Music & Culture

In the 1970s, the Boston Pops effectively turned the 1812 Overture into an Independence Day staple. The music director and executive producer of the orchestra's annual Fireworks Spectacular explain how and why.

The singer's father, Smith Dobson, was one of the most sought-after pianists in the Bay Area when he died in a car crash in 2001. Sasha Dobson, who had been a scat singer, responded to the tragedy by picking up a guitar.

Fifty years ago, Kyu Sakamoto was the face of a new postwar Japan: a clean-cut, 21-year-old pop idol. But professor Ian Condry says that underlying the sweetness of the hit song "Sukiyaki" was a story of sadness and loss.

As a pop star, no one comes close to dominating culture and conversation the way Beyonce does. Because she exerts such control over her image — from advertisements to films, politics to pop songs — should we think of her differently?

For the past 42 years, the Mexican singer and author has been entertaining children with songs he sings in English and Spanish. Orozco's passion revolves around teaching children to be bilingual through music.

Now a family man, the British singer continues to experiment with his music. His latest album, The Man, is all about growth, development and evolution.

Produced by Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, the soul singer's new album follows a narrative arc of struggle, acceptance and salvation. Tweedy's arrangements leave room for Staples' full range of vocal expression, from an R&B growl to gospel fervor.

The gospel legend, whose new album is titled One True Vine, has a career spanning more than 60 years. She says of the record, made in collaboration with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, "I've gone from the strictly gospel to folk to country, and here I am right back at home where I began."

As a Japanese expatriate in Berlin, jazz pianist Aki Takase has an outsider's perspective on jazz and insider wisdom that comes from careful study. Her new album of Duke Ellington tunes reflects influences such as Thelonious Monk and Arnold Schoenberg, as well.

The Italian-born songwriter and fashion model discusses her new album, Little French Songs, and why her husband — former French President Nicolas Sarkozy — is a tricky subject for songwriting.