With all of the media chatter surrounding Sarah Palin’s disapproval of David Letterman’s jokery, it was too easy to overlook the real entertainment viewers of The Late Show were treated to last week (besides Julia Roberts, of course).

Mos Def was Monday’s musical guest, promoting the release of The Ecstatic, an album he’d first announced during a concert back in November 2007. The actor/rapper chose to showcase the percussive “Quiet Dog” during his Late Show performance, which begins with a sample from Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and features Mos Def deftly manning the timpani (in this clip, anyway):

How brilliantly cool is that track? I sure hope some So You Think You Can Dance choreographers are paying attention, because “Quiet Dog” is begging to be featured in a routine. Jazz, perhaps? But considering the dancers’ usual costumes, be sure the storyline steers clear of anything to do with flight attendants.

Grab a free download of Mos Def – “Quiet Dog” (and two other Ecstatic tracks) via RCRD LBL.