Music & Culture

Music & Culture

Pere Ubu's 'Carnival Of Souls' Is A Dreamscape That's Never Dreamy

5:39pm September 18, 2014

by Ken Tucker

Led since the late '70s by co-founder David Thomas, Pere Ubu has created something far more rich, experimental, and emotional than the spooky, horror-movie that Carnival of Souls is named for.

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The Beatles' "Hey Jude" concludes with one of pop music's most epic fade-outs.

Music & Culture

The Rise And Fall Of The Fade-Out

6:03pm September 17, 2014

by NPR Staff

A slow fade, rather than a hard stop, used to be the popular way to end a pop song. NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Slate reporter William Weir about the fade-out's history and recent decline.

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Steve Coleman practices in his backyard in Allentown, Penn.

Music & Culture

Steve Coleman, Saxophonist And Innovative Composer, Named MacArthur Fellow

2:18pm September 17, 2014

by Patrick Jarenwattananon

A restless formal inventor who draws from science, spirituality and extensive personal travels, Coleman has also mentored many major jazz musicians to develop their own languages and systems.

A group of Nile Project musicians play together at the Ndere Cultural Centre, Kampala, Uganda in January 2013. Left to right: Dina El Wedidi, Dafaalla El Hag, Lawrence Okello, Kasiva Mutua.

Music & Culture

The Nile Project: Producing Harmony In A Divided Region

1:32pm September 16, 2014

by Julie Caine

It began as a conversation over a beer. Now, a collaboration between musicians across the Nile basin has expanded to concert tours, albums and courses at universities in the U.S. and East Africa.

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Music & Culture

For Duo Tennis, Pop Is A Natural Language

2:19pm September 15, 2014

by Milo Miles

Can you re-invent lively pop from the distant past? Fresh Air music critic Milo Miles says the songwriting team Tennis does just that with their new third album, Ritual in Repeat.

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Music & Culture

Apple's U2 Album Promotion Backfires

9:29am September 15, 2014

by Nathan Rott

U2 and Apple teamed up for what Apple's CEO called, "the largest album release of all time." They released U2's album, Songs of Innocence, for free to everyone with an iTunes account.

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Music & Culture

Controversial Mexican Musician Temporarily Retires From Drug Ballads

8:08am September 15, 2014

by Jasmine Garsd

Alfredo Rios, aka El Komander, is the Jay Z of Mexican drug balladeers. He says government pressure, in the form of fines and banned or canceled concerts, is forcing him to think about retirement.

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Bob Marley, seen here performing in Paris in 1980, died years before Legend was released. It has since sold millions of copies — and this week, it hit No. 5 on the Billboard chart.

Music & Culture

Bob Marley's 'Legend' Album Finally Cracks Billboard Top 10

8:04pm September 14, 2014

by Bill Chappell

While the 30-year-old album has sold millions of copies over the years, it only reached No. 54 when it was released. The new spike comes courtesy of a steep price cut.

Music & Culture

Bob Crewe Knew How To Make Artists Sing

11:56am September 14, 2014

by Neda Ulaby

Bob Crewe co-wrote and produced such hits for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as "Walk Like A Man," "Rag Doll" and "Sherry." He died Thursday at the age of 83.

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Music & Culture

Jazz Pianist Joe Sample Dies At 75

11:36am September 14, 2014

Sample was a founder of the band the Jazz Crusaders and reportedly played with musicians from Miles Davis and B.B. King to Steely Dan and the Supremes. NPR's Arun Rath has this remembrance.

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