The Palestinian jazz crooner, who was 8 years old at the start of the Second Intifada, says hearing Frank Sinatra changed his life. "[He] has got all credit for me going into singing," Kamal says.
In October, the performance artist gave a marathon day-long show. Mac says the performance was a way to not only critique the world's problems — but also imagine new ways of existing.
Though some moments seemed to indicate a pop takeover, 2016 was also a year when country tended to its traditions. In the end, the genre decided it was big enough to hold both.
It's been 40 years since The Ramones released their self-titled first album. Rock historian Ed Ward remembers the debut as a confrontational and divisive record with a "cartoonish overlay."
Jazz lost great players in 2016, including Paul Bley, Gato Barbieri and three musicians we're profiling — vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, harmonica player Toots Thielemans and bassist Victor Bailey.