Marco Benenvento Performs With Freddie Gibbs & Madlib For ‘Tiny Desk Concert’

Madlib and Freddie Gibbs were the latest guests for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert. They welcomed keyboardist Marco Benevento for the public radio station’s in-studio performance. Madlib and Gibbs delivered a number of songs from their collaborative album, Bandana.

The connections between the Tiny Desk band are far-ranging. Benevento recorded his last album, Let It Slide, with sax player Leon Michels handling producing duties. Michels also plays in Madlib’s New York-based funk project El Michels Affair as well as Dan Auerbach’s The Arcs. The two met around the time Marco was recording his previous record, Swift. The connection there being late great producer Richard Swift, who Benevento filled in for during shows for The Arcs. The all-star Tiny Desk cast included Benevento on a standup piano; Michels on sax; Madlib on percussion; trumpet player Dave Guy, formerly of Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings and currently of The Roots; The Arcs rhythm section Nick Movshon on bass and Homer Steinweiss (also formerly of the Dap-Kings) on drums and Gibbs handling the mic.

The band, dubbed MadGibbs, kicked things off with Bandana track “Education” – which Benevento got going with a jazzy bit of piano — the album version includes guest spots from Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) and Black Thought of The Roots. Next up was “Got Damn” followed by “Soul Right.” The group then went to “Freestyle S***” to close out the session. Check it out below: