Music

For Founders Of Tropicalia, Raucous Music Made A Political Statement

5:18pm May 08, 2016

by Jasmine Garsd

Two legends of Brazilian music, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, have teamed up for a new album. They've been close friends since the 1960s, when they helped launch the Tropicalia movement in Brazil.

Music & Culture

Refresh Your Exercise Playlist With New Music From Alt.Latino

8:25am May 08, 2016

It's hard to get exercise when you don't have great tunes to pump you up. Jasmine Garsd and Felix Contreras of NPR's Alt.Latino podcast share their new workout playlist with NPR's Melissa Block.

Composer Joseph Bertolozzi has created a composition from the sounds of the Eiffel Tower, striking practically every surface he could reach and recording it.

Music & Culture

How One Man Made The Eiffel Tower Sing

4:58am May 08, 2016

by NPR Staff

Some see the Eiffel Tower as a feat of architecture, or the symbol of a great world capital. Composer Joseph Bertolozzi sees one big percussion instrument.

Kygo's debut album is called Cloud Nine.

Music & Culture

Digital Pan Flutes And Marvin Gaye: The Blissed-Out Rise Of Kygo

5:44pm May 07, 2016

by NPR Staff

The 24-year-old Norwegian recently set a record on Spotify, exceeding a billion streams faster than any artist before him — and his debut album isn't even out yet.

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Washington, D.C. Gets Funky

5:07pm May 07, 2016

by Michel Martin

Washingtonians are expected to gather in the tens of thousands for the city's annual Funk Parade.

Surf-noir singer Lera Lynn's new album is called Resistor.

Music & Culture

Musician Lera Lynn On The Joy Of Creepy

2:22pm May 07, 2016

by NPR Staff

The singer and multi-instrumentalist, who also appeared in the second season of HBO's True Detective, has a new album out called Resistor.

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North Carolinian Rhiannon Giddens, who opposes HB2, says she struggled with whether to speak out against the bill from stage: "How can I use my platform for good without jeopardizing everything so that I don't have that platform anymore?"

Music & Culture

In North Carolina, Musicians Face Off Against HB2

6:04pm May 06, 2016

by Desiré Moses

Stars like Bruce Springsteen canceled North Carolina shows because of the state's "bathroom bill." Others, like Beyonce, played. For local musicians and venues, the decision is a complicated one.

Clockwise from upper left: Radiohead, James Blake, Beyoncé, Chance The Rapper

Music & Culture

All Songs +1: The Season Of Surprise Albums, From Beyoncé To James Blake

4:22pm May 06, 2016

Are you feeling listener fatigue or musical ecstasy from all the surprise album drops? Guess what: It's not over yet.

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Music & Culture

Power Trio Mixes Old And New, And The Result Is 'Perfection'

3:40pm May 06, 2016

by Kevin Whitehead

Jazz stars David Murray, Geri Allen and Terri Lyne Carrington first played together last year in New York. Now they come together with the new album, Perfection. Critic Kevin Whitehead has a review.

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Music & Culture

Jim Ferguson On Piano Jazz

3:34pm May 06, 2016

The singing bassist presents original songs and standards in a session from 2001.