Music

Music & Culture

Jazz Composer Tries Something New With 'A Trumpet In The Morning'

11:46am March 23, 2014

Musician Marty Ehrlich doesn't play much on his new album; instead, he conducts an ensemble that performs his compositions. He tells Fresh Air about his first album devoted to his orchestral music.

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Music & Culture

'Flaco And Max' Keep A South Texas Musical Tradition Thriving

11:45am March 23, 2014

Flaco Jimenez has been playing the accordion for most of his 75 years. He makes conjunto music with guitar player Max Baca. NPR's Scott Simon speaks to the pair about their album, Flaco & Max.

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Music & Culture

Intocable's Music Straddles The Border

10:37am March 21, 2014

by Steve Inskeep

Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep stops in Zapata, Texas, the hometown of the lead singer of Intocable, a band popular on both sides of the border.

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Music & Culture

Sara Evans: Country Power Ballads With A Punch

5:35pm March 20, 2014

by Ken Tucker

Surrounded on the charts by younger men and their big hits about drinking and partying, Sara Evans' hit-single success of Slow Me Down's title song all the more heartening.

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Karen Carpenter, of The Carpenters, performs in London in 1974.

Music & Culture

Remembering Karen Carpenter, 30 Years Later

4:38pm March 20, 2014

by Joel Samberg

By the time she was 24, Carpenter was already famous, having released more than a dozen hit records with her brother Richard. Her legacy remains a source of disagreement.

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When hitting a high note, mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick says, "You have to have support. You have to have resonance. People have to understand what you're saying."

Music & Culture

For Opera Powerhouse Dolora Zajick, 'Singing Is Connected To The Body'

3:29pm March 19, 2014

The mezzo-soprano discovered opera as a 22-year-old pre-med student. She took "a crack at a singing career" and has been at the Metropolitan Opera for 25 years. Now she's helping emerging singers.

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Music & Culture

Lake Street Dive: 'Portraits' Of Heartache

10:21am March 19, 2014

by Ken Tucker

The band prides itself on technique over originality, but is nonetheless passionate about its craft.

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Music & Culture

Heavy Rotation: 10 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing

4:31pm March 18, 2014

Another month means another genre-spanning mix of new music chosen by public radio's top DJs. Download new songs by Neko Case, Jason Marsalis, Valerie June, Porter Ray and many other artists.

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Pentatonix's album, PTX Vol. 2, is out now.

Music & Culture

No Instruments? For Pentatonix, It's No Problem

3:40pm March 18, 2014

by NPR Staff

The latest group to win NBC's a cappella competition The Sing-Off is back with a new album. The group has racked up millions of views on YouTube, but its members say they're more than novelty singers.

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Bryan Cranston and Fred Armisen in character as The Bjelland Brothers, a sibling soft rock duo dreamed up by Armisen for a 2010 sketch on Saturday Night Live.

Music & Culture

Fred Armisen's Fake Bands (And Their Real Songs)

2:57pm March 18, 2014

by NPR Staff

The Saturday Night Live alum's sketches about fictional musicians strike a believable chord. Fitting, then, that the original songs he wrote for them are now getting a proper release.

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