Music & Culture

Music & Culture

Remembering French Composer, Conductor And Musical Provocateur Pierre Boulez

2:58pm January 06, 2016

Once an outspoken avant garde critic of the establishment, Boulez went on to serve as the conductor of both the New York Philharmonic and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Originally broadcast in 2005.

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French conductor and composer Pierre Boulez (right), seen here in 1984 with musician Frank Zappa (center) and French Minister of Culture Jack Lang, has died at age 90.

Composer Pierre Boulez, A Revered Iconoclast, Has Died At 90

11:39am January 06, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Saying that a musical language always includes both rational and irrational parts, Boulez told Fresh Air in 2005, "What I tried to find, that's freedom — but a freedom which is based on discipline."

Chris Bathgate's new EP, Old Factory, comes out Feb. 5.

Music & Culture

Song Premiere: Chris Bathgate, 'Calvary'

10:00am January 06, 2016

by Stephen Thompson

Hear the Michigan singer-songwriter's first new song in five years, from an EP called Old Factory.

Music & Culture

Songs We Love: Siimba Liives Long, 'W.I.A.'

9:00am January 06, 2016

by Kris Ex

Delivered over a Brazilian jazz-funk sample, the Ethiopian-American rapper's quizzical style is Native Tongues-meets-Dr. Seuss, esoteric yet accessible

Music & Culture

Phil Cook On World Cafe

8:44pm January 05, 2016

Last on World Cafe with Hiss Golden Messenger, Cook returns with songs from his first solo album.

Foundation In Austin, Texas, Subsidizes Mental Health Care For Musicians

5:05pm January 05, 2016

by Wade Goodwyn

Musicians who are dealing with mental health and substance abuse problems in Austin, Texas, can get help from an organization there that provides reduced cost care --basically whatever the musicians can afford to pay-- from cooperating doctors and therapists.

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Music & Culture

Paul Bley, Influential Jazz Pianist, Has Died

4:57pm January 05, 2016

Bley's long-standing commitment to thoughtful yet intuitive performance proved adaptable to many different settings for nearly seven decades. He was 83.

Music & Culture

Rapsody: Tiny Desk Concert

3:30pm January 05, 2016

by Bobby Carter

In 2015, the young rapper had her big moment. This year, she's seizing it. Watch Rapsody perform three songs from Beauty And The Beast, recorded live at the NPR Music offices.

Duke Dumont spins a guest DJ set on this week's Metropolis.

Music & Culture

Metropolis: 1/2/16

2:47pm January 05, 2016

KCRW's Jason Bentley spins a two-hour EDM mix for the new year, with a guest DJ set by Duke Dumont.

Music & Culture

Songs We Love: TEEN, 'Tokyo'

11:02am January 05, 2016

by Mike Katzif

The Brooklyn quartet's latest musical evolution culminates in a buoyant synth-pop song, that's also a tale of infidelity and agism.