Yu Sakai feat. TBN Trio: Tiny Desk Concert

Suraya Mohamed | April 11, 2025
People often ask us how we select artists to play the Desk. It's a complicated answer, but Yu Sakai and the TBN Trio made their way here by happy coincidence.

Last March, two colleagues and I were in Tokyo to help launch Tiny Desk Japan. One afternoon, we were walking alongside thousands of people through Shibuya Crossing, which might be the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world. Imagine the odds that Nate Smith, a celebrated drummer, was there, too. We bumped right into him, exchanged hellos and then he invited us to see a show he was playing the next evening.

At the WWWX Shibuya, one of Tokyo's best music spaces, we were mesmerized by the performance of these four musicians. Takeshi Oybayashi is a soulful pianist who is very active on the international jazz scene. Smith, who has a Tiny Desk of his own, is one of my favorite jazz drummers playing today. Bassist Ben Williams, another Tiny Desk alumnus, is a D.C. native who's played with the likes of Pat Metheny and Lauryn Hill.

And then there's Yu Sakai, whom I discovered that night in Tokyo and became an instant fan. His performance style is so vibrant and his vocal quality is so unique. Sakai loves all kinds of music — J-pop, gospel, R&B and jazz — which he celebrates with an ebullient energy in this Tiny Desk. We think you'll fall in love with him, too.

SET LIST
"Get It Together"
"Story"
"Gaze, Daydream"
"Rose & Rhodes"
"Sinatra, The Darkness of Cherry Blossom"

MUSICIANS
Yu Sakai: vocals, keys
Takeshi Ohbayashi: piano
Ben Williams: bass
Nate Smith: drums

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Technical Director: Neil Tevault
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern
Audio Engineer: Josh Newell
Production Assistants: Ashley Pointer, Dora Levite
Photographer: Zayhra Rodriguez
Tiny Desk Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

#nprmusic #tinydesk #yusakai