Music

Using Computers To Connect With Classical Music

5:30pm March 28, 2015

Yale computer scientist David Gelernter talks with NPR's Arun Rath about using computers and the Internet to teach young people to appreciate the beauty of what he calls "serious music."

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John Renbourn performs onstage at the Royal Festival Hall in London June 29, 2008. The influential guitarist died at his home in Scotland Thursday. He was 70.

Influential Guitarist John Renbourn, Co-Founder Of Pentagle, Dies

1:41pm March 28, 2015

by Tom Cole

Renbourn co-founded the popular folk/jazz group Pentangle and was one of the most respected and influential acoustic guitarists in the world. He died this week at his home in Scotland; he was 70.

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Music & Culture

The Tale Of Mingering Mike, Who Painted Himself A Music Career

1:29pm March 28, 2015

by Joel Rose

A self-taught visual artist who longed to make soul records, Mingering Mike ended up realizing his dreams on paper rather than vinyl. Decades later, his work is paying off.

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Carlos Varela, a Cuban protest singer, poses for a picture at the bar of the historic Hotel Nacional in Havana.

LISTEN: A Cuban Protest Singer On The State Of U.S.-Cuba Relations

8:07pm March 27, 2015

by Eyder Peralta

For decades, Carlos Varela has doled out incisive criticism of the Cuban government. On our recent visit to Havana, he sang a song he says reflects the mood of the country at this historic moment.

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Music & Culture

Courtney Barnett Makes Ennui Vivid On Debut Album

11:01am March 27, 2015

by Ken Tucker

Barnett just released her first full album called Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit. Critic Ken Tucker says she somehow manages to infuse with a freshness rare in any songwriter.

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A Nile Project concert in Al Azhar Park, Cairo, Egypt, 31 January, 2013.

Egyptian Singer, Meet Burundi Bassist. Play Among Yourselves!

8:23pm March 24, 2015

by Banning Eyre

The musicians who live in countries along the Nile rarely got to meet — until the Nile Project came along. Now they learn from each other, make records together and are currently touring the U.S.

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Music & Culture

'We Wanted To Entertain': Jon Spencer On 25 Years In New York

8:21pm March 24, 2015

by NPR Staff

Spencer is equal parts Little Richard and Iggy Pop, the funky, yelping frontman for the Blues Explosion. The band's new album is called Freedom Tower: No Wave Dance Party 2015.

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Music & Culture

'Still The King': A Tribute To An Icon Of Western Swing

8:20pm March 24, 2015

by NPR Staff

Don Gonyea talks to Ray Benson, leader of the Austin-based band Asleep at the Wheel, about a new tribute to the late Bob Wills that features contributions by the musicians Wills helped inspire.

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Soprano Catalina Cuervo, singing the role of Frida Kahlo, rehearses with bass baritone Ricardo Herrera, singing the role of Diego Rivera, on Feb. 21, 2015 at the Michigan Opera Theatre in Detroit.

Detroit's 'Frida' Aims To Build Latino Audiences For Opera

8:18pm March 24, 2015

by Veronica Zaragovia

The opera, based on the tumultuous lives of painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, coincides with a new exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts devoted to the year they lived in the city.

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The crowd was all smiles during NPR Music's showcase at this year's South By Southwest music festival. We can't send you back in time to hear the shows, but you can listen to some of Bob Boilen's favorite performers from the festival.

Music & Culture

From Kate Tempest To Torres, Female Artists Shone At SXSW

8:16pm March 24, 2015

by NPR Staff

A throat singer, a hip-hop preacher, an Irish introvert: NPR Music's Bob Boilen says it was the Year of the Woman at the South By Southwest music festival. He shares some of his favorite performances.

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