Celebrating Sun Ra: The cosmic visionary who transformed jazz music : World Cafe : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast : NPR

1 week, 3 days ago

The Culture Corner: Kendrick Lamar's opus turns 10 years old : World Cafe : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast : NPR

NPR

The Culture Corner: Kendrick Lamar's opus turns 10 years old Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of the artist Courtesy of the artist In 2015, when people took to the streets to protest police brutality and the killing of Black Americans, Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" was among the songs soundtracking the nationwide demonstrations. "Kendrick had clearly hit on the spirit of …

Morrison World Cafe Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar

2 weeks, 2 days ago

'I was shaped by growing up in segregation': Wynton Marsalis on how jazz connects democracy and liberation

BBC

'I was shaped by growing up in segregation': Wynton Marsalis on how jazz connects democracy and liberation 5 days ago Share Save Christopher Luu Share Save Natassja Ebert Wynton Marsalis says his approach to performing was influenced by his father Wynton Marsalis made history when he became the first musician to win classical and jazz Grammy Awards in the same …

Play Marsalis New Orleans Kay His Father Wanted Musicians

1 month ago

Isaiah Collier explores 400 years of Black history — one movement at a time

NPR

Isaiah Collier explores 400 years of Black history — one movement at a time toggle caption Johanna Brinckman For Isaiah Collier, music is more than sound — it's a portal through time. Collier has been developing this work for six years, and its full-length premiere took place at the DuSable Black History Museum in Chicago on Dec. 5, 2024 — …

Music Black History Collier Movement 400 Years Isaiah Collier Sax

1 month, 1 week ago

Celebrating Sylvester: The disco icon who defied all expectations : World Cafe : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast : NPR

NPR

Celebrating Sylvester: The disco icon who defied all expectations Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of the artist Courtesy of the artist February is Black History Month — and each week, all month, World Cafe correspondent John Morrison is here to talk about a different trailblazer and maverick of Black music. These musicians took risks and pushed boundaries, and this …

Morrison World Cafe Sylvester

1 month, 2 weeks ago

Celebrating Betty Davis: The funk vanguard who was 'punk before punk' : World Cafe : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast : NPR

NPR

Celebrating Betty Davis: The funk vanguard who was 'punk before punk' Enlarge this image toggle caption Baron Wolman/Iconic Images Baron Wolman/Iconic Images February is Black History Month — and each week, all month, World Cafe correspondent John Morrison is here to talk about a different trailblazer and maverick of Black music. These musicians took risks and pushed boundaries, and this …

Davis Morrison World Cafe Punk Betty Davis Music Podcast

3 months ago

10 World Cafe sessions we loved in 2024

NPR

10 World Cafe sessions we loved in 2024 toggle caption Photo Illustration by Miguel Perez/Image Credits: Nick Cave - Ian Allen; Charley Crocket - Ryan Vestil; Sampha - Jesse Crankson; Lizzie No - Cole Nielsen; Waxahatchee - Molly Matalon/Photos courtesy of the artists If we had to sum up World Cafe's guests in 2024 using one word, it'd be "history." …

Music World Studio Album 2024 World Cafe Nick Cave

4 months, 2 weeks ago

I Worked At Vibe Magazine For 17 Years. Here's What I Learned From Quincy Jones.

Huff Post

Mega-producer Quincy Jones, who died Sunday at the age of 91, was "on a special mission his entire life," writes the author. “How come it didn’t happen earlier?” he joked with Scott Poulson-Bryant — the brilliant young staff writer who came up with the magazine’s oh-so-evocative name, Vibe — in the November 1995 cover story. Instead of goosebumps, Vibe sparked …

Music Life Thriller Black Getty Images Great Ross

4 months, 3 weeks ago

Mondo Cozmo on his latest album, 'It's PRINCIPLE!' : World Cafe : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast : NPR

NPR

Mondo Cozmo on his latest album, 'It's PRINCIPLE!' Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of the artist Courtesy of the artist "Wild Horses" "It's PRINCIPLE!" "Angels" "New Salvation" Last time World Cafe spoke with Josh Ostrander, who performs as Mondo Cozmo, he was recounting how he accidentally put his hand through a plate glass window. His new album, It's PRINCIPLE!, …

World Cafe Cafe World Mondo Cozmo

6 months ago

Tune in to a mini-concert with The Dip : World Cafe : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast : NPR

