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Music Interviews Interviews with top musicians from jazz, blues, rock, pop, folk, classical, urban, and world music. Listen online to live studio sessions and musician interviews and watch video sessions.

Music Interviews

Studio Sessions

Tomasz Stanko and All That (Polish) Jazz

While Jazz may have a strong presence in the U.S. it also has deep roots in countries all over the world, including Poland. Tomasz Stanko is a Polish jazz trumpeter and composer who has followed in the footsteps of icons Miles Davis and Chet Baker.

Tomasz Stanko and All That (Polish) Jazz

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The Sounds of American Culture

Jerry Lee Lewis: 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On'

Recorded in only one take at the Sun Studio in Memphis, Jerry Lee Lewis' original recording of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" propelled the rock legend to instant fame. In 2005, the Library of Congress selected the song for the National Recording Registry.

Jerry Lee Lewis: 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On'

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George Benson and Al Jarreau Collaborate

Farai Chideya talks with legendary jazz artists George Benson and Al Jarreau about their friendship and why it took more than 30 years for them to collaborate on their first CD Givin It Up.

George Benson and Al Jarreau Collaborate

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Anthony Minghella's 'Madama Butterfly'

Film director Anthony Minghella makes his stage debut with Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera. His team of designers and choreographers bring a new vividness to one of Puccini's most famous operas with their emphasis on contrasts and acting.

Anthony Minghella's 'Madama Butterfly'

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Cantata Recalls Wounds of Apartheid

Rewind is a powerful cantata that mixes song with recorded testimony from South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The voices range from sorrowful relatives of murder victims to members of the security police describing torture techniques. Rewind premieres in December at St. George's Cathedral in Capetown.

Cantata Recalls Wounds of Apartheid

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Pianist's Passions Span Music, America and Wolves

French-born Helene Grimaud is busy this season. She has a new CD, Reflection, and her autobiography, Wild Harmonies, has been published in English. The works explore the pianist's different loves, in both her musical and personal life.

Pianist's Passions Span Music, America and Wolves

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Gladys Knight Sings Standards on 'Before Me'

Gladys Knight's latest CD is a collection of standards called Before Me. On the disc, Knight pays tribute to the women she looked up to as a young performer with her own versions of the songs they made famous.

Gladys Knight Sings Standards on 'Before Me'

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Steven Bernstein: Mixing the Strange and Familiar

Steven Bernstein mashes the sound of big band era jazz with well-known pop songs. His latest band, the Millennial Territory Orchestra, has just released its first album: 'MTO Volume One.'

Steven Bernstein: Mixing the Strange and Familiar

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Music

Steve Reich at 70

Fresh Air

Minimalist composer Steve Reich, who celebrated his 70th birthday last week, is considered one of our foremost living composers. Nonesuch Records has released a new box set, Phases: A Nonesuch Retrospective, and in New York City, there will be a month-long series of dance performances, concerts, and workshops at BAM, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center. Interviews with Reich originally aired May 11, 1999 and March 31, 1989.

Steve Reich at 70

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The Genius of Fats Waller

If You Got to Ask, You Ain't Got It is Sony Legacy's new 3-CD set of jazz-great Fats Waller's best music. Historians and music critics say no one has ever quite been able to fill Waller's shoes since his death in 1943.

The Genius of Fats Waller

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New York Fetes Composer Steve Reich at 70

American composer Steve Reich turns 70 Tuesday. Reich is a pioneering minimalist, working in a style of music characterized by an almost hypnotic repetition, with subtle changes in texture.

New York Fetes Composer Steve Reich at 70

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