Mac Miller’s Tiny Desk is a great example of the infectious joy in friends playing music together. The first song ‘Small Worlds’ features Mac’s good friend Thundercat on shaker (“Beautiful job, bro”) but ’Cat really stars when he takes over bass duties from Joe Cleveland. Playing his customary six-string, Thundercat infuses ‘What’s the Use?’ with even more funkiness fidgetiness than the studio version. Mac is visibly delighted to have Thundercat playing with him. There’s something about Tiny Desk that brings the best out of artists – they’re excited and happy to play, rather than merely ticking another box on a tour.
The verse groove is irresistible, with Kendall Lewis’s syncopated electric hi-hats filling spaces left by the bassline. Keyboardist Klynik adds an ethereal quality to the bumping groove, and guitarist Justus West mixes tight, percussive rhythm playing with sustained notes when the other musicians need space. Their musicality is shared by Miller, whose changing annunciation and flows is not unlike the expression of a great jazz horn player.
The other band members smile after Thundercat’s improvisations. They’re all delighted after his run from 7:45 as ’Cat comes back to Earth to hit the One at the start of the chorus. Mac loses his composure for a second, more chuckling than rapping. He’s lost in the moment.
Shortly after 9 minutes, Thundercat says “Thank you” in the manner of a deep-voiced ’40s crooner. He wears a big toothy grin for the rest of the song, playing freely while still helping to provide a platform for Mac’s rhymes. One particularly jazzy fill (emitting a “Woo!” from the audience) has Klynik smiling and half-shaking his head as if to say, “That’s ridiculous.”
It’s a fantastic performance by all five of them. Miller sadly passed in 2018 after his struggle with the substances he was likely rapping about in this song: “There’s something about it / That just freaks me out / I just want another minute with it”. On the set’s previous song, ‘Small Worlds’, Mac raps, “I may trip, but I never fall / God knows, I came close / Don’t try this at home”. He left behind some precious moments, and plenty of joy for the rest of us.