Giving Thanks For Good Music

What the NPR Music team is grateful for this year. [View this email online]( [NPR Music]( by Marissa Lorusso For the past couple years, we’ve had a tradition in our Thanksgiving weekend newsletter: asking our teammates to share the music and musicians they’re especially grateful for. We’re continuing that tradition this year with a selection of artists, performances and albums that have brought joy to the staff of NPR Music over the course of 2021. We hope you and your loved ones are safe, healthy and able to share gratitude with each other this week. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Nikki Birch, lead video producer, Jazz Night in America: I am grateful for the [Silk Sonic album.]( It's been a while since I've played an album on repeat this much; the music is beautiful and some of the songs make me laugh. Maybe I'm a sucker for nostalgic R&B vibes, but it's one of my favorite albums of the year. Reanna Cruz, production assistant: I'm grateful for Spotify's hyperpop playlist — nah, I'm kidding. What I'm actually grateful for is feeling safe and comfortable enough to reintegrate into clubs, parties and concerts. This year, post-Pfizer, I was lucky enough to see some of my favorite artists return to the stage, and it felt magical to finally dance in a sea of bodies once again. Lars Gotrich, producer: The Tandberg M2599LL is a tank of a cassette machine, meant for classrooms back in the day, but was my tether to physical media as I settled into a semi-permanent home office. Digital music is fine, but my stacks of tapes never wanted for use as I clacked away at the computer all year. Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis, production assistant: I’m grateful for the reissue of my favorite, and the most incendiary, movie soundtrack of all time, from Almost Famous. It was my entry point for so much music I love (Joni Mitchell’s Blue, The Beach Boys’ Surf’s Up, Stevie Wonder, Yes, Simon & Garfunkel, the list goes on) and quite possibly the reason I work in music journalism now. Not to mention, it feels good to listen to Nancy Wilson’s score for the film without having to use a YouTube-to-MP3 downloader. Tom Huizenga, NPR Classical: I’m grateful for the few music institutions that have shown a willingness to put into practice what we’re learning in the wake of a continuing pandemic and a racial reckoning. To offer music by composers of color, and by women, demonstrates that we should no longer rest on a fusty, narrow-minded view of classical music and that there are audiences everywhere who are eager to hear something new. Lyndsey McKenna, NPR Programming: Earlier this year, Wild Pink released one of my favorite records of 2021, the exquisite [A Billion Little Lights](. And this fall, a dream double bill of Wild Pink and Ratboys was one of my first in-person concerts since the pandemic shutdown. I’m grateful for the sheer beauty of that record, which has scored some of the small moments I’ll cherish from this year, and the chance to see those songs live and to sing along and smile under my mask. Marissa Lorusso, associate editor: Each year, the Tiny Desk Contest is an opportunity for unsigned artists to send their music to us in the hopes of winning their very own Tiny Desk concert. It’s also an opportunity for my NPR Music colleagues and I to hear artists who might otherwise never reach our ears. I’m grateful for the Contest this year, as always, but especially for [our winner, Neffy]( — and for the fact that she was able to [perform her winning concert]( at the real Tiny Desk and bring some music back to NPR HQ after almost 600 days without it. Cat Sposato, Alt.Latino intern: I am so thankful that Sarah Kinsley finally released her song “[The King]( this year. The intro of that track had been trending on my TikTok “For You” page for weeks, and when it finally came out, I was so blown away. After a year that had taken such a toll on me, “The King,” with its hopeful lyrics and swelling instrumentation that feels like something out of a daydream, reminded me that there is so much to look forward to in this life! Josh Rogosin, Tiny Desk audio producer: With live theater returning to Broadway, it feels like we’ve turned a corner in the pandemic. I’m grateful all these talented artists are finally able to practice their craft again. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Find a Station]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( What do you think of today's email? 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