Music

After a failed career at home in the U.S., the Chinese-American rapper Jin found an unexpected second chance at stardom on the other side of the world.

Music & Culture

Jin, 'The Chinese Kid Who Raps,' Grows Up

7:25pm January 19, 2013

by Hansi Lo Wang

In 2004, Jin Auyeung seemed glory-bound — the first Asian-American rapper with a shot at cracking the mainstream. When his career in the U.S. stalled, he found an audience waiting for him on the other side of the world.

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Music & Culture

Janis Joplin: The Queen Of Rock

7:25pm January 19, 2013

Saturday would have been Janis Joplin's 70th birthday. Joplin was dubbed the first queen of rock 'n' roll, and her voice is singular. She was rough around the edges, vulnerable and charismatic, and she paved the way for countless women in rock. This piece originally aired on Morning Edition on June 7, 2010.

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On the new album Migrations, Cristina Pato plays the gaita, a bagpipe from her native region of Galicia in northwest Spain.

Music & Culture

A Bagpipe-Slinging Spaniard Finds A Home In New York Jazz

2:18pm January 19, 2013

by NPR Staff

Cristina Pato says the gaita, a traditional bagpipe from her native region of Galicia, is defined by its "beautiful limitations."

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Pantha du Prince collaborates with the percussion ensemble The Bell Laboratory on Elements of Light.

Music & Culture

As Bell Ringers Chime In, A Laptop Musician Branches Out

7:54pm January 15, 2013

by Will Hermes

The latest album by Berlin-based electronic artist Pantha du Prince is a collaboration built around a decidedly nondigital device: a series of large church bells.

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Music & Culture

'Global Village' Presents New Sounds From Spain

10:48am January 14, 2013

by NPR Music

Betto Arcos stops by weekends on All Things Considered to play some of his favorite new Spanish music, including an all-female flamenco quartet and a Galician bagpipe master.

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Music & Culture

Grant Green: The 'Holy Barbarian' Of St. Louis Jazz

8:14am January 14, 2013

by Kevin Whitehead

An album recording of the guitarist from 1959 captures the thrilling sound of Midwestern jazz.

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Sam Cooke in the studio in the early 1960s.

Music & Culture

A Night Out With Sam Cooke: 'Harlem Square' Turns 50

12:08pm January 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 has been called one of the best live albums ever recorded. But it was shelved for more than 20 years by executives at Cooke's record label, who feared what the mainstream would make of his fiery performance.

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2 Pi: Rhymes And Radii

5:29pm January 10, 2013

by NPR Staff

High school math teacher Jake Scott teaches his students with the help of his hip-hop alias, 2 Pi. By rapping about equations and formulas, Scott helps students remember his lessons and forges a deeper connection with them.

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Connie Britton (pictured) and Hayden Panetierre star as country singers of different generations on the ABC series Nashville.

Music & Culture

'Nashville' Soundtrack Stands On Its Own

2:08pm January 09, 2013

by Ken Tucker

A new album of original songs from the Golden Globe-nominated TV series about Music City reflects the tastes of the show's musical producer, T-Bone Burnett, as well as the vocal talents of stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere.

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Rapper Amkoullel had one of his songs banned by Mali's government, which controls the southern part of the country. It's even worse in the north, where militants linked to al-Qaida have outlawed virtually all music.

Music & Culture

Despite Censorship, Mali's Musicians Play On

6:47pm January 08, 2013

by Tamasin Ford

Last year in Mali, militants linked to al-Qaida took control of the northern part of the country. They have banned all music except for Quranic verse — but some artists are finding ways to fight back.

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