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After 26 Years, The Sam Rivers Trio Resurfaces

Sam Rivers' trio with Dave Holland and Barry Altschul (not pictured) recently released its 2007 reunion show on CD. Ken Weiss/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Ken Weiss/Courtesy of the artist

After 26 Years, The Sam Rivers Trio Resurfaces

Fresh Air

The freewheeling saxophonist and his small group from the 1970s came together for a live concert in 2007 — their first together in more than two decades. Now, a recording has been posthumously released on CD, and critic Kevin Whitehead says it's like they never went away.

After 26 Years, The Sam Rivers Trio Resurfaces

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Neil Young Still Vital On 'Psychedelic Pill'

Crazy Horse doesn't just redeem Neil Young's mawkish moments — it transforms them. From left, Ralph Molina, Poncho Sampedro, Neil Young and Billy Talbot are Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Julie Gardner/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Julie Gardner/Courtesy of the artist

Neil Young Still Vital On 'Psychedelic Pill'

Whenever things get too cozy on Psychedelic Pill, Crazy Horse is there to rearrange the furniture. When the singing stops and Young falls into one of the band's epic guitar journeys, the music positively erupts.

Neil Young Still Vital On 'Psychedelic Pill'

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Gidon Kremer's Bach Makeover

For violinist Gidon Kremer's new album, he commissioned 11 composers to rework and build on keyboard music by J.S. Bach. Courtesy of ECM records hide caption

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Courtesy of ECM records

Deceptive Cadence

Gidon Kremer's Bach Makeover

Over the centuries, the durable music of J.S. Bach has withstood almost every type of makeover — sounding unscathed on anything from a banjo to a Japanese shamisen. Violinist Gidon Kremer's new album features fresh arrangements of the master's music and new works by 11 contemporary composers.

George Cables: A Heartfelt Tribute To His 'Muse'

Saxophonist Art Pepper called George Cables his favorite pianist. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

George Cables: A Heartfelt Tribute To His 'Muse'

Fresh Air

In the 1970s and '80s, Cables was the pianist of choice for saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper; Pepper called him his favorite pianist. Critic Kevin Whitehead says Cables' new trio album, My Muse, is so unassumingly good, you could miss just how good it is.

George Cables: A Heartfelt Tribute To His 'Muse'

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On Record, A Husband And Wife Are 'Familiar Strangers'

Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, both country stars in their own right, recently released the collaborative album Wreck and Ruin. Helen Clemens/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Helen Clemens/Courtesy of the artist

On Record, A Husband And Wife Are 'Familiar Strangers'

Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson are married country stars who seem to live a charmed life. Their new album, however, focuses on the struggle to maintain autonomy in a creative partnership.

On Record, A Husband And Wife Are 'Familiar Strangers'

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The Big Man Behind 'Shake, Rattle And Roll'

No figure in the history of rock 'n' roll is more incongruous than Big Joe Turner. Heinrich Klaffs/Wikimedia Commons hide caption

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Heinrich Klaffs/Wikimedia Commons

The Big Man Behind 'Shake, Rattle And Roll'

Fresh Air

Six feet tall, weighing in at 400 pounds and in his 40s when stardom hit him, Big Joe Turner is behind a load of rock 'n' roll hits. His hardest-hitting singles have been collected on a new compilation, titled Big Joe Turner Rocks.

The Big Man Behind 'Shake, Rattle And Roll'

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Elina Duni: Love, Lust And Albanian Folk Songs

On Matane Malit, the Elina Duni Quartet lays expansive instrumentation over traditional Albanian folk melodies. Blerta Kambo/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Blerta Kambo/Courtesy of the artist

Elina Duni: Love, Lust And Albanian Folk Songs

On Matane Malit, the singer and her group offers a transfixing balance of old and new, laying expansive instrumentation over traditional Albanian folk melodies.

Elina Duni: Love, Lust And Albanian Folk Songs

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Gary Clark Jr.: A Raucous Blues Shout

Gary Clark Jr.'s Blak and Blu is an eclectic romp through the blues. Frank Maddocks hide caption

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Frank Maddocks

Gary Clark Jr.: A Raucous Blues Shout

Fresh Air

On Blak and Blu, you can hear the roar in Clark's blues guitar. But critic Ken Tucker says Clark remains a work in progress.

Gary Clark Jr.: A Raucous Blues Shout

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K'Naan Brings Down Walls On 'Country, God Or The Girl'

K'Naan's new album is titled Country, God or the Girl. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

K'Naan Brings Down Walls On 'Country, God Or The Girl'

The Somali-born rapper rose to global fame when his song "Wavin' Flag" became the unofficial anthem of the World Cup in South Africa and a No. 1 hit in 18 countries. On his latest album, K'Naan remains a versatile and powerful songwriter.

K'Naan Brings Down Walls On 'Country, God Or The Girl'

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Esa-Pekka Salonen's Excellent Violin Adventure

Composer-conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen's award-winning Violin Concerto receives its debut recording. Mat Hennek/Deutsche Grammophon hide caption

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Mat Hennek/Deutsche Grammophon

Deceptive Cadence

Esa-Pekka Salonen's Excellent Violin Adventure

The composer-conductor's award-winning Violin Concerto makes a stunning CD debut with violinist and McArthur "genius grant" fellow Leila Josefowicz. The exceptionally vivid music says farewell to the LA Philharmonic, which he led for 17 years and turned into a model of innovation.

Violin Concerto [1. Mirage]

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Budapest Quartet Gets To The Heart Of Beethoven

The Budapest String Quartet in 1919. Wikimedia Commons hide caption

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Wikimedia Commons

Beethoven 250

Budapest Quartet Gets To The Heart Of Beethoven

Fresh Air

Among the key pieces of the classical-music repertoire Beethoven's string quartets. Recordings by the Budapest Quartet are essential to critic Lloyd Schwartz.

Budapest Quartet Gets To The Heart Of Beethoven

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More Than This: The 'Complete' Roxy Music

Roxy Music's eight studio albums are now collected in one box set, titled The Complete Studio Recordings 1972-1982. Keystone/Hulton Archive hide caption

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Keystone/Hulton Archive

More Than This: The 'Complete' Roxy Music

Fresh Air

Ed Ward connects the dots of the British band's eight studio albums, which were just collected in a box set.

More Than This: The 'Complete' Roxy Music

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Ron Miles Finds Wide-Open Spaces On 'Quiver'

For Ron Miles, the better he knows how a tune works, the less he has to play to put it across. John Spiral hide caption

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John Spiral

Ron Miles Finds Wide-Open Spaces On 'Quiver'

Fresh Air

For Miles, the better he knows how a tune works, the less he has to play to put it across.

Ron Miles Finds Wide-Open Spaces On 'Quiver'

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Iris DeMent's Emotionally Complex 'Sing The Delta'

Sing the Delta is Iris DeMent's first album of new songs in 16 years. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Iris DeMent's Emotionally Complex 'Sing The Delta'

Fresh Air

Sing the Delta is the roots-folk singer-songwriter's first album of new songs in 16 years.

Iris DeMent's Emotionally Complex 'Sing The Delta'

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