Music

Music & Culture

In Jazz-Movie Endings, Some Story Elements Just Keep Bouncing Back

1:23pm June 08, 2020

by Kevin Whitehead

Over 90-some years of movies about jazz, many films have spun a familiar lick, sometimes falling back on stock standards when inspiration fails, and sometimes knowingly quoting from older works.

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Meek Mill's "Other Side of America" is a poignant snapshot of a life he was never expected to get out of.

Music & Culture

Heat Check: Reportin' Live From The Other Side

12:33pm June 08, 2020

by Sidney Madden

New tracks From Meek Mill, Tee Grizzley and Dua Saleh soundtrack the renewed surge of energy surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement.

Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf premieres June 11 at 3 p.m. ET.

Music & Culture

Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf: Watch Our Judges' Favorite Entries Every Week

10:54am June 08, 2020

by Elle Mannion

Tune in Thursdays at 3 p.m. ET as Bob Boilen and other Contest judges watch and discuss the best Tiny Desk Contest entries they saw this year.

Music & Culture

Margaret Glaspy Is Finding Inspiration In Teaching And Learning

10:00am June 08, 2020

by Margaret Glaspy

In Our Daily Breather, we ask writers and artists to recommend ways to find calm in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Margaret Glaspy has been teaching music lessons.

RTJ4 seems tailor-made for the present moment, but Run the Jewels has always made music about inequality and corruption in America. "In my mind, things are never not happening," Killer Mike says.

Music & Culture

On 'RTJ4,' Run The Jewels Is A Speaker Box For Society

6:57am June 08, 2020

by Frannie Kelley

El-P and Killer Mike have always had their fingers on the pulse, and their fourth album once again captures the mood of a country on edge after George Floyd's death sparked national protests.

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Music & Culture

The 2020 Latin Alternative Music Conference Moves Online

6:14pm June 07, 2020

by Felix Contreras

The 21st Latin Alternative Music Conference runs from June 9 through June 13. With help from live TV producer José Tillán, all of its panels, workshops and performances will be held entirely online.

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Zeshan B sings like a classic soul artist, but also incorporates South Asian influences into his music. On his new album, Melismatic, he tackles social and political issues in both English and Urdu.

Music & Culture

Zeshan B On 'Melismatic' And Creating Music That Champions Brown Power

8:01am June 07, 2020

NPR's Lulu Garcia Navarro speaks with singer Zeshan Bagewadi about his new album Melismatic, solidarity between communities of color and the link between the sounds of soul and Indo-Pakistani music.

Protesters in Washington, D.C., hold up their phones during a demonstration outside the White House over the death of George Floyd.

Music & Culture

At The D.C. Protests, A 'Lean On Me' Singalong Offered A Moment Of Solace

9:09am June 06, 2020

by Melissa Block

This week at the protests in Washington, D.C., thousands of voices joined spontaneously in singing the Bill Withers classic "Lean on Me," led by local musician Kenny Sway.

Music & Culture

How Nashville's HBCU-Owned Jazz Station Holds A Community Together

8:01am June 06, 2020

NPR's Scott Simon talks with Sharon Kay, general manager of Fisk University's WFSK about serving its audience as protests continue in Nashville over police brutality.

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Music & Culture

Country Star Mickey Guyton: Why Being 'Black Like Me' Shouldn't Be Twice As Hard

6:00am June 06, 2020

by Jewly Hight

"I did Nashville the Nashville way for so long ... with very little results," Guyton tells NPR. "So why am I holding out just in case?"