NPR

Tune in to a mini-concert with The Dip Enlarge this image toggle caption Paige Walter/WXPN Paige Walter/WXPN Set List "Doing the Thing" "Paddle to the Stars" "Love Direction" "Sure Don't Miss You" When The Dip shows up, things get fun and funky. The Seattle band first got together just over a decade ago at the University of Washington, combining a …

World Cafe Dip Cafe Words

7 months, 2 weeks ago

When the world gets too loud, Jack Antonoff turns to Bleachers : World Cafe : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast : NPR

NPR

When the world gets too loud, Jack Antonoff turns to Bleachers Set List "What'd I Do With All This Faith" "We're Gonna Know Each Other Forever" "Dream of Mickey Mantle" "Nothing Is U" "Wild Heart" "I Wanna Get Better" The internet seems to have a lot of opinions about Jack Antonoff's production style. "Almost everything I've ever read about myself …

World World Cafe Jack Antonoff Antonoff Bleachers

8 months, 3 weeks ago

Can jazz clubs survive in L.A.? The supergroup SML sure hopes so

LA Times

The debut album from the L.A. jazz supergroup SML is a thrilling elegy for a dead nightclub. “It’s super important to have that gathering place with a sense of stability to have a creative music community,” said Jeff Parker, a guitarist and jazz professor at the California Institute of the Arts. But I do wonder if people are priced out …

Music Venue Live Clubs Venues Eta Chiu

9 months ago

Pop Music's First Black Stars : Throughline

NPR

Pop Music's First Black Stars Today, the U.S. popular music industry is worth billions of dollars. You may not have heard their names, but Black musicians like George Johnson, Ernest Hogan, and Mamie Smith were some of the country's first viral sensations, working within and pushing back against racist systems and tropes. Their work made a lasting imprint on American …

Black Pop Music

9 months ago

The Culture Corner: How Cibo Matto quietly influenced New York in the '90s : World Cafe : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast : NPR

NPR

The Culture Corner: How Cibo Matto quietly influenced New York in the '90s Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of the artist Courtesy of the artist Set List "Working for Vacation" "Spoon" "Stone" At the tail end of the '90s, a duo of New York-based Japanese expats called Cibo Matto released their sophomore album, Stereo Type A. While the album …

New York Morrison World Cafe Cibo Matto

10 months, 2 weeks ago

The free jazz ensemble known as Black Twitter, and how it became the subject of a new docuseries

LA Times

Collective improvisation is a Black technology. A new docuseries on Hulu, “Black Twitter: A People’s History,” traces the path that the free jazz ensemble that is Black Twitter took in becoming an arbiter of cultural shifts time and again, a harbor of soft but insistent vigilantism. 143 — a number that first earned significance as the late ’90s pager code …

Love Black Beyoncé Way Cia Twitter Series

11 months ago

The Culture Corner: Soul II Soul made waves on both sides of the Atlantic : World Cafe : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast : NPR

NPR

The Culture Corner: Soul II Soul made waves on both sides of the Atlantic Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of the artist Courtesy of the artist Set List "Jazzie's Groove" "Keep on Movin' " "Back to Life " When the British music collective Soul II Soul released their debut album, it made an impact on both sides of the …

Soul Morrison Both Sides World Cafe Soul Ii Soul

1 year ago

8 Tracks: Viral jazz, fantasy metal and a springtime roséwave jam

NPR

8 Tracks: Viral jazz, fantasy metal and a springtime roséwave jam Enlarge this image toggle caption PETER LueDERS/Courtesy of the artist PETER LueDERS/Courtesy of the artist 8 Tracks is your antidote to the algorithm. A couple years ago, WRTI's Nate Chinen wrote about "viral jazz" — think DOMi & JD Beck, Jacob Collier and Louis Cole. Sponsor Message This week …

Jazz Youtube Black Sabbath 8 Tracks Fantasy Metal Castle Rat Viral Jazz

1 year, 7 months ago

Jon Batiste goes galaxy-building with ambitious new album ‘World Music Radio’

Associated Press

NEW YORK — How do you top a five-time Grammy Award-winning album that had critics applauding its rich blend of R&B, hip-hop, swing, jazz and pop? “World Music Radio,” out Friday, isn’t just a sonic trip, it’s also a mesmerizing way to dial into Batiste’s eclectic and wide musicality, with songs switching sounds midway and lyrics layered with symbolisms and …

