Favorite Sessions

Packing KEXP's studio with a wall of sound, The Heavy performs four gritty, funk- and soul-infused garage-rockers. Fronted by versatile singer Kelvin Swaby, the British band kept the walls vibrating, even after it left.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Train possesses a singing voice from another era, but her speaking voice is surprisingly youthful and down-to-earth — a compelling combination, to be sure. Hear the singer-songwriter in a session from WFUV.

Since 1965, Lewis has recorded more than 80 albums, but only recently launched a new career as a composer. Still, he believes in the standards. In a session from Jazz24, the pianist performs one of his original compositions and covers a song by The Beatles.

With the help of Cutting Room Studios, KEXP had to move into a tiny studio for this live CMJ broadcast. It turned out to be a blessing: Choir of Young Believers' every haunting sound and whisper was captured in an intimate, unforgettable session.

McKeown has quietly assembled an impressive musical resume in the past 10 years. Filled with great creativity and artistic diversity, McKeown's latest album, Hundreds of Lions, showcases her musically adventurous spirit. Hear a session from WFUV.

A self-described news junkie, singer Corey Glover has long kept his lyrics extremely topical. In a session from WNYC's Soundcheck, his hard-rock band Living Colour addressed both long-suffering Hurricane Katrina victims and the final moments before Sept. 11.

For a duo, Wye Oak sure is busy. Andy Stack alone plays drums, keyboards and loops and sings into a Vocoder — all at once. Blending shoegazer pop and Americana, Wye Oak interjects bursts of distortion in a session from KUT.

As the son of legendary desert blues guitarist Ali Farka Toure, Vieux had big shoes to fill. But the younger performer has found his own voice, which builds on the traditions of his father while moving in a blues-rock direction. Hear an acoustic set recorded at KEXP's Bumbershoot Music Lounge.

Youngs is an electrifying young performer whose songs evoke everything from '80s pop to a few Ennio Morricone-style Spaghetti Western guitar licks. Hear her and her band play a smart, funny and quirky session from WFUV.

Dafnis Prieto came to New York from Cuba more than a decade ago. He needed very little time to scare the pants off most drummers in jazz and Afro-Cuban music. In a session from WBGO, Prieto superimposes the clave over the role of each member of the Si O Si Quartet.

Perhaps no other living jazz pianist has as impressive a resume as Tyner. He began his professional career with Benny Golson and quickly found himself in the legendary John Coltrane Quartet. In a session from Jazz24, Tyner performs a solo version of Coltrane's "Naima."

With roots in Colorado and North Dakota, Rebecca Folsom and Celeste Krenz now call Nashville home. But the duo isn't tied to Music City — the Rhythm Angels are always on the road, spreading angelic Americana. Watch videos from their session at Folk Alley.

What grew from a music competition in Detroit is now a full-fledged string quartet. Hear the excellent young players of the Harlem Quartet play a classy arrangement of the jazz standard "Take the 'A' Train," a vibrant rendition of Ravel's String Quartet in F and a rambunctious conga at the WGBH studio in Boston.

Out of the hallways at KEXP, passersby could hear an explosive, enthusiastic burst of guitars and drums. The sound was huge, but it came from only two scrawny young men, each playing furiously. Japandroids may be a duo, but it sure doesn't sound like one.

Among the Oak and Ash pairs two singer-songwriters on a batch of traditional songs, with non-traditional results. In a session from WFUV, the duo gives folk songs a rock edge.

Parlato defies easy categorization as a vocalist. She has a gift for being just a member of the band, a role reserved for few singers. She has what it takes to live up to the expectation and level of performance of her contemporaries. In a session from WBGO, she performs songs from In a Dream.

Hey Marseilles' dynamic and complex sound belies its humble beginnings as a duo. The Seattle-based orchestral rock ensemble's ranks have swelled to seven in recent months, with far more instruments than members. In a session from KEXP, Hey Marseilles performs with a wayfaring spirit.

Some people get more than their fair share of the action. As the songwriter behind "Wild Thing" and "Angel of the Morning," Chip Taylor has enjoyed a long life of exploits on the road — and at the track as a professional gambler. In this session from WFUV, Taylor offers a personal history tour in song.

When the young blues singer performs with a band, it's almost guaranteed to be an electrifying experience. But at Jazz24, Copeland came with just her voice and a guitarist. It was a rare opportunity to hear her powerful and soulful voice on its own.