The 2015 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll
Composer-bandleader Maria Schneider's The Thompson Fields and alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa's Bird Calls tie for top album honors among 147 writers and broadcasters.
Music
Songs We Love: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, 'We Three Kings'
Wynton Marsalis leads the famed big band through a rougher-round-the-edges version of a Xmas fave.
How 'Accidental' Notes Grab Our Attention
In music, "accidentals" are notes that color just outside the lines. They shocked listeners during the Renaissance, but these days you can find them all over the place.
Fresh Off A Grammy Nod, Pentatonix Gets Back In The Christmas Spirit
The a capella group tells NPR they wanted a challenge from their holiday album. Then, they show how they did it, with a few songs in-studio — including one Web exclusive that didn't make it to air.
Macy Gray's Christmas Wish List Has A Few Surprises
Gray discusses her holiday song "All I Want For Christmas," in which, instead of toys and games, she hopes Santa will deliver some progressive policy changes.
A Rational Conversation: Jack White's Third Man Records Returns To Detroit
The former White Stripes singer founded his band and his label, Third Man, in Detroit, but in recent years has made a home base in Nashville. Now the label has opened an outpost in his hometown.
Kenny Rogers' Rules For Living Well
Kenny Rogers goes long with NPR's Rachel Martin, discussing his work ethic, his yearly holiday music tradition, and the uncanny persistence of "The Gambler."
'The Wiz Live!' Defied The Skeptics, Returns For A Second Round
Live telecasts of other musicals have gotten attention mostly for the hatred they inspired. But The Wiz Live! — back for an encore Saturday night — seems to have broken that spell.
Conductor Kurt Masur Dies At 88
Kurt Masur, the German conductor whose career spanned leading an orchestra in East Germany to more than a decade of reshaping the New York Philharmonic, has died at 88.
Remembering Kurt Masur, The Conductor Who Rebuilt The New York Philharmonic
When one of America's foremost orchestras needed an overhaul, an unlikely leader emerged from East Germany.