Music Interviews

Leonard Bernstein conducting at London's Royal Festival Hall in 1963.

Music & Culture

The Complex Life Of Leonard Bernstein, A Once-In-A-Century Talent

12:07pm August 24, 2018

by Jeff Lunden

Born 100 years ago on Aug. 25, 1918, Bernstein was a larger-than-life character — on stage as a conductor, at the piano as a composer, on TV as an educator and in a sometimes tangled personal life.

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Music & Culture

Dermot Kennedy On World Cafe

2:42pm August 23, 2018

by Talia Schlanger

Listening to this Irish singer is like hearing someone drag their own heart through their vocal cords and send it right up to the heavens.

Jocelyn Pook (left) and conductor Harvey Brough (right) during the recording sessions for Eyes Wide Shut.

Music & Culture

'A Tone Of Melancholy': How Jocelyn Pook's Music Captures Pain

7:33pm August 22, 2018

by Tim Greiving

Jocelyn Pook has written award-winning music for the theater, dance and the concert stage. Her work can be heard right now in cinemas on the score to 'The Wife' and in households in the Netflix series 'The Staircase.'

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Rayland Baxter performing at WXPN's Free At Noon Concert on July 13, 2018 - recorded live for the World Cafe.

Music & Culture

Rayland Baxter On World Cafe

12:25pm August 22, 2018

by Stephen Kallao

A slick mix of power pop, rock, folk and even a little glam make up Rayland Baxter's latest album 'Wide Awake.'

Vanessa Parr inside Studio B at Village Studios in Los Angeles.

Music & Culture

Vanessa Parr On World Cafe

2:49pm August 21, 2018

by Talia Schlanger

The seasoned engineer behind hits from Lucinda Williams and Rhiannon Giddens gives fans a look on the other side of the glass.

Music & Culture

Meet Ray BLK, Britain's Rising Star

5:59pm August 19, 2018

Rita Ekwere, also known as Ray BLK, is the first unsigned artist to win the BBC Sound Of poll. She tells NPR's Lakshmi Singh why it's important for her to highlight social justice issues in her music.

Music & Culture

Musician (And Landscaper) Ryan Culwell On Making Ends Meet

8:27am August 18, 2018

NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks to Ryan Culwell about his latest album. The Last American is about the struggles of ordinary Americans.

Yo-Yo Ma plays selections from Bach's Cello Suites at NPR Music's Tiny Desk.

Music & Culture

Yo-Yo Ma, A Life Led With Bach

8:20pm August 17, 2018

If the celebrated cellist could soundtrack his life, the music would be J.S. Bach's six Cello Suites. Yo-Yo Ma explains why they mean the world to him while he played the music at the NPR offices.

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Michael Eric Dyson (left) and Aretha Franklin at Franklin's birthday dinner in March 2011 in New York City.

Music & Culture

'The Voice Of A Century': Michael Eric Dyson Looks Back On Aretha Franklin's Life

3:29pm August 17, 2018

Noel King talks to Dyson, a professor at Georgetown University, about the legacy of Aretha Franklin. The Queen of Soul died August 16 at the age of 76.

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Music & Culture

Stefon Harris On Piano Jazz

2:19pm August 17, 2018

Vibraphonist Stefon Harris is one of the most innovative and impressive artists in jazz, blazing new trails on vibraphone and marimba.