Music World Radio Album Batiste World Music World Music Radio

1 year, 7 months ago

Celebrities pay tribute to ‘visionary’ Clarence Avant following death age 92

The Independent

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Music Age Statement Clarence Avant Clarence Avant

1 year, 7 months ago

Clarence Avant saluted by Obamas, Clintons, Questlove: ‘Skillful, savvy, warm, and wise’

LA Times

Clarence Avant, the influential music industry veteran and record producer known as “the Black Godfather,” was saluted Monday as a savvy dealmaker whose wisdom and compassion influenced generations of musicians — and politicians. “We give thanks for his long, good life and our decades of friendship, and we’re grateful that his legacy will endure — in the music he helped …

Life Black Music Industry Statement Los Angeles Instagram Wrote

1 year, 7 months ago

How New York’s jazz scene is getting more accessible

The Independent

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Items currently on display include Armstrong’s FBI file, the passport used for his first UK tour, a brick from the …

Travel Jazz New York House York Louis Queens

2 years, 10 months ago

The Dip pulls from soul, R&B, pop and rock to make a sound that's all its own : World Cafe : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast : NPR

NPR

The Dip pulls from soul, R&B, pop and rock to make a sound that's all its own Enlarge this image toggle caption Paige Walter/WXPN Paige Walter/WXPN Set List "Sleep On It" "Paddle to the Stars" "Crickets" "Real Contender" Recently, the home station of World Cafe, WXPN in Philadelphia, hosted a music and radio convention with a lot of showcases featuring …

World Cafe Dip Cafe Words Wxpn

2 years, 11 months ago

Robert Glasper talks ‘Black Radio III,’ reclaiming jazz

Associated Press

New York — Acclaimed musician Robert Glasper’s magic-infused fingers have touched everything from jazz to hip-hop to R&B, and now he’s included TV series music on his resume by co-scoring the new shows “Bel-Air” and “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” The pianist’s musicianship can’t be trapped in any one category — and that’s how he prefers it. …

Music Black Jazz Radio Musician Album Glasper

2 years, 11 months ago

Robert Glasper talks 'Black Radio III,' reclaiming jazz

The Independent

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Acclaimed musician Robert Glasper’s magic-infused fingers have touched …

Radio Album Glasper Jazz Musician Reclaiming Jazz Black Radio Iii Black Radio

3 years, 1 month ago

Joe Rogan: India Arie says she’s removing music from Spotify because of ‘problematic language around race’

The Independent

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Grammy Award-winning musician India Arie …

Music White Covid Sign Free Joe Joe Rogan

4 years ago

Bruno Mars responds to claim he is a ‘cultural thief’

The Independent

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Bruno Mars has responded to …

Mars Bruno Mars

4 years, 2 months ago

The 2020 Jazz Critics Poll: It's After The End Of The World

NPR

The 2020 Jazz Critics Poll: It's After The End Of The World Enlarge this image toggle caption David Lobato/Courtesy of the artist David Lobato/Courtesy of the artist If you're old enough, you might recall the comic Godfrey Cambridge from late-night television in the 1960s, when he was one of a new wave of black stand-ups who, though addressing racial issues …

Music World Jazz Latin End 2020 Braxton

4 years, 5 months ago

In Lara Downes' New Series, Black Musicians Rise To A Pivotal Moment

NPR

In Lara Downes' New Series, Black Musicians Rise To A Pivotal Moment Enlarge this image toggle caption Areon Mobasher/Courtesy of the artists Areon Mobasher/Courtesy of the artists How can a moment of protest and isolation inspire creative rebirth? That's the question renowned pianist Lara Downes is exploring as the host of a new video series for NPR Music, simply titled …

Music Black Artists Think Things Sponsor Message Moment

4 years, 5 months ago

'A Chance Of A Great Spiritual Awakening': Rhiannon Giddens Talks With Lara Downes

NPR

'A Chance Of A Great Spiritual Awakening': Rhiannon Giddens Talks With Lara Downes In the 1920s, a renaissance happened in Harlem. Welcome to Amplify With Lara Downes, where you can eavesdrop on my intimate conversations with visionary Black musicians who share what they're making in this time of transformation — of reckoning, reimagining and maybe rebirth. When we got home, …

Music Black This Time Rhiannon Black Artists Spiritual Awakening Rhiannon Giddens

