Jose James: A Broad-Minded Singer Lets The Beat Build
Known for his proficiency in jazz, the singer employs the tools of hip-hop on his latest album, No Beginning No End.
Music Interviews
For Sean Lennon, Music Is Not A Solo Act
Like his father, John, Lennon prefers collaboration. That spirit comes through in his two new albums — one improvisational and the other a film soundtrack. Long resistant to the idea, Lennon is becoming more like his parents in another way: He's taken up a cause.
A Bagpipe-Slinging Spaniard Finds A Home In New York Jazz
Cristina Pato says the gaita, a traditional bagpipe from her native region of Galicia, is defined by its "beautiful limitations."
A Night Out With Sam Cooke: 'Harlem Square' Turns 50
Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 has been called one of the best live albums ever recorded. But it was shelved for more than 20 years by executives at Cooke's record label, who feared what the mainstream would make of his fiery performance.
'Looper': A World Of Musical Clicks And Pops
The score of the time-travel thriller has little in common with the slick orchestral scores of science-fiction classics. Composer Nathan Johnson found his source material by immersing himself in the sounds of the film.
Julian Fellowes On The Rules Of 'Downton'
On the hit Masterpiece Theater series, the social rules the characters have always known are changing as the world events of the 20th century unfold. The series' creator, Julian Fellowes, says his relatives who lived through that era inspired his lasting interest in class.
Preserving The Home, And History, Of New Orleans' Piano Professor
Any New Orleans piano player worth his fingers owes a debt to Henry Roeland Byrd, aka Professor Longhair. The late musician's home is still standing on Terpsichore Street, but it's in serious disrepair.
Emel Mathlouthi: Voice Of The Tunisian Revolution
With all that's going on in the Middle East now, it's easy to forget that the Arab Spring began just two years ago in Tunisia. A video of one of Mathlouthi's songs went viral and became an anthem for protesters in her homeland during the December 2010 uprising. Her debut album is out now.
The 'Life And Liberation' Of A Black Female Metal Fan
Writer Laina Dawes has loved heavy metal ever since she got her first Kiss album at age 8. But the metal community hasn't always loved her back, as she explains in her book What Are You Doing Here?
Jack Black: On Music, Mayhem And Murder
Actor Jack Black plays a kindly small-town funeral director who murders a millionaire in the film Bernie. Black is also one-half of the comedy folk-rock group Tenacious D. In May, they released an album in the style of heavy metal bands from the 1980s.