Music & Culture

Nile Rodgers (left) and Pharrell Williams (right) on stage with Stevie Wonder during a performance of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" during the 2014 Grammy Awards.

Music & Culture

On The Grammy Stage, Collaborations Will Rule

2:24pm February 07, 2015

During a Grammy telecast that's over three hours, only a dozen or so awards are handed out — but there will be a boatload of performances, most with more than one marquee musician on stage at a time.

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The sound salvation, cleaning up the nation.

Music & Culture

Radio, Radio: How Formats Shaped, Splintered And Remade Pop Music

12:57pm February 07, 2015

by Eric Weisbard

Over the second half of the 20th century, radio gave music its deepest connection to Americans. By splitting the dial into different formats, it produced a pop scene of striking diversity.

Kevin Burdette stars in Everest as Beck Weathers, a Dallas doctor who survived a deadly blizzard on the mountain in 1996.

Music & Culture

The Cold Wrath Of Nature, Given Operatic Voice

11:48am February 07, 2015

by Bill Zeeble

The new opera Everest tells the story of a real-life expedition on world's highest mountain — and the unforgiving blizzard that interrupted it.

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Grammys Show Producer Explains The Origin Of Onstage Mashups

11:45am February 07, 2015

Katy Perry, Sam Smith, Meghan Trainor and Taylor Swift are just a few of the musicians up for Grammy Awards. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with the executive producer of the award show, Ken Ehrlich.

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Music & Culture

A Friday Surprise: Alan Gilbert Will Leave The New York Philharmonic

7:45pm February 06, 2015

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

After eight seasons, the Philharmonic's very first homegrown conductor will leave the orchestra at the end of the 2017 season. Hear an interview with Gilbert about his decision to depart.

Music & Culture

Lennie Tristano: Cool Reputation, Hot Jazz

1:52pm February 04, 2015

by Kevin Whitehead

Fresh Air jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a newly released 1951 live recording by the pianist's sextet at Chicago's Blue Note club.

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Missy Elliott (left) joins Katy Perry during the 2015 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Music & Culture

'We Need Her': At The Super Bowl, Missy Elliott's Incredible Return

11:39am February 04, 2015

The rapper and producer hasn't released an album of new songs since 2005, but on Sunday night her old hits were more than enough.

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Detail from the cover art of Bob Dylan's new album-length Frank Sinatra tribute, Shadows in the Night.

Music & Culture

Dylan The Crooner

11:02am February 04, 2015

by Tom Moon

Bob Dylan's new album casts the folk icon in an unusual role: Shadows in the Night features 10 songs previously recorded by Frank Sinatra.

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Frank Black (right) and Joey Santiago of the Pixies perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2004, the year the band reunited after more than a decade apart.

Music & Culture

Unfinished Business

1:54pm February 03, 2015

by Chris Molanphy

Bands like Pixies, Pavement and Sleater-Kinney might reunite for money, unfulfilled glory or a renewed creative spark. But can album sales help us measure how much they have been missed?

Music & Culture

Bob Dylan Looks To The Ageless American Songbook

1:51pm February 03, 2015

by Ken Tucker

Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker says Dylan both infuses the songs with his personality, while also allowing them to be heard anew.

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