Music

For her latest album, Georgian-British artist Katie Melua returned to her home country to record with the 23-piece Gori Women's Choir.

Music & Culture

Katie Melua, A Georgian Voice Made Good In The West, Comes Home

8:45am November 28, 2016

by NPR Staff

Melua is one of the U.K.'s most successful female artists. For her latest album, In Winter, she traveled to her home country of Georgia to record with the 23-member Gori Women's Choir.

Queue Listen Now

Get To Know A Cuba Without Castro: Recommended Books, Movies And Music

4:06pm November 27, 2016

by NPR Staff

With the death of longtime dictator Fidel Castro, interest in the island nation has again spiked among Americans. For those looking to learn more about the country, expert Tom Miller has some picks.

Mary Halvorson's latest album, Away With You, is a collection of octets.

Music & Culture

Why Mary Halvorson Sounds Like No Other Guitarist

8:39am November 27, 2016

by Joel Rose

With an approach once described as "anti-guitar," the 36-year-old composer and instrumentalist has made her name in a jazz scene dominated by men, leading her own groups and creating her own sound.

Music & Culture

Music Of Mali: Rokia Traore

8:39am November 27, 2016

Despite the ongoing Tuareg rebellion and military coup, Mali produces extraordinary artists and musicians. NPR's Linda Wertheimer speaks with singer Rokia Traoré about her album, "Né So."

Pauline Oliveros performs at Merkin Concert Hall in New York, in 1991.

Pauline Oliveros, Pioneer Of 'Deep Listening,' Dies At 84

1:18pm November 26, 2016

by Laura Wagner

Oliveros is best known for her experimental approach to music and sound. "Hear with your ears, listen with your heart," was her guiding principle.

Daniel Foose Returns From Family's Former Slave Plantation With New Album Material

9:28am November 26, 2016

Foose is a jazz bass player and composer living in New York. His great-great-great grandfather was a slave owner, and Foose went back to the old plantation to exorcise some ghosts.

Andy Grammer shot the music video for "Fresh Eyes" on Skid Row in L.A. "It was really powerful," he says. "By far the best day of my year."

Music & Culture

In Andy Grammer's New Video, A Call To Act Against Homelessness

9:06am November 26, 2016

by NPR Staff

Grammer filmed the video for his single "Fresh Eyes" on Skid Row in Los Angeles. Over the course of the shoot, the singer and his team provided haircuts, clean clothes and meals.

Music & Culture

NPR Listeners Give Thanks To Their Favorite Musicians

4:32pm November 25, 2016

NPR listeners tell us about a musician they are grateful for in 2016 — from legendary singers Prince, Sharon Brown and Leonard Cohen, to pop-gospel musician Shaina Taub.

Detroit native Aretha Franklin sings the national anthem prior to the start of the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings game at Ford Field on November 24, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan.

Music & Culture

Aretha Franklin Takes Her Time With The National Anthem

12:18pm November 25, 2016

by Rachel Horn

The Queen of Soul regaled Thanksgiving Day football spectators with a performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" that stretched nearly five minutes.

Lonnie Liston Smith on the cover of Astral Traveling (1973).

Music & Culture

Lonnie Liston Smith On Piano Jazz

10:30am November 25, 2016

One of contemporary music's most versatile keyboardists, Smith joined Marian McPartland in 2002.