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World Cafe WXPN in Philadelphia and host Raina Douris present interviews and performances with today's essential and emerging artists.

World Cafe

Essential and Emerging Artists
Acadiana Music Showcase: Jeffery Broussard & The Nighttime Syndicate

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World Cafe

Acadiana Music Showcase: Jeffery Broussard & The Nighttime Syndicate

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Zydeco veteran Jeffery Broussard teamed up with members of the New Orleans TBC Brass Band and a swing band's rhythm section for Bayou Moonlight, a blend of zydeco, R&B and blues.

World Cafe: Jeffery Broussard

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'It was never taped': There's a missing piece to Montreal's jazz history

Montreal historian Dorothy Williams (left) with World Cafe host Raina Douris. Miguel Perez/WXPN hide caption

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Sense Of Place

'It was never taped': There's a missing piece to Montreal's jazz history

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Historian Dorothy Williams explains why Montreal became a center for jazz music.

World Cafe: Dorothy Williams

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How Elisapie turned 10 classic rock hits into ‘true Inuit songs’

Elisapie's Inuktitut earned the 2025 Juno Award for adult alternative album of the year. Vladim Villain/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Sense Of Place

How Elisapie turned 10 classic rock hits into ‘true Inuit songs’

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The Juno Award-winning Inuit musician, based in Montreal, imbued her favorite childhood songs with new meaning on her covers project, Inuktitut.

World Cafe: Elisapie

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Take a tour of Leonard Cohen's Montreal

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Sense Of Place

Take a tour of Leonard Cohen's Montreal

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Expert guide Ruby Roy has given countless tours of the city for Cohen's fans.

World Cafe: Ruby Roy

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Montreal is home, but Pierre Kwenders' heart is in Kinshasa

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Sense Of Place

Montreal is home, but Pierre Kwenders' heart is in Kinshasa

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Kwenders is the co-founder of Moonshine, a Montreal-based collective that spotlights the culture and music of the African diaspora.

World Cafe: Pierre Kwenders

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Meet the producer behind some of Montreal's finest records

Record producer and audio engineer Howard Bilerman sits in the control room at Hotel2Tango, a recording studio located in Montreal's Mile End neighborhood. Miguel Perez/WXPN hide caption

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Sense Of Place

Meet the producer behind some of Montreal's finest records

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Howard Bilerman went from taping punk shows as a teen to co-founding Hotel2Tango, one of Montreal's most iconic recording studios.

World Cafe: Howard Bilerman

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'DIY will never die': No Joy remembers the heyday of Montreal's Mile End

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Sense Of Place

'DIY will never die': No Joy remembers the heyday of Montreal's Mile End

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Jasamine White-Gluz takes us back to the early aughts, when the city was experiencing a boom of DIY music.

World Cafe: No Joy

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Christian McBride (right) and saxophonist Nicole Glover

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World Cafe

Christian McBride is shepherding the next generation of jazz musicians

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The composer and bandleader talks about his latest album and founding a new group called Ursa Major.

World Cafe: Christian McBride

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'Have I gone too far?': Sarah McLachlan faces her toughest critic on new album

World Cafe

'Have I gone too far?': Sarah McLachlan faces her toughest critic on new album

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The Grammy Award-winning musician is used to playing for big crowds, but there was one person whose opinion mattered more than anyone else's: her eldest daughter.

World Cafe: Sarah McLachlan

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Expect a lot of Puerto Rican pride at Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show

Bad Bunny attends the 2025 Met Gala at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images hide caption

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World Cafe

Expect a lot of Puerto Rican pride at Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show

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Days before Bad Bunny's Super Bowl announcement, World Cafe spoke to Alt.Latino hosts Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras about his 31-date residency in Puerto Rico.

World Cafe: Summer of Bad Bunny

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Little Dragon's Yukimi embraces the feminine on 'For You'
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World Cafe

Little Dragon's Yukimi embraces the feminine on 'For You'

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The Swedish musician branches out into jazz and soul on her debut solo album.

World Cafe:Yukimi mini-concert

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'I don't feel like getting up': Spinal Tap gets real about rocking into your 70s

World Cafe

'I don't feel like getting up': Spinal Tap gets real about rocking into your 70s

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David St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel, of the legendary rock band, talk about their long-awaited reunion, plus what they really think about Paul McCartney.

World Cafe: Spinal Tap

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Adrian Sherwood ponders 'The Collapse of Everything'

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World Cafe

Adrian Sherwood ponders 'The Collapse of Everything'

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The British record producer talks about releasing his first non-collaborative album in 12 years, plus Sherwood looks back on the U.K.'s electrifying dub scene.

World Cafe: Adrian Sherwood

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The Culture Corner: Santana's 'Abraxas' was a blend of musical traditions

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World Cafe

The Culture Corner: Santana's 'Abraxas' was a blend of musical traditions

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World Cafe correspondent John Morrison revisits the rock band's chart-topping sophomore album from 1970.

World Cafe: Culture Corner - Santana

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How Stephen King helped The Beths' Liz Stokes write again

World Cafe

How Stephen King helped The Beths' Liz Stokes write again

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Lead vocalist and songwriter Liz Stokes took pointers from Stephen King's On Writing to get the New Zealand band's creative energy flowing.

World Cafe: The Beths

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Pulp returns with 'More'

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World Cafe

Pulp returns with 'More'

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The British rock band talks about their latest album, More.

World Cafe Words and Music Podcast-09.19.2025

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I'm With Her

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World Cafe

'Refuge in moments of uncertainty': I'm With Her reconvene for another rousing record

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When Aoife O'Donovan, Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz reconnected in 2021, the bluegrass supergroup wasn't intending to make a new album.

World Cafe: I'm With Her

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