For much of the past year, the band has stunned live audiences with its extraordinary range, moving seamlessly and gracefully from quiet, delicate moments to thundering swells of chaotic rock noise. That said, for this Tiny Desk performance, the trio pulled way back, offering stripped-down versions of songs from Hospice.

Siegel, a singer, is one quarter of the jazz supergroup The Manhattan Transfer. Throughout the 30 years she's spent with that musical institution, she's also released her own recordings featuring hip, seductive arrangements of standards, as well as newer works. Here, she visits Piano Jazz along with pianist and accordion player Gil Goldstein.

When The Low Anthem came to perform at NPR Music, the band seemed humbled and comfortable sitting on and around Bob Boilen's desk, playing music as if it were hanging around in someone's living room. The group's sullen, spacious music was a perfect fit for the intimacy of an office.

When Arcuragi came to the NPR Music offices to play a Tiny Desk Concert, many of us hadn't heard his music. After hearing him play three songs, many walked away dazzled by his voice. Arcuragi's voice is powerful, but without unnecessary melodrama.

From Michel Martin To Jay Leno: Soul Singer's Career Takes Off — Before In a special New Year's encore of performances heard on the program, Tell Me More revisits its conversation with soul singer Eric Hutchinson. Since his chat with host Michel Martin, Hutchinson has continued on his rise to stardom, having appeared on the former Tonight Show with Jay Leno and having toured with pop star Kelly Clarkson. Hear Hutchinson talk candidly about his early struggle to gain recognition in the music industry and about how his career, remarkably, took a turn for the better.

Sam Brooker and Ruby Amanfu are not the likeliest of musical pairings. He?s from Wisconsin, and is into guitar. She hails from Ghana, was raised in Nashville, and has roots planted firmly in the black church. But together, they have discovered the power of collaboration. In June, host Michel Martin spoke with Sam & Ruby about how their synergy in music is strengthened by their off-stage romance. The duo also plays songs from their new album, ?The Hear and the Now.?

Omar Sosa To kick off the new year, Tell Me More revisits memorable conversations with musicians heard on the program in 2009. Legendary jazz musician and composer Omar Sosa has earned his ranking within a unique class of world musicians. Since his childhood years spent in Cuba, Sosa has been able to call many other places home, such as Ecuador, Spain and San Francisco. Along the way, he's soaked up various sounds and rhythms of the cultures he encountered. Back In April, Sosa dropped by NPR's Studio 4a for a performance chat in which he described his efforts to connect the sounds of the African diaspora with that of the Americas.

The adventurous ensemble has been widely praised for its risk-taking attitude. Gathered around Bob Boilen's desk, a stripped-down incarnation of the group plays music by Ravel, then unpacks several Egyptian instruments for an original composition.

McKay's songs lean on influences like vaudeville and hip-hop, and they display a sharp wit: Her debut album was called Get Away From Me. McKay has a new album of songs originally recorded by Doris Day, titled Normal as Blueberry Pie.

Lightning Dust should be seen in the smallest possible venue; its music is so spare and raw that its music could easily get drowned out. With singer Amber Webber's quivering vibrato and Joshua Wells' warm piano accompaniment, the group specializes in quietly dark moments, whether in a shared glance or a finely knit harmony.

In Here Comes Science, the band They Might Be Giants tackles the scientific process, plasma physics, the role of blood in the body and the importance of DNA, all in song. Band members John Linnell and John Flansburgh discuss the album and play some science tunes. Originally broadcast Sept. 25, 2009.

The success of Malaysian-born singer-songwriter Zee Avi is an increasingly familiar but noteworthy story: Avi was discovered after she posted a few songs on YouTube. Within two months, she was signed to release her self-titled debut. Here in this intimate Tiny Desk Concert, Avi sings three hushed lullabies, including what has become one of her signature songs: a cover of Morrissey's "First of the Gang."

Mayer Hawthorne (aka Andrew Cohen) brings a light-hearted geekiness to soul music. Hawthorne talks with host Michel Martin about his musical journey from Hip Hop DJ to falsetto crooner and performs songs from his album A Strange Arrangement.

Bowerbirds' handcrafted songs creak and swell like wooden floorboards in an old house. With acoustic guitar, accordion and violin, the band's pastoral folk music has a distinctively spare yet harmonious sound. Hear the group, fronted by Phil Moore and Beth Tacular, perform a captivating Tiny Desk Concert in the NPR Music offices.

Nascimento's miraculous voice is one gift. Brazilian music is another — passionate and in an innately beautiful language. It's his birthday on Oct. 26, so we celebrate with last year's celebration at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, with Newark's Portuguese-speaking community understanding every word, the world-renowned Nascimento celebrates bossa nova pioneer Antonio Carlos Jobim.