Music & Culture

Irvin Mayfield leads the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, featuring saxophonist Ed Petersen, during the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Music & Culture

Irvin Mayfield, New Orleans Jazz Pillar, Indicted For Laundering Library Funds

4:45pm December 18, 2017

by Alison Fensterstock

In the wake of criminal charges against the trumpeter and bandleader, a city laments that a visible face of recovery for his battered and beaten hometown might also have been bilking it.

Jonghyun of South Korean boy band SHINee on July 29, 2013. The singer and producer died on December, 18, 2017.

Music & Culture

Jonghyun, Star K-Pop Producer And Singer, Dead At 27

4:33pm December 18, 2017

by Jeff Benjamin

The singer first gained famed in 2008 as a member of the boy band SHINee, before going on to write and produce songs for himself and others.

Kendrick Lamar performs in New York City on Sept. 14, 2017. Critic Ken Tucker says Lamar's album DAMN captured the collective mood of the year.

Music & Culture

Ken Tucker Looks Back On 2017 In Music

4:24pm December 18, 2017

by Ken Tucker

Fresh Air's music critic presents his annual list of favorite music — along with some thoughts about the rock, pop and country stars who died in 2017.

Queue Listen Now

Commissioned by Tune-Yards' radio show, Xenia Rubinos (left) teamed up with Olga Bell and Sammus to create a new song.

Music & Culture

Xenia Rubinos, Olga Bell And Sammus Want To Know If You're Really Down

1:16pm December 18, 2017

by Catalina Maria Johnson

Rubinos continues to challenge genre and style expectations in a new collaboration with two fellow multi-talented women artists.

Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson watches the action during the first half of an NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Green Bay Packers in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday.

Carolina Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson Says He Will Sell Team

12:31pm December 18, 2017

by Scott Neuman

The announcement came just hours after the NFL announced an investigation of allegations of workplace misconduct, which reportedly includes complaints of inappropriate comments to female employees.

Music & Culture

World Cafe's Best Of 2017 Playlist

12:14pm December 18, 2017

by Talia Schlanger

Enjoy listening to this mix of our favorite sounds of the year, picked by the show's entire staff.

A still from an amateur video of the stage collapse at the Atmosphere Festival in Esteio, Brazil.

Music & Culture

Stage Collapse At Dance Music Festival In Brazil Causes Death Of DJ

12:00pm December 18, 2017

by Andrew Flanagan

Kaleb Freitas, a native to the area, was killed by falling debris when a stage of the Atmosphere Festival in Esteio, Brazil came apart in a storm.

Music & Culture

The 10 Best R&B Albums Of 2017

11:44am December 18, 2017

This is not your mom and pop's rhythm and blues. Artists pushed the boundaries, story lines and expectations of R&B more than ever in 2017.

Clockwise from upper left: Lorde, SZA, The National, St. Vincent

Music & Culture

Poll Results: All Songs Considered Listeners' 100 Favorite Albums Of 2017

11:27am December 18, 2017

We asked and you voted: Here are the 100 best albums of the year, as selected by All Songs Considered listeners.

Queue Listen Now

Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires perform onstage at the 2016 Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival in Franklin, Tenn.

Music & Culture

Naming The Beast: Jason Isbell And Amanda Shires On Speaking Up In 2017

9:16am December 18, 2017

by Jewly Hight

This week, NPR Music is speaking to creators whose work in 2017 captured something unique about a chaotic year. We begin with two musicians whose intertwined careers are a statement in themselves.