There Is A Rich World In Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp A Butterfly'
Fresh Air music critic Ken Tucker says the rapper's second album has an excitingly adventurous sound.
Music
Remembering Ralph Sharon, Tony Bennett's Pianist
The longtime piano accompanist and musical director accidentally broke the hit "I Left My Heart In San Francisco." But he was also the driving force behind the style Bennett is best known for.
Billie Holiday: A Singer Beyond Our Understanding
Most artists belong to their times. But Holiday, born 100 years ago Tuesday, fits in the present.
Billie Holiday's Voice Was Always Her Own
Holiday was born 100 years ago Tuesday in Philadelphia. Fresh Air jazz critic Kevin Whitehead has some thoughts on Holiday's changing style, her influences, and singers she influenced.
A (Nearly) Comprehensive Guide To The Music Of 'Mad Men'
From "The Twist" to "Is That All There Is?," the songs that Mad Men uses to depict the 1960s are perfect — but often unpredictable — representations of the decade's slow evolution.
Philip Glass On Legacy: 'The Future ... It's All Around Us'
For the composer, life is how the past and the future connect. Glass' new memoir, Words Without Music, looks back on his childhood, travels through Asia and when his music provoked violence.
Exploring Songs In Native Languages From Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia
When you think of Latin American music, you may think of songs in Spanish or Portuguese. This week, Jasmine Garsd of NPR's Alt.Latino brings NPR's Rachel Martin music sung in indigenous languages.
Bringing Mothers In Prison Closer To Their Children, Through Music
Mothers in prison rarely get a chance to see or touch their children — or sing them a lullaby. A group of professional musicians is helping female inmates in New York City to create those connections.
Multifaceted Music Critic Andrew Porter Dies At 86
Best known in the U.S. as a longtime music critic of The New Yorker, Porter was also a scholar, translator and director of opera.
In Her Life After John, Cynthia Lennon Didn't Stop Loving Him
John Lennon's first wife died Wednesday at 75. In 1985, Cynthia Lennon talked with Fresh Air about her marriage to John, going on tour to America, and meeting Yoko Ono.