Maxwell's, The Beloved New Jersey Venue, Closes
The club, which booked bands like R.E.M., the Replacements and Yo La Tengo before and after they hit the big time, is shutting down while "people still love us," says an owner.
Music & Culture
AlunaGeorge Finds A Natural Groove, By Accident
George Reid and Aluna Francis have become darlings of the European festival circuit, making soulful, beat-savvy music as AlunaGeorge. The two musicians first met to write material for Francis' old band, but soon found they had a chemistry all their own.
'The Edenfred Files': Darryl Harper's Blues-Infused Jazz
On the clarinetist's latest album, the blues might be modernized or tweaked, but it's never far away. Fresh Air's jazz critic says The Edenfred Files is modest in a good way, like a musical chapbook or novella. The scale suits Harper's pointedly focused music.
Paying The Piper: Music Streaming Services In Perspective
As more music becomes available for free online, concepts of music ownership start to break down. A musician, a songwriter and Spotify's director of Artist Services share their viewpoints on the ongoing controversy over royalty payments made by streaming services.
Piano Mastery, Trinidadian Trumpet, Singing Apes: New Jazz
This summer has seen plenty of worthwhile jazz, including a pianist who's been around since the '50s, a Caribbean jazzman, a band of deliberate melody, and a cover from The Jungle Book. Sample recordings from Harold Mabern, Etienne Charles, the band Black Host and Lauren Desberg.
Juan-Carlos Formell On JazzSet
Formell performs epic music and poetry, magical and real, about the Afro-Caribbean experience.
How Musicians Helped Integrate The Silver Screen
America's first Freedom Riders may well have been the black musicians who, in the '30s and '40s, broke ground in Hollywood. Those could have been milestone moments, but the industry responded to provincial concerns and allowed Jim Crow markets to cut out integrated scenes.
'Left Alone,' Oliver Mtukudzi Sees Music As Therapy
At 60, Zimbabwean musician Oliver Mtukudzi now has more albums to his name than birthdays. His latest album, Sarawoga — which means "left alone" — is a response to the death of his son. Mtukudzi joins Tell Me More for a special performance chat.
A Veteran's Piercing True Story Leaps From Page To Stage
Iraq vet Brian Castner wrote a memoir of post-traumatic stress disorder and a difficult homecoming. His book, The Long Walk, got good reviews. But Castner never expected that it would get turned into an opera in New York City.
Guy Clark, Music's Master Craftsman, On Making Songs Last
A friend and inspiration to the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris, Clark creates songs with the same precision and attention to detail he uses when he's building guitars. NPR's Melissa Block visits the songwriting legend at his home in Nashville,n Tenn.