These Tunes Are Music To Your Cats' Furry Ears
Composer David Teie's most recent compositions are catered to our feline friends. His music mimics purring, and might be just the thing to perk your cat up.
Music & Culture
From Bored To Blown Away: Feline Reactions To 'Music For Cats'
David Teie talked with us last week about his cat-friendly music. This week, we share how some of Weekend Edition's feline listeners reacted to Teie's tunes.
Brooklyn Rider Blurs Classical Boundaries On 'Almanac'
The string quartet invited composers like Vijay Iyer and Bill Frisell to compose pieces inspired by something outside of their world.
Two Takes On Billie Holiday
Fresh Air critic Kevin Whitehead looks at a couple tribute albums to the jazz singer.
Dazzling Trumpeter Rolf Smedvig Dies Suddenly
A founding member of the Empire Brass, the trumpeter played with a lustrous tone and extraordinary technique. At age 19, he was the youngest musician to join the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Beauty Pill's 'Steven and Tiwonge' Is And Isn't A Protest Song
Chad Clark of the band Beauty Pill walks us through creating "Steven and Tiwonge," a song about a gay couple in Malawi sentenced to 14 years in prison for their sexuality.
How Bessie Smith Ushered In The Jazz Age
The singer known as the "empress of the blues" is the subject of a new HBO biopic. Jazz Night In America host Christian McBride breaks down her influence and legacy.
Stephen Hawking Says Zayn Malik Could Still Be In One Direction In A Parallel Universe
Millions of hearts were broken last month when Zayn Malik left One Direction, but according to physicist Stephen Hawking, that might not be the case after all.
Pokey LaFarge Mines His Midwestern Roots, Finds 'Something In The Water'
To mark the release of his seventh album, the singer-songwriter brings his acoustic guitar to the Fresh Air studio to sing some new songs as well as some of his favorites from the 1920s and '30s.
Alabama Shakes Opens New Territory On 'Sound & Color'
Over the course of Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes messes with what had already, after its first album, become its signature sound. Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker has this review.