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Lukas Foss Brings New Fans To Classical Music

Fresh Air

Over the years, composer, conductor and performer Lukas Foss has been one of America's most committed champions of new music. As a composer, he's been identified with serialism, improvisation and chance processes. In an interview with Terry Gross, he discusses his life and work.

Lukas Foss Brings New Fans To Classical Music

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Composer Lukas Foss On Minimalist Music

Lukas Foss is a pianist, a conductor and, perhaps most notably, a composer. Foss was born in Germany and was fifteen when his family immigrated to this country in 1937. Even before that he'd begun his prolific output as a composer and was recognized as a child prodigy on the piano.

Composer Lukas Foss On Minimalist Music

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The 'Serious' Sounds Of Leonard Cohen

Fresh Air

With songs like "Suzanne," "Bird on a Wire," "So Long, Marianne" and "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye," singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen created his own brand of folk-rock art music. Listeners discovered Cohen's songs in the mid-'60s when Judy Collins recorded "Suzanne," and Cohen followed that by recording his own album of his songs. Cohen discusses his career with Terry Gross.

The 'Serious' Sounds Of Leonard Cohen

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Abbey Lincoln: Development Of A Jazz Singer

Fresh Air

Abbey Lincoln started her career in the early 1950s as a supper club singer. In the late 1950s, she met jazz drummer Max Roach, who introduced her to modern jazz and to a performing style influenced by the new black consciousness. They got married, and in the years they stayed together, they recorded albums on which Lincoln was backed by great jazz performers. Her songs took on a political edge, and she became active in the freedom movement.

Abbey Lincoln: Development Of A Jazz Singer

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Buddy Holly: Lubbock's Famous Native Son

This past weekend, rock 'n' roll fans from around the country and around the world gathered in Lubbock, Tex. They came for their annual conference to honor Lubbock's most famous native son, Buddy Holly, who would have been 47 years old this coming Wednesday.

Buddy Holly: Lubbock's Famous Native Son

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