Music

Stephen Hawking Says Zayn Malik Could Still Be In One Direction In A Parallel Universe

1:54pm April 28, 2015

Millions of hearts were broken last month when Zayn Malik left One Direction, but according to physicist Stephen Hawking, that might not be the case after all.

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Music & Culture

Pokey LaFarge Mines His Midwestern Roots, Finds 'Something In The Water'

1:31pm April 27, 2015

To mark the release of his seventh album, the singer-songwriter brings his acoustic guitar to the Fresh Air studio to sing some new songs as well as some of his favorites from the 1920s and '30s.

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Music & Culture

Alabama Shakes Opens New Territory On 'Sound & Color'

1:31pm April 27, 2015

by Ken Tucker

Over the course of Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes messes with what had already, after its first album, become its signature sound. Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker has this review.

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Philip Glass photographed in New York City in 1980.

The World Music Education of Philip Glass

6:23pm April 25, 2015

by NPR Staff

In his new memoir, Music Without Words, the composer explains how a chance meeting with Ravi Shankar sparked a fascination with the cultures of the world and their music.

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Fans wait for Senegal's biggest stars to perform at a free hip-hop festival, held in the capital city of Dakar.

Rap City: Sweat, Hope & Hip-Hop In Dakar

2:30pm April 25, 2015

Around the world, hip-hop gives a voice to the voiceless. Our photo essay spotlights rappers in Senegal, who shout out their frustrations about living in poverty and their dreams of a better future.

Voices In Your Head, from the University of Chicago, performs their competition set. In the front, you can see Kari Wei — she's the one with the pitch pipe around her neck.

The Hard Work And Close Bonds Of Competitive College A Cappella

12:36pm April 25, 2015

by Linda Holmes

Pitch Perfect may have made the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella look like a personality contest, but the real competition takes long hours and exacting musicianship.

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Waka Flocka Flame reading resumes at Webster Hall in New York City April 20.

Music & Culture

Waka Flocka Flame Is Hiring

12:28am April 25, 2015

by Charlie Kaplan

The rapper isn't using a headhunter. He's interviewing applicants for the position of fulltime blunt roller himself.

Music & Culture

Dwight Yoakam's 'Second Hand Heart' Is First Class

3:14pm April 23, 2015

by Ken Tucker

Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker says the album is one of Yoakam's most stylistically diverse.

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Donald Palumbo became the Met's chorus master in the 2007-2008 season. He sang in choruses all his life, he says, and eventually worked his way up without any formal conservatory training.

Music & Culture

How The Met Opera's Chorus Master Gets 150 To Sound Like One

11:05am April 23, 2015

Donald Palumbo is the Metropolitan Opera's chorus master. He tells Fresh Air about "stagger breathing," the ways singers protect their voices and his own lack of formal training.

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The Nearly Lost Story Of Cambodian Rock 'N' Roll

9:25pm April 22, 2015

by NPR Staff

Before the Khmer Rouge regime, a thriving pop and rock scene adapted Western music heard on U.S. military radio stations. The documentary Don't Think I've Forgotten took 10 years to make.

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