In Memoriam 2017: The Musicians We Lost
From virtuoso players and visionary composers to charismatic bandleaders and golden-eared producers, explore the musical voices who left us this year.
Music
French Network Postpones Romance Film Set Against Backdrop Of A Terrorist Attack
The premiere of the project, produced by the France 2 channel, has been put on hold until producers can consult families and survivors of the Bataclan music hall attack that killed 90 people.
30 Must-Read (Or Must-Revisit) NPR Music Articles From 2017
The mystery of a "missing" classic rocker, a record collector who desires just one album, Austrians who bungled their way to celebrity, a fake genre we invented ... the gang's all here.
Wayne Shorter: Artist In Residence At The Detroit Jazz Festival
This episode focuses on a highlight of the saxophonist's banner year: the time he spent as artist in residence at the Detroit Jazz Festival.
A Bigger Tent: A Frank Conversation About Diversity And The Future Of Bluegrass
In the eyes of bluegrass musician and advocate Jon Weisberger, the fight for his music's survival is not one between preservation and progress, but to ensure that both have a home in the genre.
Tropicalia Music Still Speaks To Young Marginalized Urban Brazilians
In Brazil, there's been a resurgence of Tropicalia — the anti-authoritarian, anarchic music that emerged under the military junta of the 1960s. It's back and fused with rap and lyrics fighting for Brazil's poor and marginalized.
21 Hip-Hop Albums That Reflected The Politics Of Race, Space And Place In 2017
Many of the year's best challenged America's record on race, critiqued widespread cultural erasure, or broke conventions of genre, gender and identity within the space of rap itself.
Marta Sánchez Creates A Truly International Sound With 'Danza Imposible'
You might think that Sánchez's Spanish-French-Cuban-Canadian-Israeli quintet would go haywire with so many rhythmic accents in play, but critic Kevin Whitehead says the composer pulls it all together.
5 R&B Albums You Slept On In 2017
From PJ Morton to Moonchild, these projects didn't get enough shine this year but were exceptional nonetheless.
5 Hip-Hop Albums You Slept On In 2017
In a year when big albums from hip-hop stars dominated the charts and streaming services, a few fire projects undoubtedly flew under the radar.