Music

The new documentary Narco Cultura looks at violence by Mexico's drug cartels and the popular culture it has inspired.

NPR's Melissa Block talks with producer Randall Poster and historian Sean Wilentz about a new collection of music. Poster brought together stars and legends spanning many genres and generations to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

Dave Van Ronk's autobiography inspired Joel and Ethan Coen's new movie about a '60s folksinger. Though he died in 2002, a new anthology ought to help give Van Ronk a long-needed boost.

"We can't not look at each other; it doesn't work," Jones says of singing with the Green Day frontman. In an interview with NPR's Steve Inskeep, the two discuss tackling the signature close harmonies of The Everly Brothers.

Born Nov. 22, 1913, Benjamin Britten went on to become one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, one whose work managed to push boundaries while still remaining tonal. The centennial of his birth is being marked by concerts around the world and a massive reissue of his recorded works.

Iconic Disney moments aren't just about the characters, but the songs they sing. Husband-and-wife team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez composed music for the new Disney film Frozen, capturing the friendship of sisters Elsa and Anna.

On the 80th birthday of Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki — whose music helped make The Shining so terrifying — NPR's Arun Rath considers how the classical music of Penderecki's generation has been shaped by real-life horror.

For conductor Marin Alsop, Bernstein's idiosyncratic Second Symphony — inspired by W.H. Auden's poem The Age of Anxiety — is a musical quest to answer life's big questions with time out to throw a hip-swinging party.

The Korean-American band from California got a big boost from Honda after the musicians recorded a music video ... in their Hondas.

NPR's Shereen Marisol Meraji spent time with Cuban trumpet virtuoso Arturo Sandoval, just days before he accepted his adopted country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.