Music & Culture

The Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969 in the documentary Summer of Soul.

'Summer Of Soul' Celebrates A 1969 Black Cultural Festival Eclipsed By Woodstock

5:01am July 01, 2021

by Eric Deggans

The Harlem Cultural Festival was filled with stars from soul, R&B, blues and jazz and drew more than 300,000 people. Questlove directs this breathtaking chronicle of Black culture in a pivotal moment.

Musicians who made some of NPR Music's favorite songs of 2021 (so far) include (left to right) Silk Sonic, Cico P, Seinabo Sey, Petal Supply and Amber Mark.

Music & Culture

NPR Music's 27 Favorite Songs Of 2021 (So Far)

2:53pm June 30, 2021

by NPR Staff

Our favorite songs from this strange period of re-emergence, the first six months of 2021.

Musicians who made some of NPR Music's favorite albums of 2021 (so far) include (clockwise from upper left) Vijay Iyer, Jazmine Sullivan, Japanese Breakfast, C. Tangana and Arooj Aftab.

Music & Culture

NPR Music's 26 Favorite Albums Of 2021 (So Far)

2:51pm June 30, 2021

by NPR Staff

Here at the midpoint of 2021, these are the two dozen or so albums NPR Music's staff will be carrying as they step back out into the world.

Music & Culture

Sarah Vaughan's Magnificent Voice Reigns In 'Live At The Berlin Philharmonie'

2:18pm June 30, 2021

by Kevin Whitehead

Vaughan combined an operatic sense of drama and vocal control with an improviser's risk-taking. A newly released 1969 concert recording is an ambitious showcase of her pop and classical sensibilities.

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Music & Culture

Brandee Younger, 'Reclamation'

9:45am June 30, 2021

by Nate Chinen

The first single from Somewhere Different, her gleaming Impulse debut, is a driving jazz-funk sunburst that calls back to a heyday of popular Black musical uplift.

Music & Culture

Remembering When The Fillmore West Closed Down 5 Decades Ago

6:14am June 30, 2021

The Fillmore West in San Francisco hosted The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and other bands in the 1960s. As NPR celebrates its 50th anniversary, we look back on important events of that year.

From the Top alums perform a Tiny Desk (home) concert.

Music & Culture

From The Top: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

5:00am June 30, 2021

by Tom Huizenga

If young folks are our future, then classical music looks blazingly bright with these extraordinary performances by teenage musicians from across the country.

Music & Culture

'Willy Wonka' Composer Leslie Bricusse Is Still Busy At Age 90

4:50pm June 29, 2021

by Tim Greiving

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory turns 50 in June, and Hook turns 30 in December. Both were shaped by the English lyricist and composer Leslie Bricusse, who remains vital and busy at age 90.

Caroline Shaw, Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part

Music & Culture

Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion, 'To The Sky'

12:00pm June 29, 2021

by Tom Huizenga

The joint effort between the composer and Sō Percussion showcases Shaw's flexible voice.

Music & Culture

Steve Gunn, 'Other You'

11:48am June 29, 2021

by Lars Gotrich

The title track from Gunn's upcoming album is as pretty as it is potent.