Music & Culture

George Reid and Aluna Francis have become darlings of the European music festival circuit without releasing an album. Body Talk, their full-length debut as AlunaGeorge, is out Monday.

Music & Culture

AlunaGeorge Finds A Natural Groove, By Accident

3:54pm July 30, 2013

by NPR Staff

George Reid and Aluna Francis have become darlings of the European festival circuit, making soulful, beat-savvy music as AlunaGeorge. The two musicians first met to write material for Francis' old band, but soon found they had a chemistry all their own.

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Clarinetist Darryl Harper discovered jazz as a teenager in Philadelphia.

Music & Culture

'The Edenfred Files': Darryl Harper's Blues-Infused Jazz

3:41pm July 30, 2013

by Kevin Whitehead

On the clarinetist's latest album, the blues might be modernized or tweaked, but it's never far away. Fresh Air's jazz critic says The Edenfred Files is modest in a good way, like a musical chapbook or novella. The scale suits Harper's pointedly focused music.

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Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Atoms for Peace is one of many musicians concerned with Spotify's small royalty payments.

Music & Culture

Paying The Piper: Music Streaming Services In Perspective

4:31pm July 29, 2013

by NPR Staff

As more music becomes available for free online, concepts of music ownership start to break down. A musician, a songwriter and Spotify's director of Artist Services share their viewpoints on the ongoing controversy over royalty payments made by streaming services.

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Music & Culture

Piano Mastery, Trinidadian Trumpet, Singing Apes: New Jazz

10:26am July 29, 2013

by Patrick Jarenwattananon

This summer has seen plenty of worthwhile jazz, including a pianist who's been around since the '50s, a Caribbean jazzman, a band of deliberate melody, and a cover from The Jungle Book. Sample recordings from Harold Mabern, Etienne Charles, the band Black Host and Lauren Desberg.

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Juan-Carlos Formell and Johnny's Dream Club at the 2011 Monterey Jazz Festival.

Music & Culture

Juan-Carlos Formell On JazzSet

2:12pm July 25, 2013

Formell performs epic music and poetry, magical and real, about the Afro-Caribbean experience.

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When Gene Krupa's orchestra was cast in 1941's Ball of Fire, trumpeter Roy Eldridge's presence was not negotiable.

How Musicians Helped Integrate The Silver Screen

12:28pm July 25, 2013

by John McDonough

America's first Freedom Riders may well have been the black musicians who, in the '30s and '40s, broke ground in Hollywood. Those could have been milestone moments, but the industry responded to provincial concerns and allowed Jim Crow markets to cut out integrated scenes.

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'Left Alone,' Oliver Mtukudzi Sees Music As Therapy

12:00pm July 24, 2013

At 60, Zimbabwean musician Oliver Mtukudzi now has more albums to his name than birthdays. His latest album, Sarawoga — which means "left alone" — is a response to the death of his son. Mtukudzi joins Tell Me More for a special performance chat.

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The Long Walk, Brian Castner's memoir of PTSD and a difficult homecoming, will soon be an opera.

A Veteran's Piercing True Story Leaps From Page To Stage

6:26pm July 23, 2013

by Quil Lawrence

Iraq vet Brian Castner wrote a memoir of post-traumatic stress disorder and a difficult homecoming. His book, The Long Walk, got good reviews. But Castner never expected that it would get turned into an opera in New York City.

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Born in Texas and settled in Nashville, Tenn., Guy Clark has mentored generations of artists, including Rodney Crowell, Lyle Lovett and Steve Earle — all of whom cite his keen editing skills and prize his stamp of approval.

Music & Culture

Guy Clark, Music's Master Craftsman, On Making Songs Last

6:16pm July 23, 2013

by Melissa Block

A friend and inspiration to the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris, Clark creates songs with the same precision and attention to detail he uses when he's building guitars. NPR's Melissa Block visits the songwriting legend at his home in Nashville,n Tenn.

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Carline Ray, who sang with The International Sweethearts of Rhythm and Mary Lou Williams died on July 18 at the age of 88.

Carline Ray: A Pioneer For Women In Jazz Dies At 88

2:56pm July 23, 2013

A pioneering musician, and the mother of jazz singer Catherine Russell, Carline Ray died July 18. In the 1940s, Ray found a home in the all-female band The International Sweethearts of Rhythm as a guitarist and vocalist. In 2012, Fresh Air spoke with Russell about her mother.

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