desk [TD photo]( Courtesy of the artist When we record Tiny Desk concerts, there’s no studio magic — just musicians, their songs, a little bit of banter and the polite applause of our coworkers. But since we can’t film at Bob Boilen’s desk right now, things look a little different — and we were delighted by the visuals in this week’s Tiny Desk (home) concerts. Rapper [Roddy Ricch]( gave an atmospheric and impressive performance from the famed auto garage West Coast Customs in California. Meanwhile, polymath musician [Jacob Collier]( arranged a Rubik's Cube of a video production where he appears four times in the same frame, playing multiple instruments in perfect time. --------------------------------------------------------------- Incoming Looking for your next summer read? On Wednesday, July 15, Bob Boilen will be joined by writer and musician Mikel Jollett of the Airborne Toxic Event for a [live conversation on his new memoir]( Hollywood Park, which details his upbringing in the notorious Synanon cult. RSVP to receive a chapter of the book via audiobook or written text before the event. --------------------------------------------------------------- One More Thing [Folkways goes electronic](. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprmusic@npr.org](mailto:nprmusic@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on [Spotify]( and [Apple Music]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. 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