Music & Culture

Tacheles, a squat in the central district of Mitte, 1990. Spots like this one often became clubs or art spaces in the years following German reunification.

Music & Culture

In Berlin, A Beat That Bloomed From Rubble

10:03am November 11, 2014

by Esme Nicholson

Today Berlin is a techno hot spot. The scene has its roots in the fall of the Berlin Wall, when young people from East and West got together in abandoned buildings to dance and celebrate together.

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Music & Culture

Accordionist Interprets French Waltz Tradition In 'Musette Explosion'

1:58pm November 10, 2014

Will Holshouser has played all kinds of music on the accordion, including Cajun, avant garde jazz and indie rock. He joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross in her studio to play features from his new album.

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Bette Midler's new album, a tribute to girl groups, is titled It's The Girls.

Music & Culture

Bette Midler Takes On Girl Groups, From The Andrews Sisters To TLC

10:25am November 10, 2014

by NPR Staff

Midler has delighted in listening to girl groups since she was a kid. On a new album, she takes a crack at her favorites — from the tight harmonies of The Andrews Sisters to the slow groove of TLC.

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Robert Lee Watt was a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for more than three decades.

'The Black Horn': Blowing Past Classical Music's Color Barriers

9:44am November 10, 2014

by NPR Staff

Robert Lee Watt, the first black French horn player to join a major U.S. symphony, spent 37 years with the LA Philharmonic. He faced a lot of resistance along the way, as his new memoir recounts.

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Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Reaches Labor Deal With Musicians

4:03pm November 09, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The Grammy award-winning ensemble will open the first concert of its 70th anniversary season with Beethoven's ninth symphony, the "Ode to Joy."

Jeremy Fetzer and Spencer Cullum, Jr. perform as Steelism at Fond Object, a Nashville-area record store.

Music & Culture

Revisiting An Era When Pop Didn't Always Have Lyrics

12:13pm November 09, 2014

by Jewly Hight

It might be unthinkable now, but groups like The Ventures cracked Top 40 radio with instrumental tunes. The Nashville duo Steelism hopes to do the same today by focusing on memorable melodies.

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How Catchy Songs Lodge Their Hooks In Your Ears

12:13pm November 09, 2014

"Wannabe," by the Spice Girls, is the catchiest song in the U.K., according to a new study. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Ashley Burgoyne, a computational musicologist from the University of Amsterdam.

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Mariam and Amadou, both from Mali, add their voices to the song "Africa Stop Ebola."

Reggae Vibe, Ebola Message: African Superstars Try To Go Viral

7:03am November 09, 2014

by Linda Poon

They're some of the most popular musicians in West Africa, joining voices to sing (mainly in French but also in some local languages) about defeating an "invisible enemy."

Dale Watson performs at ACL Live on April 11, 2013 in Austin, Texas.

Not My Job: 'Elementary, My Dear (Dale) Watson'

11:48am November 08, 2014

Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! is in Austin this week, and so we've invited country singer Dale Watson to play our quiz. We'll ask him three questions about Sherlock Holmes.

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Danish concertmaster Erik Heide plays "Jalousie" after downing an vividly hot pepper.

Music & Culture

This Is An Orchestra Under The Influence Of Chili Peppers

8:11pm November 07, 2014

by Bill Chappell

Each musician ate one of "the world's hottest chili peppers" whole, before continuing to play a famous tango.