Music & Culture

Music & Culture

In Tenor Saxophonist Mark Turner's New Album, The Music Unfolds Like A Narrative

7:38pm September 05, 2014

by Kevin Whitehead

Turner's new quartet album Lathe of Heaven gets its name from Ursula K. LeGuin's novel. A lot of action happens at thoughtful medium tempos, and there's beautiful dissonance in the two-horn harmonies.

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Music & Culture

The New Pornographers Return With A 'Celebration Record' That's Fun To Figure Out

2:27pm September 03, 2014

by Ken Tucker

Brill Bruisers is a collection of lushly arranged and harmonized pop. While Neko Case, Dan Bejar and A.C. Newman make moody music individually, there's a brightness when they come together.

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Music & Culture

On Final Recording, Joe Beck Exposes Possibilities Of The Guitar

4:36pm September 01, 2014

by Tom Moon

Guitarist Joe Beck said he thought of the guitar as a six-piece band. Music reviewer Tom Moon says that's exactly how Beck's music sounds: layers of overlapping ideas. He reviews Beck's posthumous release, "Get Me Joe Beck."

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Music & Culture

Dom Flemons Holds On To Those Old-Time Roots

1:41pm September 01, 2014

Prospect Hill is Flemons' first album since leaving the band Carolina Chocolate Drops. By coincidence, the multi-instrumentalist recorded it the day Pete Seeger died. Originally broadcast July 30.

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Music & Culture

The Story Of Little Feat's Fame, Destruction And Revival

1:41pm September 01, 2014

by Ed Ward

The archetypal '70s band had a charismatic frontman and wonderful songs, but they also had drug problems and kept breaking up. Their Warner Bros. recordings are in a new box set called Rad Gumbo.

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Singer Ian Curtis on stage in 1980 with Joy Division, whose song "Transmission" is among those explored in Greil Marcus' book The History of Rock 'N' Roll in Ten Songs.

The Other Rock History

3:54pm August 31, 2014

by NPR Staff

What makes an essential rock song? Music journalist Greil Marcus argues that it's not the stature of the performer, but the degree to which a song tells the story of rock 'n' roll itself.

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Music & Culture

At 71, Elvin Bishop Is Still Vigorous, And Can Do Wrong Right

1:45pm August 26, 2014

by Ken Tucker

The white bluesman whose corny jokes have made his music enduring and fun has a new album Can't Even Do Wrong Right. He has a raspy chuckle in his singing, and he plays the guitar precisely.

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A worker unveils advertisement for future productions at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center in New York City. The Metropolitan Opera's general manager Peter Gelb has threatened a lockout if there is no an agreement with unions to that represent musi

Music & Culture

Met Opera's Union Lockout Postponed; Financial Analysis To Come

12:11pm August 25, 2014

by Sam Sanders

The drama continues. For months now, unions have been negotiating with the Metropolitan Opera's leadership over compensation and benefits; employees also accuse the Met of financial mismanagement.

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Music & Culture

Better Late Than Never: Soul Singer Hits National Spotlight

11:56am August 25, 2014

Soul singer Naomi Shelton had to wait until her 60s to see the release of her debut album. NPR's Eric Westervelt speaks with her about her latest release with her band The Gospel Queens, Cold World.

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Music & Culture

Douglas and Caine Find 'Present Joys' In The Sacred Harp Songbook

6:36pm August 22, 2014

The virtuoso jazz musicians perform from their new album of duets. It features hymns based on a tradition called shape-note singing, which dates to the early 1800s.

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