Music & Culture

Music & Culture

Ibibio Sound Machine Blends Nigerian Pop And British Electronica

8:12am February 26, 2017

West African funk, disco, post-punk and electro-pop collide in the music of Ibibio Sound Machine. London-born Nigerian singer Eno Williams talks about the band's new album, Uyai.

Music & Culture

Curtis McMurtry's New Album Can Make You Feel Like You're Eavesdropping

10:56am February 25, 2017

His grandfather is author Larry McMurtry, his father is songwriter James McMurtry. So it's no surprise Curtis McMurtry's songs are full of vivid characters. His new album is The Hornet's Nest.

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Moonlight tells its protagonist's story in three chapters — and as the character ages, the music of Nicholas Britell's Oscar-nominated score slows and deepens.

Music & Culture

The Ones Who Dream: A Guide To 2017's Bold, Inventive Oscars Music

8:43am February 25, 2017

by Tim Greiving

The Academy has a history of baffling picks for Best Score — but this year's nominees are so daring and startling that it's hard to go wrong.

Jazz pianist Bill Evans (seen here as he appears on the cover of the 2016 legacy release Some Other Time) is the subject of a new documentary called Bill Evans: Time Remembered.

Music & Culture

A New Documentary Explores The Troubled, Brilliant Life Of Pianist Bill Evans

8:28am February 25, 2017

by NPR Staff

Filmmaker Bruce Spiegel speaks with Weekend Edition about the eight-year process behind Bill Evans: Time Remembered.

Doug Wamble performs on this week's Piano Jazz.

Music & Culture

Doug Wamble On Piano Jazz

6:05pm February 24, 2017

The guitarist and vocalist joins Marian McPartland to perform standards from "St. Louis Blues" to "Naima."

Trumpeter Lee Morgan and wife Helen in 1970. The couple's tragic story is the subject of the documentary I Called Him Morgan, directed by Kasper Collin.

Music & Culture

Jazz On Film And The Problem Of The Mad Creative Genius

5:57pm February 24, 2017

by NPR Staff

Jazz Night in America host Christian McBride reflects on how movies about his art form — including La La Land and a new Lee Morgan documentary — tend to paint the working jazz musician.

Music & Culture

Across the Blue Ridge #61- Rex McGee: innovator, explorer, scion of tradition

4:00pm February 24, 2017

by Paul Brown

Rex McGee of Stokes County, North Carolina displays a restless intelligence from the moment you encounter him.

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La La Land composer Justin Hurwitz on set with star Ryan Gosling.

Music & Culture

'La La Land' Composer Justin Hurwitz On World Cafe

3:06pm February 24, 2017

by David Dye

La La Land is poised to win big at Sunday's Academy Awards, and it wouldn't be the same without Hurwitz's music.

Music & Culture

The Struggles Of Austin's Music Scene Mirror A Widened World

1:27pm February 24, 2017

by Andrew Flanagan

As the face of Austin's music office prepares to depart, the city's problems and successes may offer a lesson for the world at large about globalization and technology.

Say what you will about Jon Cusack in Say Anything..., but the man knew how to incorporate music into his romantic gesture.

Music & Culture

Oscars Weekend LISTening: Take Our Movie Music Challenge

11:49am February 24, 2017

Movie buffs, gather around. How many films can you name based on the iconic songs they featured?