Music News : NPR

Ralph Peterson Jr., Drummer Who Re-Enlivened Hard Bop, Dead At 58

Ralph Peterson Jr., performing in 2012 at Symphony Space in New York. Dave Kaufman hide caption

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Dave Kaufman

Ralph Peterson Jr., Drummer Who Re-Enlivened Hard Bop, Dead At 58

WBGO

March 1, 2021 • With Art Blakey as both mentor and north star, Peterson emerged in the '80s as one of that decade's most striking jazz artists.

Vijay Iyer And A New Trio Reflect On The 'Uneasy' Past And Present

From left: Tyshawn Sorey, Vijay Iyer and Linda May Han Oh. The trio, Iyer's newest, collaborated on the album Uneasy. Craig Marsden/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Craig Marsden/Courtesy of the artist

Vijay Iyer And A New Trio Reflect On The 'Uneasy' Past And Present

WBGO

February 26, 2021 • The composer and pianist joined with drummer Tyshawn Sorey and bassist Linda May Han Oh in late 2019 to record Uneasy, which now functions as a welcome reminder.

Rapper Mac Phipps, After 20 Years In Prison, Is One Step Closer To Freedom

McKinley "Mac" Phipps at Lousiana's Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in 2011. Courtesy of the Phipps family hide caption

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Courtesy of the Phipps family

Rapper Mac Phipps, After 20 Years In Prison, Is One Step Closer To Freedom

February 25, 2021 • In 2001, a rising No Limit Records artist was sentenced to 30 years for a crime he maintains he didn't commit. The hosts of Louder Than A Riot explain how a new development could spell early release.

Rapper Mac Phipps, After 20 Years In Prison, Is One Step Closer To Freedom

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Fans photographed on the eve of Daft Punk's album launch, held in the tiny Australian town of Wee Waa, on May 17, 2013. Shanna Whan/AFP/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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What Does Daft Punk Leave Behind?

February 24, 2021 • Known for indelible hits like "One More Time" and "Around the World," the now-legendary French duo called it quits this week after years of silence.

Bobby Shmurda Is Coming Home. What Happens Next?

Bobby Shmurda at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Oct. 30, 2014. Taylor Hill/Getty Images hide caption

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Bobby Shmurda Is Coming Home. What Happens Next?

February 22, 2021 • The rapper who ignited Brooklyn with his 2014 viral hit "Hot Boy" is set to be released from prison Tuesday. Louder Than A Riot hosts Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden say some big questions remain.

Bobby Shmurda Is Coming Home. What Happens Next?

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Julien Baker Joined NPR Music's Listening Party For 'Little Oblivions'

Julien Baker's new album is called Little Oblivions. Alysse Gafkjen/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Alysse Gafkjen/Courtesy of the artist

Julien Baker Joined NPR Music's Listening Party For 'Little Oblivions'

February 22, 2021 • NPR Music will host an online listening party for the singer-songwriter's new album, featuring a live conversation with Julien Baker and Mackenzie Scott (Torres).

Violence Erupts In Barcelona On 5th Night Of Protests Over Jailed Rapper

Protesters clash with Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan police force, following a demonstration Saturday in Barcelona against the imprisonment of Spanish rapper Pablo Hasel. Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Europe

Violence Erupts In Barcelona On 5th Night Of Protests Over Jailed Rapper

February 21, 2021 • Protesters lit fires and luxury stores were vandalized and looted. Nightly, at times violent, protests have followed Pablo Hasél's arrest under a law that criminalizes glorifying terrorism.

Metropolitan Opera Backstage Workers: 'Without People, The Opera Is Nothing'

Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in New York City remains closed following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on Jan. 16, 2021. Cindy Ord/Getty Images hide caption

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Performing Arts

Metropolitan Opera Backstage Workers: 'Without People, The Opera Is Nothing'

February 19, 2021 • A union representing 800 backstage workers began a publicity campaign today urging donors and government entities to withdraw support for the company because of a labor dispute.

U-Roy, Jamaican Vocalist Who Defined Dancehall And Presaged Hip-Hop, Dies At 78

U-Roy, performing at Reggae Sunsplash in Montego Bay, Jamaica on Aug. 8, 1984. David Corio/Redferns hide caption

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David Corio/Redferns

Obituaries

U-Roy, Jamaican Vocalist Who Defined Dancehall And Presaged Hip-Hop, Dies At 78

February 18, 2021 • Influenced by jazz, the Kingston-born vocalist revolutionized the art of occupying a space with his words. "Before U-Roy, no one was toasting," Grammy winner Sean Paul tells NPR.

Milford Graves, Visionary Drummer Who Mapped The Music Of The Heart, Dead At 79

Milford Graves, circa 2000, in front of his house in South Jamaica, Queens, N.Y. New York Daily News Archive/NY Daily News via Getty Images hide caption

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New York Daily News Archive/NY Daily News via Getty Images

Obituaries

Milford Graves, Visionary Drummer Who Mapped The Music Of The Heart, Dead At 79

February 16, 2021 • Graves spent a lifetime exploring the fundamental rhythms of life – human or otherwise – and spreading those lessons, over nearly four decades, to his students.

Fania Records Co-Founder Johnny Pacheco Dies At 85

Johnny Pacheco, seen here in 2007, died at the age of 85 on Monday. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images hide caption

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Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Obituaries

Fania Records Co-Founder Johnny Pacheco Dies At 85

February 15, 2021 • Pacheco was a prolific songwriter and musical arranger whose work helped fuel the careers of Celia Cruz and Ruben Blades.

