Music News

Composer John Powell, in a photo taken by his late wife Melinda Lerner.

Music & Culture

In The Sounds Of Jason Bourne's World, A Story Of Creation And Loss

8:44am July 30, 2016

by Tim Greiving

British composer John Powell swore off working on action movies for years, unsettled by their violence. The latest in the Bourne series, for which he's scored every film, marks his return.

Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara, photographed in Helsinki in October, 2014.

Music & Culture

Eclectic Finnish Composer Einojuhani Rautavaara Dies At 87

6:59pm July 28, 2016

by Tom Huizenga

"To be a composer, you have to be a fanatic," said the open-minded artist, who journeyed through styles, countries and decades.

Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard howled, snarled and swaggered her way through a powerful closing set on Sunday.

Music & Culture

What We Saw At The 2016 Newport Folk Festival

1:58pm July 26, 2016

by Rachel Horn

More than four dozen bands played at this year's festival, which was full of serendipitous moments. Our photographer Adam Kissick captured it all.

Pakistani cyclists ride past a wall image of late Sufi musician Amjad Sabri alongside a street in Karachi on June 27, 2016.

After His Assassination, A Pakistani Artist's Family Keeps His Song Alive

11:06am July 26, 2016

by Philip Reeves

The famed qawwali singer Amjad Sabri was shot down last month in Karachi, Pakistan, apparently by the Taliban. The vocalist's family is pledging to keep his home a refuge of, and for, music.

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A special police officer examines the scene after an explosion in a public place in Ansbach, Germany, Monday. Bavaria's top security official says a man who blew himself up near an open-air music festival in the southern German city was a 27-year-old Syri

Syrian Suicide Bomber Injures 12 In Southern Germany

2:21pm July 25, 2016

by Bill Chappell

The man's request for asylum had been rejected; he was supposed to be deported to Bulgaria, according to German media reports.

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On August 4, Lucinda Williams, Thao And The Get Down Stay Down and iLe will perform at Lincoln Center Out Of Doors for a night with NPR Music.

Music & Culture

NPR Music Announces Lincoln Center Out Of Doors Lineup

1:29pm July 25, 2016

by Lars Gotrich

Join us for a free concert with Lucinda Williams, Thao And The Get Down Stay Down and iLe on August 4 at New York City's Damrosch Park.

As balloons fell after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump accepted his party nomination last night, the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want' rang through the arena.

Music & Culture

Cleveland, Rocked: Music At The Republican National Convention

1:19pm July 22, 2016

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Uncovering the layers of weirdness in the many fights over the ways music was employed as theater during this week's Republican national convention.

Music & Culture

What Do You Get When You Condense A Classical Concerto? Instaconcerto

6:26am July 22, 2016

In this age of Twitter and Snapchat, we boil essays down to 140 characters, and videos can be no more than a handful of seconds. But what about a classical concerto? Can it be boiled down?

Recordings made by the journalist and songwriter Vivien Goldman from 1979 to 1983, including her first single, "Launderette," have been collected on the recently-released album Resolutionary.

Music & Culture

Do Everything Yourself: The Lessons Of Punk Renaissance Woman Vivien Goldman

4:12pm July 21, 2016

by Evelyn McDonnell

Vivien Goldman, who has been a publicist, journalist, professor, author, playwright and back-up singer, is finally, at 64 years old, releasing an album of her own music and stepping to center stage.

Music & Culture

Spotify Is Now Letting Other Companies Check Out Your Tunes — And You

2:11pm July 21, 2016

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The streaming company has announced the rollout of targeted advertising on its free service. Companies will be able to use information about you, including your music choices — to sell you stuff.