Buffy Sainte-Marie has always been a wanderer with a strong sense of direction. She performs four songs from her diverse, innovative career with her touring band.
The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.
"Tiny Desk at home? I kinda live on the road!" the legendary Buffy Sainte-Marie exclaims one song into her high-spirited set recorded a few miles outside Toronto at the beginning of the 81-year-old's umpteenth tour. Sainte-Marie has always been a wandering soul with a fierce sense of direction.
Playing a Yamaha"Silent Guitar," designed for road conditions where playing on headphones might be a requirement on a tour bus, and then switching to a small keyboard, Sainte-Marie is an easeful band leader. This occasion was, in fact, her first reunion with her touring band since the pandemic began, and their joy in playing these songs is palpable.