The trombonist was a major figure in South Africa's early jazz scene, and an activist after the restrictions imposed by apartheid. In 1988 he was nominated for an Oscar for his theme to Cry Freedom.
The full impact of Spector's musical legacy is impossible to measure without accounting for the creative labor of singers like Darlene Love and the damage Spector's manipulations did to their careers.
Just as soon as you think you have a frame of reference for the Brooklyn band's sound, it swerves into an entirely new direction. Palberta's new album, Palberta5000, comes out Jan. 22.
The cost of 2020 — in lives, livelihoods, legacies and communities — is high and still being tallied. For jazz critic Nate Chinen, all that loss demands change to old ideas of critical objectivity.
2020 was an annus horribilis if there ever was one, writes Francis Davis, the founder of NPR Music's Jazz Critics poll, and much of the year's best jazz carried post-apocalyptic feelings within it.
Half of the top 10 spots in 2019's NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll went to women. But a deeper look at the data from across the poll's lifetime complicates claims about women's equality in jazz.
In Austin, Texas, an accomplished writer and guitarist suffered a devastating stroke. He lost use of his strumming hand. But he still found a way to continue making beautiful music on his guitar.
This fall, the bluegrass supergroup Sister Sadie became the first all-female band ever to win the top prize at the International Bluegrass Music Association awards.
Little Richard saw a depth and possibility for American culture, for black genius, that he could not fully see for himself. It's up to us to continue the work.
What role can hip-hop play in reforming — or entirely dismantling — mass incarceration? Rapper Noname and activist Mariame Kaba joined Louder Than A Riot to discuss making revolution irresistible.
Growing up in a progressive city, Ludwig van Beethoven embraced the ideals of the Enlightenment, the philosophical movement that shook Europe and helped shape the composer's music.
Is it possible to hear the music of 2020 without getting lost in the noise? NPR Music's critic Ann Powers studies a year during which nearly everything about loving music was turned upside down.
Charley Pride was a symbol, ancestor and influence. But the country singer was also a master interpreter of song, his warm baritone attuned to deep emotion.
When rapper Nipsey Hussle was killed in 2019, he was known as an advocate for the people in the neighborhood where he grew up and made his name. But the LAPD couldn't let his gang affiliation go.
To know what tomorrow sounds like, one need only listen to the women in rap today. Our 23-song playlist represents but a handful of the many women rappers who left their mark on 2020.
The great songs of 2020 were as abundant as the rest of the year was a drag. Think of these 100 jams as a silver linings playlist for the worst year of our collective lives.
The great songs of 2020 were as abundant as the rest of the year was a drag. Think of these 100 jams as a silver linings playlist for the worst year of our collective lives.