5 years, 2 months ago

How To Like Jazz, For The Uninitiated

NPR

How To Like Jazz, For The Uninitiated Enlarge this image toggle caption Bob Daugherty/AP Bob Daugherty/AP This new year, how about some new music? Sponsor Message YouTube On the idea that jazz is your grandparents' music Well, there's been a lot recorded since then. But keep in mind, too, that jazz was America's popular music at one point in the …

Music Jazz Listen

5 years, 3 months ago

'Jazz Night In America' Remembers Artists We Lost In 2019

NPR

'Jazz Night In America' Remembers Artists We Lost In 2019 Enlarge this image toggle caption Jason Davis/Getty Images Jason Davis/Getty Images Just over 40 years ago, Joseph Jarman published a book of poetry that opens with a chant: "we pray o God / for the ego / death." The radiant singer Ethel Ennis, known as Baltimore's First Lady of Jazz, …

Joseph Jarman

5 years, 5 months ago

Stream An Interview On The Revival Of Jazz In Black Music : All Songs Considered : NPR

NPR

The 2010s: A Jazz Revival In Black Music Advisory: The audio on this page contains profanity toggle caption Peter Van Breukelen/Redferns/Getty Images Robert Glasper began the 2010s on a mission. He'd ended the previous decade with an album called Double Booked, which made a selling point out of his straddling of two worlds — acoustic jazz piano on one side, …

Jazz Black Music

5 years, 6 months ago

World Cafe Nashville: A New Music Roundup

NPR

World Cafe Nashville: A New Music Roundup Enlarge this image toggle caption Nolan Knight/Courtesy of the artist Nolan Knight/Courtesy of the artist Nashville's star-making machine has been the subject of countless articles, several films and six seasons of a prime-time soap opera — but there are plenty of emerging music-makers who operate at the fringes of that world, or well …

Music Nashville Artist Pop

5 years, 7 months ago

World Cafe Nashville: A New Music Roundup

NPR

World Cafe Nashville: A New Music Roundup Enlarge this image toggle caption Misael Arriaga/Courtesy of the artist Misael Arriaga/Courtesy of the artist In the pop music world, artists' windows of opportunity to break through seem shorter than ever. After celebrating a historic Nashville studio space earlier this decade, he's now made his Memphis album, Close To Home, whose track "Big …

Music Album Nashville Youtube Pop Lillie Mae

5 years, 9 months ago

Review: ‘The Black Godfather’ Clarence Avant and the art of wielding power with honor

LA Times

If your currency as a documentary subject lay in the number of heavyweights taking time to sing your praises on camera with twinkles in each one’s eyes, then music industry executive Clarence Avant may be, like George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the richest man in town. A poor kid from Depression-era North Carolina who rose to become a …

Art Black Clarence Avant

6 years, 1 month ago

A Sprawling Blueprint For Protest Music, Courtesy Of The Jazz Duke

NPR

A Sprawling Blueprint For Protest Music, Courtesy Of The Jazz Duke Enlarge this image toggle caption John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images This story is part of American Anthem, a yearlong series on songs that rouse, unite, celebrate and call to action. "There's a lot of songs that I think the novice jazz listener could really latch onto …

Black Jazz Duke Think American Mcbride Come

7 years, 2 months ago

Our Top Discoveries From globalFEST 2018

NPR

Our Top Discoveries From globalFEST 2018 ADVISORY: This episode contains profanity toggle caption Courtesy of the artists Not matter how much of a music geek you may be, globalFEST is a music festival of discovery for everyone. This year's festival featured extraordinary Congolese music from Jupiter & Okwess, Brazilian avant-pop from Ava Rocha, a twist on traditional Irish music from …

Music

7 years, 6 months ago

How jazz is becoming the sound of resistance once again

Salon

Vivid piano chords begin the song, sonically stomping in a display of defiance. As well-known music journalist Greg Tate writes, they are "the Black Power flower children of the Black Lives Matter era." "Our relationship with this country has always been documented through how the music changes," jazz pianist Jason Moran told the New York Times. The scholar Larry Neal, …

Music Sound Black Genre Washington Musical Generation

8 years, 1 month ago

The mysterious origins of jazz

BBC

The mysterious origins of jazz EJ Bellocq The anniversary of the first jazz recording 100 years ago also marks the beginning of debates that are still ongoing, writes Christian Blauvelt. Wikipedia The Original Dixieland Jass Band’s Livery Stable Blues was the first jazz recording but their later song Tiger Rag would be more influential That would be a remarkable milestone …

