June 2002

Heather Myles
Meredith Ochs reviews the latest from country singer Heather Myles. Myles doesn't seem to mind that she's a Nashville outsider. Her album, Sweet Talk and Good Lies, stands strong with the rest of the California country pantheon. (3:00)

Sweet Talk and Good Lies, Heather Myles, Rounder Records, ASIN: B000068G8I

Mondo Head
Mondo Head is the latest release from the Japanese Taiko drumming ensemble Kodo. The CD was produced by Grammy-award winning musician and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. Reviewer Banning Eyre says the release is a much more spontaneous recording than Kodo's previous releases, and it features a much denser array of sounds. Mondo Head is published by Red Ink. ASIN: B0000641BD (4:30)

'River Deep Mountain High'
Storyteller Mitch Myers tell us how the song "River Deep Mountain High" was created. The antics of record producer Phil Spector unfold in Mitch's conversation with a jukebox repairman, and we learn of the 1966 recording session at Gold Star Studios that included Brian Wilson, Dennis Hopper, Mick Jagger and Tina Turner. (8:00)

The song "River Deep Mountain High" can be found on the Phil Spector boxed set called Back To Mono.

Firehouse
Lynn Neary talks with David Halberstam about his book Firehouse, which profiles Engine 40, Ladder 35, a firehouse on West 66th Street in Manhattan. Thirteen firefighters from this station responded to the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. All but one perished. (8:00)

The book is published by Hyperion, June 2002.

Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter has become a jazz legend as much for his reclusiveness as for his saxophone playing and composing. Now the 68-year-old is not only granting interviews, but also touring and recording with a group of younger players. Their new CD is called Footprints Live! NPR's Michelle Mercer reports. (7:30)

Footprints Live! is on the Verve label.

The Russians Emerge
Robert Siegel speaks with photographer Heidi Hollinger and writer Jonathan Sanders about their new book, The Russians Emerge. It documents Russians in the post-Soviet era through pictures and words -- how they live and what it means to be Russian now. (9:00)

The book is published by Abbeville Press. ISBN # 0789207575.

Nuevo
Host John Ydstie talks with violinist David Harrington and producer Gustavo Santaolalla about a new CD by the Kronos Quartet called Nuevo. The CD is a musical portrayal of life in Mexico. Members of the Kronos Quartet use their instruments to mimic the sounds of accordions, guitars and even brass with the help of Santaolalla. They play Mexican music that is both traditional and contemporary. (8:15)

The CD is called Nuevo by the Kronos Quartet on Nonesuch records.

The Great Escape
Alan Cheuse reviews a new book from science fiction author Ian Watson. It's called The Great Escape. (1:45)

The book is published by Golden Gryphon Press.

In Makedonija
Sarah Bardeen, an editor at www.Listen.com, loves Baltic folk music. And in this review, she says the new CD In Makedonija by Slavic Soul Party, has everything a listener could want. (3:30)

The CD In Makedonija is on Knitting Factory Records KFW 310.

Evgeny Kissin
After hearing so many classical warhorses played badly so many times, reviewer Tom Manoff has found a recording that makes Mussorgsky's "Pictures of an Exhibition" come alive again. It features pianist Evgeny Kissin, and Manoff says his light playful touches and delicate musical strokes have resurrected this piece of music for him. (3:30)

The CD is on RCA Victor, copyright 2002.

Alan Cheuse's Annual Summer Reading List
A long, hot summer and a big, fat novel -- two things that just go together, says All Things Considered book reviewer Alan Cheuse. Cheuse offers his annual summer reading recommendations, including novels, short story collections and a non-fiction book. Get the full list online, with brief comments on each book. (12:30)

It Might Be Kids' Music
For the first time in 20 years of music-making, the duo known as They Might Be Giants, John Flansburgh and John Linnell, has put out a CD for children. The musicians tell NPR's Robert Siegel about the CD No!, which pairs computer animation with tunes such as "Where Do They Make Balloons?" and "I Am a Grocery Bag." (8:00)

See www.giantkid.net/indexKill.html.

Dickie Goodman
In the 1950s Dickie Goodman took bits of pop songs, cut them up like a collage with voices telling wacky stories of flying saucers and gave birth to a new form of novelty records. Goodman continued making these records until the late 1980s and they became small time capsules of culture. Jon Goodman has an appreciation of the "King of Novelty." (6:15)

Jon Goodman's book is called The King of Novelty. Jon Goodman's CD of novelty tunes is called 25 All-time Novelty Hits and includes some of Dickie Goodman's work. See http://www.varesesarabande.com.

Mashups
Music reviewer Will Hermes tells us about a current fad among DJs, computer-savvy musicians and music artists. They're taking already recorded songs -- some popular, some very obscure -- and with the help of computer software, mixing them with new beats and sounds. The results are known as "mashups." (6:15)

The music used in this piece came from www.base58.com. The "Acid" software can be found at www.sonicfoundry.com/products/home.asp.

Loss of Eden
Loss of Eden is a new opera about the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh, Jr. and it's aftermath. It was written by composer Cary John Franklin and librettist Michael Albano. The opera premiered over the weekend at Opera Theater of St. Louis and runs through the end of the month. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh, Sr.'s birth and the 75th anniversary of his historic transatlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis. Jim Dryden reports. (7:30)

Good Morning Aztlán
Music Reviewer David Greenberger tells us about the new CD from Los Lobos, Good Morning Aztlán. He says the album displays the five band members at their best -- working together, as they have for 30 years. (4:00)

The CD is on Mammoth Records.

Tiger Ladies
Sudha Koul grew up a Hindu in Kashmir, and recalls her family living in harmony with Muslim neighbors. She writes about it in her new book Tiger Ladies: A Memoir of Kashmir. Liane Hansen talks with Koul about the book and the stories of four generations of women in Koul's family. (5:15)

The book is published by Beacon Press, May 2002.

N.E.R.D.
The producing team known as the Neptunes released their very own album this year, In Search Of..., under the moniker N.E.R.D., which stands for No one Ever Really Dies. Pharell Williams and Chad Hugo usually produce records for other people such as Britney Spears and Janet Jackson. But reviewer Tom Moon says the duo's best work is their own. (4:00)

N.E.R.D. In Search Of... is a 2002 release by Virgin Records America. See the N.E.R.D. Web site.

Omar Sosa
Felix Contreras reviews a new CD from Cuban piano player Omar Sosa. It's called Sentir and it explores the complex rhythms of Cuba's santeria music. Our reviewer Felix Contreras says this record reminds us that the piano is just another percussion instrument. (4:30)

Sentir, by Omar Sosa is on Ota records.

Leash
Alan Cheuse reviews a graphic novel called Leash by Jane DeLynn about a lesbian writer from New York City who finds herself feeling what she calls "strange longings." (2:00)

Leash is distributed by MIT Press. (2:00)

Dig Dig
Bob Brozman travels the world's small islands, studying the languages, customs and music of the people. He's learned to love the rhythms of island cultures where, he says, people are more concerned with "life, love, food, nature and music" than with economic or military strength. His latest CD is a collaboration with Rene Lacaille of La Reunion Island, a one-time French colony east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. John Ydstie talks with Brozman about his work and the island that inspired Dig Dig. (12:30)

The CD is Dig Dig, by Rene Lacaille and Bob Brozman. It's on the Riverboat Records label and World Music Network.