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Nate Chinen

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Keith Jarrett's eternal balancing act

"I remember there was a river next to the hotel, or across the street. And I walked along that," Keith Jarrett says of the tour stop captured on Bordeaux Concert. "That's what I remember." Daniela Yohannes/ECM Records hide caption

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Daniela Yohannes/ECM Records

Music Interviews

Keith Jarrett's eternal balancing act

WBGO

Keith Jarrett's two strokes in 2018 left the pianist unable to perform publicly. On the occasion of Bordeaux Concert, WBGO's Nate Chinen caught up with Jarrett.

After a pandemic disruption, Newport Jazz Festival makes a poignant, euphoric return

Samara Joy performs at the 2022 Newport Jazz Festival, which spanned from July 29 to July 31, in Newport, R.I. Ozier Muhammad for NPR hide caption

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Ozier Muhammad for NPR

The Picture Show

After a pandemic disruption, Newport Jazz Festival makes a poignant, euphoric return

The festival's first full edition in two years — and its first since the death of co-founder George Wein — saw dynamic performances from Newport veterans alongside glowing debuts from newcomers.

Jazz renegade Theo Croker returns to his Jacksonville roots

Theo Croker performs at Jacksonville Jazz Festival, October 1, 2021 Kim Reed/Courtesy of Artist hide caption

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Kim Reed/Courtesy of Artist

Jazz Night In America: The Radio Program

Jazz renegade Theo Croker returns to his Jacksonville roots

WBGO and Jazz At Lincoln Center

Jazz Night hangs with trumpeter Theo Croker in Jacksonville, Fla., where he spent his teenage years, to revisit old mentors and hear a set by his band from the Jacksonville Jazz Festival.

Jazz renegade Theo Croker returns to his Jacksonville roots

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Norah Jones reflects on 20 years of 'Come Away With Me'

Norah Jones in a 2002 portrait to promote Come Away With Me. Lourdes Delgado hide caption

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Lourdes Delgado

Review

All Songs Considered

Norah Jones reflects on 20 years of 'Come Away With Me'

The singer explains why Blue Note Records rejected her first version of the beloved album and shares her original, previously unheard tracks, now released for a 20th anniversary edition of the record.

Norah Jones reflects on 20 years of 'Come Away With Me'

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For pianist Vadim Neselovskyi, Ukraine war adds urgency to his most personal work

Vadim Neselovskyi. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Review

Music Features

For pianist Vadim Neselovskyi, Ukraine war adds urgency to his most personal work

WBGO

On a new album, Odesa, written in tribute to his father, the pianist, former child prodigy and composer also paints a portrait of the album's namesake, currently in the midst of a Russian invasion.

For pianist Vadim Neselovskyi, Ukraine war adds urgency to his most personal work

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Honoring the iconic blues and ironic humor of Mose Allison

Mose Allison Gai Terrell/Redferns hide caption

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Gai Terrell/Redferns

Jazz Night In America: The Radio Program

Honoring the iconic blues and ironic humor of Mose Allison

WBGO and Jazz At Lincoln Center

The tribute project Anything Mose! breathes new life into the music of the late Mose Allison. We peer inside his blend of blues and jazz with ironic lyrics, and get stories from Allison's widow.

Honoring the iconic blues and ironic humor of Mose Allison

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New Music Friday: The best releases out on May 27

R&B singer UMI's debut full-length, Forest in the City is one of NPR Music's picks for the best new albums out on May 27. Eddie Mandell hide caption

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Eddie Mandell

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best releases out on May 27

The best albums out this week include Wilco's double-length Cruel Country, a debut from the singer UMI, the latest installment in Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge's Jazz Is Dead series and more.

New Music Friday: The best releases out on May 27

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NPR's favorite music of April, from broken-hearted R&B to paranoid post-punk

From left to right, clockwise: Pusha T, Myra Melford, Syd, Horace Andy, Straw Man Army. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

NPR's favorite music of April, from broken-hearted R&B to paranoid post-punk

April brought us albums from a re-energized Pusha T, reggae legend Horace Andy, Myra Melford's improvised suite, Syd's broken-hearted R&B ballads and Straw Man Army's paranoid-but-expansive post-punk.

NPR's favorite music of April, from broken-hearted R&B to paranoid post-punk

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The nouveau swing of Donald Harrison Jr., Big Chief and NEA Jazz Master

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1504/1504

Jazz Night In America: The Radio Program

The nouveau swing of Donald Harrison Jr., Big Chief and NEA Jazz Master

Hear stories from New Orleans saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr.'s upbringing, words from his mentee, drummer Joe Dyson, and a performance on his home turf recorded at Snug Harbor.

The nouveau swing of Donald Harrison Jr., Big Chief and NEA Jazz Master

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Mingus contained multitudes, but his native language was protest

John Foster, Charles Mingus, Roy Brooks, Charles McPherson performs live. Aout 1972. Photo : Christian Rose/Fastimage Christian Rose/Fastimage/Christian Rose/Fastimage hide caption

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Christian Rose/Fastimage/Christian Rose/Fastimage

Editors' Picks

Mingus contained multitudes, but his native language was protest

The jazz icon's 100th birthday is a chance to appreciate an enduring throughline of his career, which often teetered between exquisite composure and raging chaos.

The Grammys make a clear statement: Sometimes feeling good is good enough

Jon Batiste (center) performs at the 64th annual Grammy Awards on April 3, 2022. Batiste was nominated in 11 categories and took home five prizes, including album of the year. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images hide caption

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Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

The 2022 Grammy Awards

The Grammys make a clear statement: Sometimes feeling good is good enough

The show, despite a delay caused by the pandemic and brief moments of seriousness, was mostly a highly professional, relentlessly energetic showcase for the pleasure of live music. Plus a few awards.

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