Fresh Air
Weekdays at 7:00pm
Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.
Film offers 'Hard Truths' about why some people are happy — and others are miserable
Marianne Jean-Baptiste gives a phenomenal performance as a profoundly unhappy woman. There isn't a lot of plot, but director Mike Leigh builds his stories from the details and detritus of daily life.
'Summer Of Soul': Abbey Lincoln And Max Roach
by Terry Gross
Lincoln started out as a nightclub singer, but began performing in a style influenced by the civil rights movement after she met drummer/bebop pioneer Max Roach. Originally broadcast in 1986 and 1987.
'Summer Of Soul': South African Trumpeter Hugh Masekela
by Terry Gross
Masekela, who died in 2018, was a symbol of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement. He performed around the world, including at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Originally broadcast in 1988.
'Summer Of Soul': A Conversation With Blues Legend B.B. King
by Terry Gross
The renowned bluesman, who died in 2015, spoke to Fresh Air in 1996 about growing up as the son of a sharecropper — and leaving the plantation as a young man to pursue a career in music.
Questlove Revives 'Black Woodstock' In 'Summer Of Soul' Documentary
by Terry Gross
The 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival featured some of the biggest names in Black music, but it had largely faded from history. The Roots co-founder sought to change that. Originally broadcast July 2021.
'Fresh Air' Pays Respect To Aretha Franklin, The Queen Of Soul
by Terry Gross
To mark the debut of the biopic RESPECT, we listen back to archival interviews with Aretha, as well as with Jerry Wexler, producer of the hit "Respect," and Dan Penn, who co-wrote "Do Right Woman."
Short And Martin Showcase Their Familiar Dynamic In 'Only Murders In The Building'
by David Bianculli
Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez play neighbors and true crime enthusiasts who get together to solve a murder in Hulu's new 10-part mystery comedy.