Wednesday, 'Cliff'
This song, like so much of Wednesday's newest album Twin Plagues, is about the sting of realizing in hindsight that your childhood was less stable than you understood.
Music
Makaya McCraven, 'Frank's Tune (AKA De'Jeff's Tune)'
With help from guitarist Jeff Parker and flutist De'Sean Jones, Chicago-based drummer and producer Makaya McCraven modernizes a song from Jack Wilson's album Easterly Winds.
Bill Frisell Brings 'Harmony' To Winston-Salem
Bill Frisell's renowned career as a guitarist and composer has spanned decades.
'Summer Of Soul': A Conversation With Blues Legend B.B. King
The renowned bluesman, who died in 2015, spoke to Fresh Air in 1996 about growing up as the son of a sharecropper — and leaving the plantation as a young man to pursue a career in music.
'Summer Of Soul': South African Trumpeter Hugh Masekela
Masekela, who died in 2018, was a symbol of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement. He performed around the world, including at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Originally broadcast in 1988.
Join NPR Music's Roséwave Happy Hour For Summer's End
Summer's never over if you have roséwave in your heart. Join us Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. ET for an online listening party spun by DJ Cuzzin B, featuring a megamix of roséwave faves for an hour.
Jazz Night In America's Favorite 2021 Tiny Desk Contest Entries
The Jazz Night in America team highlights a selection of the 2021 Tiny Desk Contest entries that caught their ears and display the expanse of what jazz has to offer.
I Played Jazz With Charlie Watts For 20 Years. Here's What I Learned
A longtime touring member of The Rolling Stones, Tim Ries says his favorite nights were the ones without a show — when he and Watts would sneak into town to play the music they loved most.
Moon Man, 'Vacuum'
This #NowPlaying discovery of Moon Man comes to us from this year's Tiny Desk Contest.
Silas Short, 'Queen of Paisley'
Short's debut EP Drawing, due out later this month, features his single "Queen of Paisley," which echoes influences such as D'Angelo and Raphael Saadiq.