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ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE GOOD PEOPLE SHINE!!! LET'S GO @raydarellis!!! #NPRTinyDesk
VIA NPR Tiny Desk @youtube
Nikki Birch | February 26, 2025
Right from the jump, the horns hit with crisp urgency, heralding the arrival of Igmar Thomas' Revive Big Band at the Tiny Desk. This is not your grandparents' — or even your great-grandparents' — big band sound. Yes, it feels familiar, but the driving grooves are undeniably hip-hop.
Thomas, whose many hats include trumpeter, composer and musical director, is a founding member of Revive Music Group. The brainchild of the late Meghan Stabile, Revive has created platforms and opportunities, including the big band, for up-and-coming musicians to shine and reshape the landscape of jazz.
In this set, Thomas welcomes fellow founding member Raydar Ellis, associate professor at the Berklee College of Music, to join. Originally produced by Ellis, "TO KINDA LOUNGE AROUND" inspired Thomas to turn the track into his first big band composition. Though he conducts the majority of this set, Thomas also plays a fiery trumpet solo here. Both Ellis and Thomas shout out "fallen soldiers" of the Revive Music Group, including Stabile and the late saxophonists James Casey and Casey Benjamin.
Performing this Tiny Desk concert required Thomas to rearrange all of the tunes for a smaller big band. He does so successfully. Everything stays true to the sonic integrity of his original compositions and the legacy of big band jazz.
SET LIST
"RPM's"
"TO KINDA LOUNGE AROUND"
"THE COMING"
"R&P"
MUSICIANS
Igmar Thomas: conductor, trumpet
Brent Birckhead: alto saxophone
Chelsea Baratz: tenor saxophone
Saul Dautch: baritone saxophone
Miles Keingstein: trumpet
Sam Hoyt: trumpet
Barry Stephenson: bass
James Rogers: bass trombone
Corey A. Wallace: trombone
Alex Heffron: guitar
John Davis: drums
Raydar Ellis: vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Nikki Birch
Director: Joshua Bryant
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Mitra I. Arthur, Keren Carrión
Video Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistants: Ashley Pointer, Dora Levite
Photographer: Alanté Serene
Tiny Desk Team: Lars Gotrich, Kara Frame
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
#nprmusic #tinydesk #igmarthomasrevivebigband
Video clip & caption reposted @raydarellis Shout out to @nprmusic for featuring @revivebigband on their AMAZING Tiny Desk series!! It was an HONOR and a PLEASURE to rock on such an iconic stage and work with such a warm and inviting NPR team.
I’m sharing this part of the song I’m on because it showcases @iggysoul and me rocking back to back. This is something we’ve been doing for years from our days as classmates at @berkleecollege , to being roommates rockin bars/clubs all over NYC, to some of the most world renowned stages domestic and international.
I’m also sharing this part to shout out our Revive family who are no longer with us… @casey_benjamin @jamescaseysax and the woman who started Revive and blazed the trail for us, Ms. Meghan Stabile aka @supremeuniter 🕊️🕊️🕊️
I wish they were here to see the Big Band shine but I know they’re PROUD of us.
Shout outs to my family @shesnikkibirch for making this Tiny Desk happen along with the members of the big band (including but not limited to):
@chelseabaratz @brentbirckhead @pocketb @mahlzzz @sauldautchmusic @thebigdawgcometh @rogersbasstrombone @hefftunes #SamHoyt & #JonDavis
Lastly, if you like what you hear, Igmar Thomas’ Revive Big Band album “Like A Tree It Grows” is out now on all DSPs!!
photo reposted from @nprmusic
#ReviveBigBand #RaydarEllis #IgmarThomas
