The Thistle & Shamrock: New Year, New Music
Celebrate the New Year with songs that track the evolving traditions of music from Celtic roots.
Music & Culture
Esperanza Spalding Is Letting Emily Be Emily
The bassist/singer says a curious child-like spirit guides her new album, explains her "flashlight into the future" and her love of the band Cream, and premieres a new song.
James P. Johnson: The Father Of Stride
The early-20th-century musician's seminal work represents the cornerstone of jazz piano conception. Pianists like Aaron Diehl, Ethan Iverson, Marc Cary and ELEW pay tribute.
Mariachi Flor De Toloache: Tiny Desk Concert
While on tour with The Arcs, the powerhouse mariachi band performs live in the NPR Music offices.
A Composer Finds A Trove Of Ghostly Voices, Stuck Out Of Time
Olivia Block ordered blank cassettes off eBay — the tiny kind you find in old answering machines — and quickly discovered they weren't blank. Now, those voices are finding their way into her work.
Composer Olivia Block In Her Own Words
Composer Olivia Block is in love with the sounds of Chicago. What other people call noise, she calls music. We tag along with her and producer David Schulman for an audio tour of Chicago.
Latin Roots: Andean Music
Is Paul Simon to blame for the lack of Andean music? Catalina Maria Johnson plays important songs.
Jesse Malin On World Cafe
The lifelong rocker with a history of leading New York City punk bands performs his new solo songs.
French Composer Pierre Boulez Dies At 90
The composer and conductor changed the way we hear music, not only through his own compositions but in the concerts he conducted. He died Tuesday at the age of 90.
KCRW Presents: Amason
The Stockholm band sings in both Swedish and English in a gorgeous live performance of "Algen."