Rollins recorded his first sessions in 1949, and played his last live shows in 2012. Kevin Whitehead offers an appreciation, then we listen back to a 1994 interview with the tenor saxophonist.
Phil Augusta Jackson, rapper, musician, and writer for the HBO series Insecure, has a new EP called The Redondo Tape. It's about his time isolating in a small Southern California beach city.
Every year, the Tiny Desk Contest attracts thousands of unsigned musicians — like powerhouse singer Danielle Ponder. Her entry, "Poor Man's Pain," was inspired by her work as a public defender.
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Bob James, better known as godfather of hip-hop and smooth jazz, about an album of his early work. Once Upon a Time was recorded in 1965 but just released now.
The Decemberists' Colin Meloy talks about his entry to the Morning Edition Song Project, a meditation on the banality of everyday life in the midst of an international emergency.
The accomplished songwriters are tireless activists for causes ranging from gun control to indigenous rights to the removal of confederate monuments from town squares.
NPR's Debbie Elliott asks former Elephant Revival band member Daniel Rodriguez about his new solo album — two years after Elephant Revival's final performance and breakup.