Music Black Jazz Caribbean New York New Orleans Original

10 years, 9 months ago

Jon Batiste gives jazz a loose interpretation

LA Times

Though his music is steeped in the sound of New Orleans, keyboardist Jon Batiste may be better described as a community organizer than a jazz musician. “The music serves as something to break those barriers and bring people together from different backgrounds.” In one recent YouTube video, Batiste led an impromptu parade from a recent performance at New York City’s …

Music Jazz Album Band Jon Batiste Batiste Gives

10 years, 9 months ago

It's the Jazz time of the year

The Hindu

The first feature length talkie The Jazz Singer was a cinematic pioneer, quite akin to the energy and excitement created by the phenomenal Louis Banks and his jazz troupe on the first day of the annual The Jazz Music Festival held this past weekend at the Walk-Courtyard, Phoenix Market City in Velachery. Louiz presented an upbeat track – Monk wears …

Music Jazz Louiz

11 years, 5 months ago

Best Sessions Of 2013: Wayne Kramer

NPR

Wayne Kramer On World Cafe Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of the artist Courtesy of the artist Playlist "I'm Free" by The Who "Ramblin' Rose" by MC5 "Kick Out The Jams" by MC5 This segment, from Oct. 22, is part of our Best Of 2013 series, in which we revisit some of our most memorable interviews and performances of …

Kramer Wayne Kramer

12 years, 2 months ago

The best music of 2012: Jazz

The Independent

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Forty years in the making, …

12 years, 3 months ago

John Mayer On World Cafe

NPR

John Mayer On World Cafe Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of the artist Courtesy of the artist SET LIST "Queen Of California" "Shadow Days" "Born And Raised" Becoming a rock star has major implications — just ask John Mayer. The attention in turn attracts trouble, but Mayer, who has just released his fifth solo studio album, tries to take …

World Cafe Mayer John Mayer

12 years, 5 months ago

CMJ 2012: Discoveries Day Two

NPR

CMJ 2012: Discoveries Day Two 1 of 0 i View slideshow My day started so pretty and got so raunchy. YouTube Wooden Indian Burial Ground are from Portland, Ore. and were the rare breed of psychedelic garage music that rises above the mediocrity of most bands making this sort of music these days and gets me remembering why I've loved …

Music Cmj

13 years ago

Discover Portland's Music Scene

NPR

Discover Portland's Music Scene Playlist Tarkio, "Keep Me Awake" The Dandy Warhols, "Bohemian Like You" The Decembrists, "July, July" The Shins, "New Slang" Excerpt From Portlandia, "Put A Bird On It" In this special World Cafe broadcast, we explore a side of Portland, Ore. with The Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy. The band came together in 2000, undoubtedly influenced by the …

Portland Music Scene Meloy Decemberists

13 years, 6 months ago

Cults On World Cafe

NPR

Cults On World Cafe Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of the artist Courtesy of the artist Set List "Abducted" "Know What I Mean" "Go Outside" "Oh My God" Cults began as a bedroom recording collaboration between guitarist Brian Oblivion and singer Madeline Follin. When their first single, "Go Outside," went viral in the indie blogosphere, the Brooklyn-based duo became …

World Cafe Cults Cafe Interview

13 years, 7 months ago

TV On The Radio On World Cafe

NPR

TV On The Radio On World Cafe Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of the artist Courtesy of the artist Set List "Caffeinated Consciousness" "Will Do" "Red Dress" "Province" "Repetition" Brooklyn band TV on the Radio are simply one of the biggest acts in rock music today. This April, TV on the Radio released Nine Types of Light, its fourth …

Radio World Cafe

14 years, 3 months ago

A Brief History of Spaced-Out Rockers

Wired

As the book of Spielberg states, when aliens eventually decide we're worthy of contact, they'll do it through music. 1936: Jazz composer Sun Ra undergoes a "spiritual enlightening" in which he envisions being snatched by aliens and transported to Saturn. 1974: Aliens reportedly visit New York and give John Lennon a strange metallic egg. 2010: Yo-Landi Vi$$er of Die Antwoord …

Music Alien Aliens

Celebrating Sun Ra: The cosmic visionary who transformed jazz music : World Cafe : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast : NPR

History of this topic

The Black Roots Of Rock And Roll: Part 1 : World Cafe : World Cafe Words and Music Podcast : NPR

Discover Related