Fania Records Co-Founder Johnny Pacheco Dies At 85

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'Just The Two Of Us' Songwriter Found His Sound In Solitude

Young Jada Salter and her grandfather, William Salter, in 2002. Jamal Salter hide caption

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Jamal Salter

StoryCorps

'Just The Two Of Us' Songwriter Found His Sound In Solitude

February 12, 2021 • William Salter, who co-wrote the popular love song, told his granddaughter that the radio kept him company during a lonely childhood. When he later found the bass, he said, "I found myself."

'Just The Two Of Us' Songwriter Found His Sound In Solitude

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Judge Rules Against Britney Spears' Father In Conservatorship Dispute

Singer Britney Spears at an appearance in Hollywood in July 2019. Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Judge Rules Against Britney Spears' Father In Conservatorship Dispute

February 11, 2021 • In a Los Angeles Superior Court hearing Thursday, the judge ruled that conservatorship of the singer's estate will continue to be co-controlled by an outside firm, Bessemer Trust.

Chick Corea, Jazz Fusion Pioneer, Has Died Of Cancer At 79

Chick Corea, seen here performing in Turin, Italy, in 2018, died Feb. 9. Giorgio Perottino/Getty Images for OGR hide caption

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Giorgio Perottino/Getty Images for OGR

Obituaries

Chick Corea, Jazz Fusion Pioneer, Has Died Of Cancer At 79

February 11, 2021 • The wide-ranging keyboardist, composer and bandleader died Feb. 9 of cancer. He was one of the fathers of jazz fusion, with his work spanning from acoustic jazz to his own interpretations of Mozart.

Chick Corea, Jazz Fusion Pioneer, Has Died Of Cancer At 79

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Taylor Swift Announces Remake Of 'Fearless,' Due In April

Taylor Swift has kept busy during quarantine with two new albums under her belt; today, the artist announces a return to her beginnings, with a new remake of her album Fearless. Beth Garrabrant/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Beth Garrabrant/Courtesy of the artist

Taylor Swift Announces Remake Of 'Fearless,' Due In April

February 11, 2021 • The pop star's struggle to regain control of her master recordings has been long fought and documented. Swift continues with an announcement of the first rerecorded album, Fearless (Taylor's Version).

Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner Among 16 Nominees For Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

Jay-Z (pictured in 2005) was nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Wednesday, in his first year of eligibility. Scott Gries/Getty Images hide caption

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Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner Among 16 Nominees For Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

February 10, 2021 • The Rock Hall announced nominations for its 2021 inductees on Wednesday morning. Six women were on the ballot, a marginal improvement from 2020's sole female inductee.

Mary Wilson, Founding Member Of The Supremes, Dies At 76

Mary Wilson performs onstage during Project Angel Food's Annual Angel Awards in 2019. Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Project Angel Food hide caption

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Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Project Angel Food

Obituaries

Mary Wilson, Founding Member Of The Supremes, Dies At 76

February 9, 2021 • The Supremes was Motown's most successful group in the 1960s, reaching 12 No. 1 hits. The cause of her death has not yet been released.

Mary Wilson Remembrance On 'All Things Considered'

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For Her 'SNL' Debut, Phoebe Bridgers Goes Bigger Than Ever

February 7, 2021 • The singer located the loudest moments from Punisher and cranked them farther than they've gone before — complete with a moment of guitar-smashing mayhem.

Jim Weatherly, Who Wrote 'Midnight Train To Georgia,' Dies At 77

Singer-songwriter Jim Weatherly died on Feb. 3 at age 77. He's pictured above in Nashville, Tenn., in January 2015. Rick Diamond/Getty Images hide caption

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Obituaries

Jim Weatherly, Who Wrote 'Midnight Train To Georgia,' Dies At 77

February 5, 2021 • The former Ole Miss quarterback wrote hits for Gladys Knight & the Pips during the 1970s. His songs were also recorded by Glen Campbell, Charley Pride and Indigo Girls.

Jim Weatherly, Who Wrote 'Midnight Train To Georgia,' Dies At 77

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Country Star Morgan Wallen Suspended By Label, Dropped By Radio, CMT After Using Slur

Morgan Wallen performs in November at the CMA Awards, where he won the New Artist of the Year award. Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for CMA hide caption

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Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for CMA

Country Star Morgan Wallen Suspended By Label, Dropped By Radio, CMT After Using Slur

February 3, 2021 • The moves came after TMZ posted a video of the fast-rising country star using a racial slur.

Dolly Parton Says She Turned Down Presidential Medal Of Freedom — Twice

Dolly Parton says she was offered the honor by the Trump administration but was unable to accept. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Dolly Parton Says She Turned Down Presidential Medal Of Freedom — Twice

February 2, 2021 • The singer says she was offered the honor by the Trump administration but was unable to accept, first because her husband was ill and then because the pandemic made traveling to the ceremony unsafe.

Double K, People Under The Stairs Rapper And Producer, Dead At 43

Double K, born Michael Turner, of People Under the Stairs performing during the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on June 11, 2009 in Manchester, Tenn. Rob Loud/Getty Images hide caption

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Obituaries

Double K, People Under The Stairs Rapper And Producer, Dead At 43

February 1, 2021 • The LA-born and bred artist, alongside partner Thes One, influenced the sound of West Coast rap around the turn of the century.