Music & Culture

Music & Culture

Tony Joe White's Steamy 'Hoodoo' Rock

10:54am November 30, 2013

Even if you haven't heard of Tony Joe White, you've probably heard his music. His songs have been performed by Elvis, Ray Charles and Tina Turner. He's even been sampled by Kanye West. Host Scott Simon talks with White about his distinctive swamp rock sound, and his new album, Hoodoo.

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John Mayer in Studio 1 at NPR's Washington, D.C. headquarters.

Music & Culture

'It's Hard To Stay Patient': A Conversation With John Mayer

4:35pm November 28, 2013

by NPR Staff

In a special Thanksgiving broadcast, Mayer chats with NPR's Ari Shapiro about fame, family, Montana and George Clooney, and performs songs from his new album, Paradise Valley.

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The Beatles on the stairs of NEMS — North End Music Stores, Brian Epstein's Liverpool record shop — having just signed a management deal, in 1964.

At The BBC, The Beatles Shocked An Institution

4:13pm November 27, 2013

Between 1962 and 1965, The Beatles were featured on 53 BBC radio programs. For The Beatles: The BBC Archives, executive producer Kevin Howlett had to search for many of these recordings, and they weren't easy to find.

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Music & Culture

Drummer Chico Hamilton, West Coast Jazz Pioneer, Dies

7:17pm November 26, 2013

by Mandalit del Barco

A linchpin of "cool" jazz in the 1950s and '60s, he assembled bands that came to be described as chamber jazz, full of unusual textures and future star talent. Hamilton, who continued performing into his ninth decade, was 92.

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Conductor James Levine in rehearsal with Russian virtuoso Evgeny Kissin.

Music & Culture

After Ailing, A Favorite Conductor Stages His Comeback

4:15pm November 26, 2013

by Lloyd Schwartz

Live at Carnegie Hall captures a riveting experience with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and a beloved conductor, James Levine, who has been plagued with a variety of medical troubles.

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Edgar Quintero of the band Los Bukanas de Culiacan likens what he does in the narcocorrido genre to gangster rap.

Music & Culture

AK-47s, Accordions And Angels Of Death: Narcocorridos Hit The Big Screen

1:28pm November 26, 2013

by Mandalit del Barco

The new documentary Narco Cultura looks at violence by Mexico's drug cartels and the popular culture it has inspired.

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An unidentified Union soldier holds a banjo.

Music & Culture

'Divided & United': Songs Of The Civil War Re-Imagined

6:59pm November 25, 2013

by NPR Staff

NPR's Melissa Block talks with producer Randall Poster and historian Sean Wilentz about a new collection of music. Poster brought together stars and legends spanning many genres and generations to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

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Dave Van Ronk at the 1968 Philadelphia Folk Festival.

Music & Culture

Will The Real Llewyn Davis Please Stand Up?

2:15pm November 25, 2013

by Milo Miles

Dave Van Ronk's autobiography inspired Joel and Ethan Coen's new movie about a '60s folksinger. Though he died in 2002, a new anthology ought to help give Van Ronk a long-needed boost.

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Foreverly, a new album from Norah Jones and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, was released today.

Music & Culture

'Foreverly' Yours: Billie Joe Armstrong And Norah Jones Get Close

1:11pm November 25, 2013

by NPR Staff

"We can't not look at each other; it doesn't work," Jones says of singing with the Green Day frontman. In an interview with NPR's Steve Inskeep, the two discuss tackling the signature close harmonies of The Everly Brothers.

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A singer takes the stage during the first performance of "Grimes on the Beach," an outdoor production of Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes, on June 17, 2013 in Aldeburgh, England.

Music & Culture

Making Music To Be Useful, And For The Living

6:20pm November 24, 2013

by Tom Vitale

Born Nov. 22, 1913, Benjamin Britten went on to become one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, one whose work managed to push boundaries while still remaining tonal. The centennial of his birth is being marked by concerts around the world and a massive reissue of his recorded works.

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