Director's Cuts archive
Watch Weekend Edition's Annual Music Gift Guide
December 5, 2010 – Weekend Edition's music director picks hidden gems in jazz, world music, classical and rock.
Listen The 11th Annual Director's Cuts Gift Guide
December 6, 2009 – Weekend Edition's music director picks hidden gems in jazz, world music, classical and rock.
Listen Director's Cuts: The 10th Anniversary Edition
November 8, 2009 – Weekend Edition director Ned Wharton has been making music recommendations for a decade.
Listen The 10th Annual CD, Er, MP3 Gift Guide
December 14, 2008 – Weekend Edition director Ned Wharton presents his annual music gift guide — with a digital twist.
Listen CD Gift Guide for 2007
December 9, 2007 – Ned Wharton has surveyed the music of 2007, and offers these suggestions for your shopping list.
Listen Americana Artists Tap into Their Roots
August 12, 2007 – Popular artists are shaking up traditional Americana music with bold interpretations and new sounds.
Listen Music DVDs That Beat Expectations
May 6, 2007 – DVDs featuring singer Oliver Mtukudzi and trumpeter Terence Blanchard take viewers behind the music.
Listen Grammy's Hidden Surprises
February 11, 2007 – We've scanned this year's Grammy nominees to highlight some gems beyond the musical blockbusters.
Listen Holiday Gift Picks for 2006
November 26, 2006 – A collection of recordings offbeat enough to surprise your favorite music lover this holiday season.
Listen Animated Sounds for the Younger Set
September 24, 2006 – Artists making music for the tween movie market include indie rockers Ben Folds and Paul Westerberg.
Listen Director's Cuts: Third Album's A Charm
July 23, 2006 – Their music has evolved since their last visit to NPR: Vienna Teng and Kaki King.
Listen The Power of the Human Voice
May 7, 2006 – Fresh music from Czech crooner Sui Vesan and the velvety Italian vocalist Gianmaria Testa.
Listen Director's Cuts: Grammy Time
February 5, 2006 – A look beyond the obvious choices at Grammy-nominated music you might not have heard.
Listen Cuing Up the Year's Best Music
November 27, 2005 – For a holiday edition of Director's Cuts, Ned Wharton presents picks of the year's best music.
Listen Director's Cuts: A Little Retro Action
September 18, 2005 – Sounds of the '60s return on new CDs from The Greenhornes, Iron & Wine and Stephen Stills.