Music & Culture

Music & Culture

A Look Back At 4 Jazz Luminaries Who Died In 2017

1:39pm December 19, 2017

by Kevin Whitehead

Kevin Whitehead remembers alto saxophonist Arthur Blythe, pianist Geri Allen, guitarist John Abercrombie and singer Jon Hendricks. Each "helped shape jazz after the upheavals of the 1960s," he says.

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Composer Michael Giacchino at the U.S. premiere Coco. Four of Giacchino's scores have been shortlisted for Oscar nominations this year — The Book Of Henry, Coco, Spider-Man Homecoming and War for the Planet of the Apes.

Music & Culture

The Academy Awards' Shortlist Of Original Scores Is Not Short

12:18pm December 19, 2017

by Sidney Madden

Across its shortlist of 141 scores, several composers are nominated three or more times, along with some films that won't likely be mentioned in the same breath as the Oscars again any time soon.

Kronos Quartet performs at NPR Music's 10th anniversary concert in Washington, D.C.

Music & Culture

Watch Kronos Quartet's Testament To Collaboration At NPR Music's 10th Anniversary

11:00am December 19, 2017

by Tom Huizenga

The storied quartet wove styles and collaborators together in their performance at NPR Music's 10th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C.

Víkingur Ólafsson's album was a fitting tribute to the 80th birthday of composer Philip Glass.

Music & Culture

NPR Music's Top 10 Classical Albums Of 2017

10:20am December 19, 2017

by Tom Huizenga

From tributes to Philip Glass and French opera to the roaring silences of Morton Feldman and virtuosic choral singing, 2017 proved to be another vibrant year in classical music.

The band Locos Por Juana has released a reggaeton-inflected take on the U.S. national anthem, in partnership with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation.

Music & Culture

Oh, Say Can You See? Two New Songs Reflect The Uncertainty of DREAMers

10:01am December 19, 2017

by Marisa Arbona-Ruiz

New music videos from Locos Por Juana and Jackson Browne bring attention to the precarious plight of those at the center of the national immigration debate.

Katie Alice Greer of Washington, D.C.'s Priests. The band released its full-length debut, Nothing Feels Natural, in the early weeks of 2017.

Music & Culture

Power In Everything: Priests' Katie Alice Greer On Making Space For Art

9:22am December 19, 2017

by Marissa Lorusso

NPR Music's year-end interview series continues with a punk singer from the nation's capital, who says most conversations about "political art" are missing the point.

A still from Angel Snow's "I Need You," a video found in this list of 20 songs from Nashville artists in 2017.

Music & Culture

World Cafe Nashville: 20 Indie Discoveries From 2017

7:00am December 19, 2017

by Jewly Hight

Hear a playlist of album tracks, singles and videos released by an array of fascinating independent Nashville musicians over the last 12 months.

New York, March 2013 - This was from a promotional portrait shoot commissioned by the label. The work stayed in the can for several years, as right after this Sharon got her cancer diagnosis and took the better part of a year for treatment.

Music & Culture

In Pictures: Sharon Jones Remembered

7:00am December 19, 2017

Photographer Jacob Blickenstaff documented Sharon Jones for years both on- and off-stage. Here, he shares archival shots of the dearly departed star.

Music & Culture

Remembering Keely Smith, Musical Partner To Her Husband, Louis Prima

5:21pm December 18, 2017

Singer Keely Smith died on Saturday after a long bout of ill health. She was best known for her work with band leader Louis Prima in the 50s and 60s, and for their hit, "That Old Black Magic."

Music & Culture

In 'Body And Shadow,' The Brian Blade Fellowship Spotlights A Lyrical, Singable Melody

5:21pm December 18, 2017

by Tom Moon

Drummer Brian Blade plays in legendary saxophonist Wayne Shorter's current quartet. But for the past two decades, he has also led his own project, the Brian Blade Fellowship. Music reviewer Tom Moon says his latest album Body and Shadow lures the listener with a lyrical, singable melody.

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