We remember some of the luminaries we lost this year: Chick Corea; Milford Graves; Dr. Lonnie Smith; Pat Martino; Dottie Dodgion; Howard Johnson; Slide Hampton; Curtis Fuller; and Ralph Peterson Jr.
Two decades ago at this time, we were looking back on a year punctuated with big pop hits and a ton of breakouts throughout rock, indie-rock, hip-hop and alternative music.
NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Saïs Kamalidiin, a Howard University professor, about a new collection showcasing 25 recordings of early Black classical musicians called Black Swans.
Earlier this year, Kevin Whitehead noted the passing of Chick Corea and Mario Pavone. Now he remembers a few more players who died in 2021, including Milford Graves, Ralph Peterson and Dave Frishberg.
Listening to Bladee in "SHINIE" is like discovering beams of sound from another planet: fleeting, yet indicative of something beautiful just out of your grasp.