Studio Sessions

In Shearing's second appearance on the program from 1987, host Marian McPartland reminisces with her fellow countryman about obscure British tunes, and the two have fun re-harmonizing "God Save the Queen." Shearing also sings and plays Cole Porter's "After You," and the two end with a two-piano version of "Indiana."

Fanfarlo's spiky brand of rock feels both fresh and familiar. In addition to the usual lineup of drums, bass and guitars, the group employs an array of instruments ranging from keyboards and mandolin to horns. The result is a sound that's ambitious yet emotionally engaging.

Maybe it's the accent, but Hay doesn't want for charm. The former Men at Work founder makes his home in California nowadays, which gave him plenty of fodder for his compelling new album, American Sunshine. He performs some of his hits alongside new songs.

Years after suffering a debilitating hand injury, young violinist Maya Shankar recently made a joyful return to music. Here, she returns to From the Top, the classical kids program that celebrates its 10-year anniversary by checking back with some of its alumni.

On his sophomore album, Everything Is New, Penate exudes a refreshing sense of insight and experimentation. While the music has a gloomy undercurrent, each track is still fun and dance-floor-friendly, colorfully blending classic soul and pop with hints of Afrobeat.

Lyricist and composer Johnny Mercer — born Nov. 18, 1909 — wrote or co-wrote more than 1,000 songs, including American Songbook standards like "Skylark," "That Old Black Magic" and "Come Rain or Come Shine." His Academy Awards tally includes a statue for what's possibly his most famous tune, "Moon River." Fresh Air marks the anniversary of his birth with an in-studio concert starring Rebecca Kilgore and Dave Frishberg.

Historicism, as a philosophical premise, allows outside conditions to influence an organic process like improvised music. In a session from WBGO, the much-celebrated pianist Vijay Iyer (who just released an album called Historicity) conducts a conversation between his trio and the original creators.

Alexis Puentes' father was so particular about his children's musical education that he controlled the music Alexis listened to. As Alex Cuba, he filters his father's musical influence through the likes of Ray Charles. Here, he performs songs from his new album.

Combining pop, jazz, soul and country, Jones sold more than 20 million copies of her debut album, Come Away With Me, which won six Grammy Awards. Hear Jones play songs from her new album, The Fall, in a session from World Cafe.

Trumpeter Randy Brecker has been a tireless explorer of all kinds of musical genres, from funk to Brazilian to mainstream jazz. Brecker brought his group along for this Piano Jazzsession with guest host Bill Charlap.

Asheville's Toubab Krewe is an instrumental band which fuses the music of Mali and other West African influences with American musical styles. In a session from KUT, the band augmented the standard rock formation with a kora, ngoni, djembe, krin and scraper.

The buzz around BLK JKS started about two years ago, when the band released an eponymous EP; many called it avant-garde, in part because there's no other name for what BLK JKS does. Psychedelic rock, jazz, Afrobeat, blues, metal and reggae: The group crams all of these styles into an undeniably African rock sound.

Working under the name 7 Worlds Collide, Crowded House's Neil Finn brought together a wide variety of popular artists to record The Sun Came Out, including Sharon and Liam Finn, KT Tunstall, Jeff Tweedy and Glenn Kotche of Wilco, and Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway of Radiohead. The result is overflowing with energy.

Given their storied and troubled background, it came as a pleasant surprise that the members of Meat Puppets were such easygoing guys. In an acoustic session from KEXP, brothers Cris and Curt Kirkwood were joined by drummer Ted Marcus, who banged on a recycling bin and a trash can.

Slim's recent success is due to his simple yet eccentric lyrics and subtle melodies. On his new record, Be Set Free he demonstrates the savvy of a true professional and the excitement and optimism of the most energetic of newcomers. Slim's music combines folk and country elements with a cinematic feel.