Music

Music & Culture

Gen Xers, Millenials Sound Off On The Music That Moves Them

10:10am October 22, 2013

Melissa Block and Audie Cornish read listener responses to a question we asked of Gen-X and Millennial listeners last week: "Who are your generation's future musical legends?" Tupac Shakur, Nirvana, Michael Jackson, and Adele made the list, but by far the most frequently mentioned group was a quartet of Irish baby boomers.

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Anoushka Shankar's new album, Traces of You, comes out Tuesday.

Music & Culture

Anoushka Shankar And Norah Jones: Half-Sisters Collaborate At Last

8:02pm October 20, 2013

by NPR Staff

The sitar-playing daughter of the late Ravi Shankar discusses teaming up with her half-sister, Norah Jones, on the new album Traces of You. Hear how their collaboration elicited an unexpected echo of their father's work, a sign that they were meant to work together.

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An Angeleno revels at 10 Times The Party, a celebration of Walt Disney Concert Hall's 10th Anniversary, on Oct. 5 in Los Angeles.

Music & Culture

LA's Own 'Amazing And Unique Instrument' Turns 10

12:23pm October 20, 2013

by Arun Rath

This coming week, Disney Hall celebrates its 10th anniversary. NPR's Arun Rath speaks with conductor and music director Gustavo Dudamel, as well as other figures from the Los Angeles classical scene, about the highlights since then.

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Is Pitbull 'Mr. Education'? Rapper Opens Charter School In Miami

9:52am October 18, 2013

by Claudio Sanchez

Pitbull is just one of a growing number of celebrities who've lent their names and opened their wallets to the charter school movement. His Sports Leadership And Management Academy opened in Miami this fall.

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A scene from the revival of Einstein on the Beach.

Music & Culture

The Minds Behind 'Einstein On The Beach' Talk Shop

1:15pm October 17, 2013

by Arun Rath

Composer Phillip Glass, director Robert Wilson and choreographer Lucinda Childs discuss their epic modern opera, which is being staged for the first time in two decades.

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Onyx in an undated photo. From left to right, Sticky Fingaz, Fredro Starr, Suave and Big DS.

Music & Culture

The Year Onyx's 'Slam' Crashed Pop Radio

10:23am October 17, 2013

by Dan Charnas

In 1993 Onyx's raucous single became an unlikely hit on MTV and pop radio. The song was on the leading edge of a media change of heart.

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Ben Zion Shenker (right) is a world-renowned composer in the Modzitzer tradition of Chasidic Judiaism.

Music & Culture

The Greatest Living Figure Of Chasidic Music

6:39pm October 16, 2013

by Jon Kalish

The Modzitzer sect of Chasidic Judaism, which originated in the Polish town of Modzitz, is known for its beautiful melodies. Among the most emblematic and prolific composers in this tradition is Brooklynite Ben Zion Shenker — who, at 88, continues to create new works.

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Music & Culture

Remembering The Woman Who Gave Motown Its Charm

6:12pm October 15, 2013

by Gene Demby

Maxine Powell, who ran a finishing school for Motown's musicians, died this weekend at the age of 98. Her work polishing young artists for mainstream exposure was a big reason the legendary record label was able to integrate the airwaves.

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Graham Nash Has 'Wild Tales' To Spare

3:11pm October 15, 2013

by NPR Staff

As part of Crosby, Stills & Nash, the British singer-songwriter helped define a West Coast sound. Here, he discusses the influence of Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers and marijuana on his career, as well as his new memoir, Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life.

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Jack Black and Kyle Gass of Tenacious D mug as 1960s hippies in a promo clip for Festival Supreme, a Los Angeles-based alternative comedy festival of their own creation.

Music & Culture

A Comedy Woodstock, Courtesy Of Tenacious D

10:08am October 15, 2013

by NPR Staff

Next weekend, Los Angeles will host a massive festival dedicated to alternative comedy, featuring acts Eric Idle of Monty Python, Sarah Silverman, Adam Sandler and dozens of others. Host Arun Rath speaks with the organizers (as well as one of the marquee acts): Jack Black and Kyle Gass, better known as the outrageous acoustic-metal band Tenacious D.

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