Music & Culture

"It's a very natural process for me to write a song where there's absolutely no filter and really get down and peel all the different layers of the onion until I get to the heart of the matter," says Everett.

Music & Culture

Fresh Air Weekend: Eels Founder Mark Oliver Everett; 'Legion' Star Dan Stevens

9:00am April 07, 2018

Everett sings about falling apart and bouncing back on his new album. John Powers revisits 2001: A Space Odyssey 50 years after its release. Stevens discusses his work on Legion and Downton Abbey.

Johnny Cash: Forever Words is available now.

Music & Culture

'Just As True': Johnny Cash's Poems Set To Music For New Album

8:11am April 07, 2018

Johnny Cash's son, John Carter Cash, helps to immortalize his father's poems with a new album called Johnny Cash: Forever Words.

Brandi Carlile performs a live World Cafe Session at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

Music & Culture

10 Standout World Cafe Sessions Of 2018...So Far

7:00am April 07, 2018

by Talia Schlanger

Some say the glass of 2018 is one-quarter empty; others say it's three-quarters full. We say, "Wow, we've had some incredible artists perform in 2018."

Music & Culture

Cecil Taylor, Jazz Icon Of The Avant-Garde, Dies At 89

6:11pm April 06, 2018

by Tom Vitale

Taylor stretched the beats in a measure and played notes outside the chords of a song. A pioneer of free jazz, the pianist and composer remained true to his vision even through financial struggle.

Queue Listen Now

Cut Chemist's latest album Die Cut incorporates new wave synth rock, country and pop into the DJ's spin cycle.

Music & Culture

Cut Chemist's 'Die Cut' Asks You To Listen Closely

4:24pm April 06, 2018

by Oliver Wang

Listening to Cut Chemist's latest album is like looking under a microscope at a drop of ocean water. The longer you examine, the more life you find.

Music & Culture

Across the Blue Ridge #120 - Old-Time Standards, Plus A Visit To The Liberty Showcase Theater

4:00pm April 06, 2018

by Paul Brown

This week we hear a fascinating selection of early old-time string band recordings.

Queue Listen Now

This week's episode of Piano Jazz features music by Nicholas Payton

Music & Culture

Nicholas Payton On Piano Jazz

3:54pm April 06, 2018

The trumpet prodigy learned how to improv from fellow New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis. Payton was only in his 20s when he visited with McPartland for this 1998 episode.

Dave East serves as contemporary counterpoint to his mentor Nas in an episode of Rapture.

Netflix Banks On Hip-Hop's Mass Appeal With 'Rapture'

2:18pm April 06, 2018

by Rodney Carmichael

The streaming giant hooks up with another veteran hip-hop journalist in Sacha Jenkins to add to its expanding roster of rap-related explorations.

Music & Culture

Jazz, Freed: On Cecil Taylor's Expansive Brilliance

1:53pm April 06, 2018

by Nate Chinen

Over a career that sprawled across six full decades, Taylor maintained an unwavering standard of expedition. And what he discovered — in an endless, boundless process — was a world unto himself.

Jonathan Wilson performing live at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, PA.

Music & Culture

Jonathan Wilson On World Cafe

1:29pm April 06, 2018

by Stephen Kallao

The incredibly talented producer and musician calls on the likes of Lana Del Rey and Conor Oberst for his latest album Rare Birds. Hear a live performance in this session.