The Birth Of 'Nueva Trova Cubana' And Other Music Styles In Castro's Cuba
Various music styles, from singer-songwriters to dance music to hip-hop, emerged over the many years of Fidel Castro's rule in Cuba.
Music & Culture
'O Emmanuel' Composer Mixes In Jazz To Provide 'Respite' Within Traditional Hit
Composer J.J. Wright combines sacred music with jazz for a project based on texts and melodies of Advent. NPR's Scott Simon speaks to him from Rome where he now interns with the Sistine Chapel Choir.
'Half Of Humanity Has Something To Say': Composer Kaija Saariaho On Her Met Debut
Saariaho isn't the first woman composer to stage an opera at New York's Metropolitan Opera — just the first in more than a century. Her opera, L'Amour de Loin, has its New York premiere this week.
Weekend LISTening: The Rolling Stones' Blues Covers, Before And After
Compare the songs on the Stones' new covers album, Blue & Lonesome, to the original recordings.
Across the Blue Ridge #49 - Curly Seckler, dean of bluegrass harmony singing
This week we examine the career of bluegrass singer Curly Seckler, who turns 97 on Christmas Day 2016. A new biography is out by Penny Parsons, titled Foggy Mountain Troubadour: The Life
Pinegrove: Tiny Desk Concert
There's a confessional quality to the songs of Pinegrove that feels reassuring. Watch the New Jersey band squeeze four songs into a scrappy, warmhearted 13-minute set.
As 2016 Winds Down, Remembering The Jazz Giants We Lost
Jazz Night in America host Christian McBride honors Bobby Hutcherson, Toots Thielemens and Victor Bailey, three prominent jazz musicians who passed away this year.
First Watch: Dams Of The West, 'Tell The Truth'
The Vampire Weekend drummer has a new solo project called Dams of the West. "Tell The Truth" is the second single off Youngish American, due out early next year.
Meredith D'Ambrosio On Piano Jazz
D'Ambrosio — a vocalist, pianist, visual artist, composer and teacher — joined Marian McPartland in 1994.
Drive-By Truckers On World Cafe
"I didn't set out to write any of this stuff. It was kind of just what was eating at me," lead singer Patterson Hood says of the politically charged songs on the Truckers' latest album.