Music

New Musical Imagines Michael Jackson's Story As Told By His Famous Glove

11:47am March 01, 2020

by Andrew Limbong

For the Love of a Glove explores an alternate history in which Michael Jackson meets a sparkly silver glove from outer space named Thrihil-Lha who gives Michael his talents in exchange for blood.

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For fans of original music in Cambodia, the movement is about more than just the songwriters. "People see original music as this living proof that we are moving forward," Laura Mam says.

Music & Culture

Across Languages And Generations, One Family Is Reviving Cambodian Original Music

8:21am February 29, 2020

by Quinn Libson

Laura Mam is Cambodian American, and her mother, Thida Buth, is a Khmer Rouge survivor. They're fostering the pop music movement in Cambodia that was wiped out almost 40 years ago.

Caroline Rose is featured on this month's Heavy Rotation.

Music & Culture

Heavy Rotation: 8 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing

5:00am February 29, 2020

This month, NPR member stations bring you a mix of songs, featuring music from Green Day, Caroline Rose and North Carolina rapper Lute.

Music & Culture

Rhythm Guitarist Marty Grosz: The 'Fresh Air' Interviews

1:20pm February 28, 2020

by Terry Gross

Grosz fled Germany with his family in 1933. Now 90, he tells his story in the memoir, It's a Sin to Tell a Lie. Grosz visited Fresh Air in 1984 and 2004 to play music and to talk about his life.

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Nathaniel Rateliff performs live for WXPN's Free At Noon Concert - recorded live for World Cafe

Music & Culture

Nathaniel Rateliff Finds The Light Through A Lot Of Darkness

10:15am February 28, 2020

Known for his gruff, tattooed, bearded look and his foot-stomping, sing-along songs, Rateliff has released a soul-baring new solo record.

Gil Scott-Heron, 'We're New Again: A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven'

Music & Culture

NPR Music's Top 10 Albums Of February

9:29am February 28, 2020

We kept coming back to Pop Smoke's Meet the Woo 2, Soccer Mommy's deceptively sunny '90s pop and Makaya McCraven's creative reimagining of Gil Scott-Heron's poetry.

Sharon Van Etten astride a horse for her "Beaten Down" video.

Music & Culture

NPR Music's Top 20 Songs Of February

9:29am February 28, 2020

Sharon Van Etten digs deeper into brooding textures, East Atlanta rapper Young Nudy gets weird and Sam Hunt offers a contender for Song of the Summer.

British composer Thomas Adès leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and soloist Kirill Gerstein, in the premiere performances of his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra at Symphony Hall in Boston.

Music & Culture

A New Piano Concerto For The People

6:01am February 28, 2020

by Tom Huizenga

Thomas Adès' Concerto for Piano and Orchestra riffs on the old classics while speaking in the distinctive voice of a 21st century master composer.

Wajatta is a sort of musical odd couple: John Tejada (left) is a meticulous electronic composer and Reggie Watts (right) improvises all his music. Their album, Don't Let Get You Down, is out now.

Music & Culture

'Art Shouldn't Be Painful': How Wajatta Combines Improvisation And Production

5:04am February 28, 2020

The electronic duo, composed of improvisational musician and comedian Reggie Watts and LA dance music powerhouse John Tejada, talk about their second album, Don't Let Get You Down.

Cimafunk plays a Tiny Desk concert (Laura Beltran Villamizar/NPR).

Music & Culture

Cimafunk: Tiny Desk Concert

5:01am February 28, 2020

by Felix Contreras

The band from Havana brings its intoxicating mix of Afro-Cuban dance music and 1970s funk-and-soul to the Tiny Desk.