Maverick jazz composer Anthony Braxton was set to spend his 75th birthday performing at events around the world, but then... well, you know. He has two new boxed sets out this month.
The band has been sampled by Drake and Beyoncé, and its genre-hopping sound is hard to pin down. But as its latest release proves, trying to fit the band into a box misses how it makes its magic.
As part of an ongoing series, NPR's Rachel Martin talks to pianist Lara Downes about classical recordings of "Lift Every Voice" and "A Change Is Gonna Come," to mark Black Music Month and Juneteenth.
For the final entry in Morning Edition's Song Project series, Vijay Iyer wrote a rhizomatic, inviting — and not entirely placating — instrumental piece to encapsulate his past year.
For most artists, 2020 was a year of forced isolation and few opportunities. But Dan Tepfer, a jazz pianist and composer, had a busy year, partly thanks to his technological acumen.
A look inside the dreamlike new album Jubilee and the rare partnership of Michelle Zauner and producer Craig Hendrix — equals in the studio, with battle-tested chemistry.
Fiery singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor became a star in the MTV era, rewriting the rules while courting controversy. Now, she reclaims an influential legacy with a new memoir, Rememberings.
"Time Traveler," Nnenna Freelon's first new album in more than a decade, is a passionate expression of love enduring as she grieves the loss of her husband and other family members.
Allisson Russell has spent her career collaborating – but for Outside Child, her first solo record, she is stepping boldly out in front, sharing her tales of healing.
The 50th birthday of What's Going On is an opportunity to listen — not just to Marvin Gaye but to his peers, the tumult around them and the moment Black music made its politics explicit.
The debut album by the "drivers license" phenom plays like one bottled-up soliloquy after another, bursting from a quiet observer who has been paying closer attention than you think.
Fourteen years after her first album as St. Vincent, Annie Clark makes a sharp turn in time with Daddy's Home, a '70s rock revue that nails the sound, if not the spirit, of its influences.
All of a sudden, Matt Allen found himself caring for injured and teargassed protesters in Minneapolis last year. The enduring experience found its way into his sunny music.
On Amerikinda: 20 Years Of Dualtone — a new compilation celebrating the Nashville label — The Lumineers cover "Caves" by Gregory Alan Isakov, while Isakov covers The Lumineers' own "Salt and the Sea."
Classical music fans are mourning the loss of the celebrated mezzo-soprano, known for her versatility and the warmth of her voice. She died at her home in Austria on April 24 at age 93.
