Shakti — Tiny Desk (NPR), 2023

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Why this recording

For NPR, the stakes are historic: Shakti, formed in 1973, comes to the Desk fifty years later, on the world tour that reunites John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain. The three-song set follows a clear arc: “Shrini’s Dream” brings in voice, violin and guitar in turn, and “Bending the Rules” ends with soloists trading phrases in the jazz manner. Kara Frame directed and edited, Felix Contreras produced. With two percussionists, one on tabla and the other on kanjira and ghatam, rhythm sits at the heart of the set-up.

— Simon Janvier, live-sound professional and editor of the catalogue

Recording technical sheet

Rights-holding channelNPR Music
Source statusOfficial — broadcaster or organiser
Uploaded
Exact runtime
ResolutionHD (720p+)
Directed byKara Frame
Source qualityProfessional (multi-camera)

Metadata checked on YouTube on 29 September 2026; direction, camera setup and sound documented by the editors.

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Published on September 4, 2026 by Simon Janvier

Live session by Shakti recorded at NPR’s Tiny Desk in Washington, USA, and released on 30 October 2023. Founded in the 1970s by British guitarist John McLaughlin and tabla master Zakir Hussain, the Indian jazz-fusion ensemble performs here as part of its fiftieth-anniversary tour. The set draws on This Moment (2023), the group’s first studio album in forty-six years, and recalls the Mahavishnu Orchestra legacy with Lotus Feet. Around McLaughlin and Hussain, percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakaram, vocalist Shankar Mahadevan and violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan weave a dizzying dialogue between Indian raga and jazz improvisation. This in-studio live capture showcases the best of the filmed-session format: a performance played live, across several pieces, of rare intensity. An essential filmed live concert for lovers of jazz and world music. Year: 2023, venue: Tiny Desk, NPR, Washington D.C., USA. A landmark filmed live session from the fiftieth-anniversary reunion of Shakti, and a highlight for anyone exploring live jazz fusion.

Setlist

  1. Shrini's Dream
  2. Lotus Feet
  3. Bending the Rules

Personnel & credits

  • John McLaughlin — guitar
  • Zakir Hussain — tabla
  • Selvaganesh Vinayakaram — kanjira, ghatam
  • Shankar Mahadevan — vocals
  • Ganesh Rajagopalan — violin
Category

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