Playlist: What Music Means
Our favorite interviews about music from the TED Radio Hour.
Music & Culture
Music A Longtime Feature Of Cuba-U.S. Cultural Exchange
Cuban rhythms and melodies have been part of what's been called the most American of art forms — jazz — ever since Jelly Roll Morton first heard them in the port of New Orleans and used them in his music. Josephine Baker performed in Cuba and Nat King Cole recorded there. But the revolution made cultural exchange all but impossible and even supposedly open-minded artists and musicians took sides.
Remembering Christopher Hogwood, An Evangelist For Early Music
The English conductor, keyboard player and musicologist died Wednesday at age 73. He used modern scholarship and keen musicianship to bring new life to works by Handel and Bach, Mozart and Haydn.
How Tchaikovsky's 'Nutcracker' Became A Holiday Tradition
Renee Montagne talks with Miles Hoffman about the history of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite. Hoffman is the violist of the American Chamber Players, and authored The NPR Classical Music Companion.
A Bicentennial For Boston's Handel And Haydn Society
The group gave the first U.S. performance of Handel's Messiah, and still plays it today. Yet the ensemble has constantly evolved.
D'Angelo's 'Black Messiah' Collapses Years, Genres
Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker says Black Messiah is as adventurous as any fan could hope for.
"5" Royales To Be Inducted Into The Rock Hall Of Fame
A pioneering Winston-Salem band will be honored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The “5” Royales were active for 20 years starting in the mid-40s.
Redman On Music And Marijuana: Now Is The Time For Some Action
"I think the audience is becoming more aware," he said backstage at the last date of his fall tour with Method Man. "Smarter."
Ken Tucker's Top 9 Albums Of 2014, Plus A Book
Making new sounds while staying mindful of the past is a common theme in the Fresh Air music critic's year-end list.
The Right Way To Complain About The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
There are plenty of things about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's induction process that are worthy of complaint, but the most common gripe isn't one of them.