Music & Culture

Kamasi Washington, a 37-year-old saxophone player from Los Angeles, is a major player in Nate Chinen's new book Playing Changes.

Jazz In The 21st Century Is All About 'Playing Changes'

9:29am August 14, 2018

Nate Chinen's new book Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century identifies the key players in the genre's resurgence. Chinen's aim with the book is to get the root of the resurgence.

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Music & Culture

Encore Episode: Hallelujah! The Songs We Should Retire

5:00am August 14, 2018

by Bob Boilen

They are often beloved classics, or works of pure genius. And you never, ever need to hear them again. They are the songs that must be retired.

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Judy Collins remains active musically and politically.

Music & Culture

The Art Of Resistance: Judy Collins Shares A Song For The "Dreamers"

5:33pm August 13, 2018

by Catalina Maria Johnson

Collins is no stranger to protest songs. The storied folk singer weighs in on the current immigration debate with a personal, new song.

Music & Culture

Sarah Davachi's 'Gloaming' Soundtracks The Growing Dark

3:05pm August 13, 2018

by Lars Gotrich

Sarah Davachi's electro-acoustic compositions seek the corners of quiet with a studious and patient curiosity.

Not My Job: We Quiz Wilco's Jeff Tweedy On 'A Yankee, A Hotel, And A Foxtrot'

2:58pm August 13, 2018

As a kid Tweedy lied about knowing how to play the guitar, but he must have figured it out eventually because he went on to form the bands Uncle Tupelo and Wilco.

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Sire Records Co-Founder Seymour Stein Reflects On Life In 'The Pursuit Of Music'

1:59pm August 13, 2018

by Terry Gross

In his autobiography, Siren Song, Stein writes about how he started out in the music business as a teen before going on to sign groundbreaking artists like Talking Heads, Madonna, Ice-T and k.d. lang.

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Music & Culture

World Cafe Nashville: Liz Cooper And The Stampede

12:49pm August 13, 2018

by Ann Powers

Call it psychedelic, call it classic or call it the sound of new Nashville. Liz Cooper and The Stampede is leading the rock pack in Tennessee right now.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Death Cab For Cutie, 'Thank You For Today'

9:27am August 13, 2018

by Stephen Thompson

On the band's ninth album, Ben Gibbard addresses an array of life's aftermaths, set against propulsive arrangements that know just when to sparkle and sway.

Tower of Power performs a Tiny Desk Concert on June 26, 2018 (Samantha Clark/NPR).

Music & Culture

Tower Of Power: Tiny Desk Concert

9:27am August 13, 2018

by Felix Contreras

Even from its beginnings in late-'60s Oakland, the band has always stood out. Fifty years later, its devotion to classic horn-driven soul remains unmatched, its passion and precision unchanged.

Music & Culture

'The Battle Hymn Of The Republic': An Anthem For Every Cause

9:15am August 13, 2018

by Andrew Limbong

Julia Ward Howe wrote a rousing anthem for the Union in the Civil War. Since then, it's been caught in a cultural tug-of-war over who it's an anthem for.

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