Music

Jonathan Banks (left) and Bob Odenkirk star in the AMC series Better Call Saul, which tops David Bianculli's 2015 10-Best list.

Fresh Air Weekend: Our Critics Pick The Best TV, Books, Movies And Music Of 2015

1:25pm January 02, 2016

David Bianulli picks the best TV shows of the year. Short books dominate Maureen Corrigan's best book list. David Edelstein recommends the year's best films. Ken Tucker assesses the best music of '15.

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Music & Culture

Bowie And Beyond: Looking Ahead To The Music Of 2016

12:00pm January 02, 2016

by NPR Staff

NPR Music's Stephen Thompson shares songs from forthcoming albums by Esperanza Spalding, Damien Jurado, Lucinda Williams and David Bowie.

Music & Culture

25 Years Of A-Pickin' And A-Grinnin': Roy Clark Reflects On 'Hee Haw'

7:54am January 02, 2016

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Roy Clark, a musician in the country music hall of fame and co-host of the variety show Hee Haw, about his time on the TV show he once believed would fail.

Composers Learn To Make A Living WIth 'Invisible' Music

7:54am January 02, 2016

by Aaron Schacter

Berklee College of Music boasts a long list of Grammy Award winners among its alumni. But now, Berklee is filling classes with students making music for podcasts, video games and commercials.

Serge Rachmaninoff, photographed in 1919, somewhere outside of San Francisco.

Music & Culture

Rachmaninoff: An American Without Assimilation

5:17am January 02, 2016

by Marin Alsop

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Music Director Marin Alsop muses on both the Russian and American sides of Sergei Rachmaninoff and his Third Symphony.

Natalie Cole performs at Jazz 91.9 WCLK's 41st Anniversary Benefit Concert on June 26, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Music & Culture

Natalie Cole: Underappreciated But Never Forgotten

10:20pm January 01, 2016

by Jason King

She who ended Aretha Franklin's eight-year Grammy-winning streak deserves more credit than she's usually afforded: she was influential and flexible and a phenomenal singer.

Music & Culture

Grammy Award-Winning Singer Natalie Cole Dies At 65

4:28pm January 01, 2016

by Jason King

Natalie Cole, the Grammy award-winning singer and daughter of Nat King Cole, has died at 65.

Singer Natalie Cole performs onstage during the SeriousFun Children's Network 2015 Los Angeles Gala celebrating the legacy of Paul Newman on May 14 in Hollywood.

Singer Natalie Cole Dead At 65

2:05pm January 01, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The Grammy award-winning singer and daughter of Nat King Cole died from complications with ongoing medical issues.

Music & Culture

Jazz Singer Cécile McLorin Salvant Doesn't Want To Sound 'Clean And Pretty'

2:02pm January 01, 2016

McLorin Salvant first studied classical voice, but turned to jazz because it offered her more range. "In jazz, I felt I could sing these deep, husky lows," she says. Originally broadcast Nov. 4, 2015.

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Music & Culture

Eric Mintel On Piano Jazz

10:00am January 01, 2016

The pianist's straight-ahead style has engaged audiences at the White House and the Kennedy Center.