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Music Reviews

On A New Anthology, Dusty Springfield's Take On Southern Soul Gets Another Look

A new Dusty Springfield anthology collects singles from her time with Atlantic Records. Courtesy of Real Gone Music hide caption

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Courtesy of Real Gone Music

On A New Anthology, Dusty Springfield's Take On Southern Soul Gets Another Look

In 1968, the British singer flew to the U.S. after signing with Atlantic Records. Her acclaimed recordings from this period are collected in Dusty Springfield: The Complete Atlantic Singles 1968-1971.

On A New Anthology, Dusty Springfield's Take On Southern Soul Gets Another Look

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With 'Some Kind Of Tomorrow' 2 Jazz Musicians Improvise Together Over Zoom

Fresh Air

Soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and bassist Mark Helias play together in a new remotely recorded digital album. These seasoned improvisers line up just right, despite the recording challenges.

With 'Some Kind Of Tomorrow' 2 Jazz Musicians Improvise Together Over Zoom

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Folk Musician Peter Stampfel Pays Homage To 100 Favorite Songs On '20th Century'

Fresh Air

A new five-CD set features Stampfel's recording of a favorite song for each year of the last century. The resulting collection is a wonderful survey of popular music — as well as lots of great fun.

Folk Musician Peter Stampfel Pays Homage To 100 Favorite Songs On '20th Century'

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Bee Gees Documentary Traces The Gibb Brothers' Pathway To Stardom

Fresh Air

Of the three Bee Gees, only Barry Gibb is still alive. His new album is Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook Volume 1. The HBO documentary, The Bee Gees, tells the story of the group's rise.

Bee Gees Documentary Traces The Gibb Brothers' Pathway To Stardom

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Joshua Abrams' Chameleonic Quartet Gets Exuberantly Ornery On 'Cloud Script'

Fresh Air

Abrams' quartet can groove and play pretty, but they can also do free jazz. Their new album is about being part of something bigger, where each player is stronger for all the ways they interlock.

Joshua Abrams' Chameleonic Quartet Gets Exuberantly Ornery On 'Cloud Script'

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Remembering The Jazz Legends Who Died In 2020

Fresh Air

Dozens of notable jazz musicians died this year, many from COVID-19. Fresh Air critic Kevin Whitehead remembers some of the legends lost, including Bucky Pizzarelli, Ellis Marsalis and Jimmy Heath.

Remembering The Jazz Legends Who Died In 2020

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3 New Holiday Songs Tap Into The Cheer — And Despair — Of The Season

Fresh Air

The holidays have never felt more ambivalent — a feeling captured by Phoebe Bridgers' "Christmas Song"; The Bird and the Bee's "You and I at Christmas Time"; and Nick Lowe's "Winter Wonderland."

3 New Holiday Songs Tap Into The Cheer — And Despair — Of The Season

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Tenor Sax George Coleman Shines On Newly Released Live Record, 'In Baltimore'

Fresh Air

The album showcases 45 minutes from Coleman's '71 sets at Baltimore's Famous Ballroom, where the atmosphere was typically lively and the jazz legend was elegant and full of fire.

Tenor Sax George Coleman Shines On Newly Released Live Record, 'In Baltimore'

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A Year Like No Other: Ken Tucker Picks 10 Albums That Made An Art Of Escapism

Dua Lipa performs onstage for the 2020 American Music Awards. Her album, Future Nostalgia, ranks second on Ken Tucker's list of his favorite albums of 2020. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for dcp hide caption

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Best Music Of 2020

A Year Like No Other: Ken Tucker Picks 10 Albums That Made An Art Of Escapism

Fresh Air

The pandemic, along with unprecedented political and social upheaval, created a year in which listeners sought to be transported. Enter these 10 albums. At the top of the list: X's Alphabetland.

A Year Like No Other: Ken Tucker Picks 10 Albums That Made An Art Of Escapism

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Music Features

'Black Swans': New Collection Features Recordings Of Early Black Classical Musicians

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Saïs Kamalidiin, a Howard University professor, about a new collection showcasing 25 recordings of early Black classical musicians, called Black Swans.

'Black Swans': New Collection Features Recordings Of Early Black Classical Musicians

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Employment Brings Relief To Food-Insecure Illinois Family

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Illinois artist and mother of three Ja Nelle Pleasure, who has recently experienced food insecurity, about how she is feeding her family this winter.

Employment Brings Relief To Food-Insecure Illinois Family

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Sonny Rollins Plays His Heart Out In A Newly Discovered Live Recording

Fresh Air

Recorded over the course of three days in 1967, during a period when the saxophonist was disillusioned with the record business, Rollins in Holland presents a jazz master in an ideal setting.

Sonny Rollins Plays His Heart Out In A Newly Discovered Live Recording

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Music Interviews

Pianist Keith Jarrett On The 'Calling' That Drew Him To Jazz

Jarrett is acclaimed for his intense and physically energetic improvised performances. Kevin Whitehead reviews Jarrett's new album, Budapest Concert, and we listen back to a 2000 interview with him.

Pianist Keith Jarrett On The 'Calling' That Drew Him To Jazz

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Music Features

New Anthology Revisits Brief History Of The Gospel Truth Label

The Gospel Truth was a subsidiary of the famous soul label Stax Records. A new anthology, The Gospel Truth: The Complete Singles Collection, revisits its brief moment in gospel soul history.

New Anthology Revisits Brief History Of The Gospel Truth Label

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