Amir ElSaffar Navigates Uncharted Blue Notes On 'Alchemy'
Alchemy is a step forward in defining and refining the trumpeter's mix of jazz and Iraqi rhythms.
Music
Accordions, Beer And God: Zydeco In Gran Texas
If it's Sunday in Houston, get ready to dance up and down the aisle at church. Zydeco music is the soundtrack to spirit-filled parties fueled by beer, boudin, and red beans and rice. It's a joyful continuation of a decades-old tradition.
Luscious Jackson Is Ready For Its 'Magic Hour'
After a very long hiatus, the members of the infectious alternative rock crew are back with a new album. The musicians discuss how everyday life inspired the band's first new record in 14 years.
Arcade Fire Takes A Dancey Turn Down A Well-Trod Path
With a new record, the band Arcade Fire is trying to top their 2011 release, which won a Grammy for Album of the Year. Critic Will Hermes says that on Reflektor, they turn to dance music to try to reinvigorate their sound.
Influential Musician Lou Reed Dies
Rock musician Lou Reed died Sunday at 71. Renee Montagne and Steve Inskeep report.
Jason Isbell Locates His Musical Compass On 'Southeastern'
The singer-songwriter earned a name for himself while playing with Drive-By Truckers and The 400 Unit, but on his new album — written after he got sober — Isbell finds a new level of emotional honesty. Here, he talks with Terry Gross about his life and plays songs from Southeastern.
In Memoir, Linda Ronstadt Describes Her 'Simple Dreams'
Last month, Ronstadt revealed that she has Parkinson's disease and can no longer sing. Her new memoir, Simple Dreams, reflects on a long career. In this conversation with Fresh Air's Terry Gross, she offers frank insights on sex, drugs, and why "competition was for horse races."
Biography Doesn't Hold Back On Darkest Years Of 'The Man In Black'
Through all the pain and redemption, "Johnny Cash was a good man," author Robert Hilburn tells NPR's David Greene. Hilburn's new biography of the late country singer is titled Johnny Cash: The Life.
!["[Lou Reed] really saw the beauty of life, and wanted to be a person who could live in that beauty as often as possible," longtime publicist Bill Bentley says.](http://wfdd-live.s3.amazonaws.com/images/slideshow/Never-Back-Down-Fresh-Air-Remembers-Lou-Reed-241445362-1445477722.jpg)
Never Back Down: Fresh Air Remembers Lou Reed
"In Lou Reed's world, when you were Lou's friend you knew it," his longtime publicist Bill Bentley tells Terry Gross. Fresh Air dedicates an entire hour to the transgressive and transcendent Velvet Underground co-founder, with music and commentary by original Velvets John Cale and Maureen Tucker.
Arcade Fire On Its Brand-New Beat
NPR's David Greene speaks with members Regine Chassagne and Win Butler about the band's new album, Reflektor, and how it was influenced by their cultural connections to Haiti.