Music

At 84, acclaimed jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal is still recording and touring

Music & Culture

Ahmad Jamal, 'A Musical Architect Of The Highest Order,' Keeps On Building

6:48pm December 31, 2014

by Karen Michel

At 84, the acclaimed jazz pianist is still recording and touring. Among his many achievements is one that often eludes even the most beloved jazz artists: mainstream popularity.

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Trumpeter John McNeil rejoins Hush Point, a group of friends from New York's jazz scene, on the new album Blues and Reds. Left to right: Jeremy Udden, Anthony Pinciotti, Aryeh Kobrinsky, John McNeil.

Music & Culture

John McNeil, A Trumpeter Robbed Of His Breath, Blows Again

10:41am December 31, 2014

by NPR Staff

McNeil suffered from a neural disorder that prevented him from performing for decades at a time. But thanks to a medical study, he's regained enough coordination to form a new band, called Hush Point.

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Music & Culture

Top 10 Top 40 For 2014

12:17pm December 30, 2014

by Ann Powers

Dig below the strata of pop songs so ubiquitous you can't stand to hear them anymore, and you'll find plenty of riches in the Top 40, from country crossover to innovative R&B and classic pop.

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Music & Culture

A Rational Conversation: Neal Brennan On What The Hell Happened This Year

7:03am December 30, 2014

by Eric Ducker

"A lot of women would say Taylor Swift has the album of the year. I don't think they'd be wrong. Taylor Swift, like Drake — I don't want to like her, but yet, here I am."

Music & Culture

At 90, 'Fiddler' Lyricist Tells His Story

2:44pm December 29, 2014

"Any successful lyricist has to be part playwright and has to be able to put himself into the minds and the hearts and the souls of the characters," Sheldon Harnick tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross.

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How To Compose Music For A Movie About Music

11:17am December 29, 2014

NPR's Robert Siegel talks to film composer Justin Hurwitz, 29, about his first major movie score, for the movie Whiplash. Hurwitz talks about using music to heighten tension.

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Music & Culture

Director John Carpenter On The Sound Of A Terrifying Film

11:12am December 29, 2014

John Carpenter, famous for his cult-classic films (Halloween), is also behind soundtracks. Robert Siegel talks to him about how to scare an audience. His solo horror album, Lost Themes, is out Feb. 3.

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The rotunda at the historic Steinway Hall in Manhattan. The building will be torn down to build luxury condominiums.

Music & Culture

Steinway Bids Farewell To Its Historic Hall

11:10am December 27, 2014

by Jeff Lunden

The resplendent New York piano showroom is shutting down to make way for luxury condos. But that doesn't mean the company is going anywhere.

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By the 1960s, humpback whales and other whale species had been hunted extensively, sometimes to the point of near extinction. Then a recording of humpback whale songs helped shift public opinion on the hunting of all whale species.

Recordings That Made Waves: The Songs That Saved The Whales

6:22pm December 26, 2014

by Michael May

In the mid-1960s, a biologist discovered the beauty of humpback whale songs. But his recordings weren't just academic — they were woven into popular music, and they kicked off an entire movement.

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Anthony Hamilton's first Christmas album is called Home for the Holidays.

Music & Culture

Anthony Hamilton Brings Home Holiday Funk

9:30am December 26, 2014

by NPR Staff

How do you make a Christmas album without succumbing to formula? "Put a little Outkast to it," the soul singer says.

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