BBC music broadcaster Stephen Johnson's remarkably diverse aesthetic and personal sensitivity are on full display in his new book on the Russian composer's music — and his own personal struggles. Continue Reading BOOK REVIEW: Read More
Music
Hailing from Anchorage, Alaska, Christopherson is a thoughtful songwriter with a powerful sense of perspective. Continue Reading Don’t ‘Erase Me’ Says Quinn Christopherson In Winning NPR’s 2019 Tiny Desk Read More
Aisha Fukushima has a story to tell about hip-hop and rap, but it’s not the only story there is. Fukushima, a 2009 graduate of Whitman College in Walla Walla, returns May 19 to share this story and her world-wide journey as an artist and activist as Whitman’s 2019 commencement speaker.
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Now 88 years old, Cuba's musical matriarch wants to perform for audiences until she dies. "What I have left to live for is smiles," Portuondo says. Continue Reading Cuban Diva Omara Portuondo Feels As Strong As Ever On ‘Last Read More
The video is a true tear-jerker, driving home the song's rawest emotions by depicting motherhood's joys and drudgery with equal affection and care. Continue Reading ‘The Mother’ From Northwest Native Brandi Read More
Petty's song has been used by striking workers in defiance, by political candidates to show grit, on national stages in the aftermath of tragedy. We asked what "I Won't Back Down" means to you. Continue Reading American Anthem: Tom Read More
Steve Inskeep speaks with superstar pianist Lang Lang about his new album, Piano Book, a reexamination of the classical music repertory he learned as child. Continue Reading From A Piano Virtuoso, A Classical Album To Accompany Read More
New Orleans has a fairly spotty track record when it comes to preserving cultural landmarks, but Buddy Bolden's blighted former residence may avoid being lost to time, as he nearly was. Continue Reading Preserving The New Read More
In Melbourne for its eighth iteration, the All-Star Global Concert brought together marquee names in jazz around a concert program of international, but borderless, collaboration. Continue Reading Herbie Hancock Aims All-Star Jazz Day Read More
Smithsonian Folkways archivist and Pete Seeger expert Jeff Place talks about Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection, due out on what would have been Seeger's 100th birthday. Continue Reading Folk Singer Pete Read More
One of the three gorgeous voices at the heart of Mountain Man, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig releases her first solo album, Dawnbreaker, on June 28. Hear the title track. Continue Reading Mountain Man Singer Reinvents Herself In Solo Act, Read More
The Dentsu Aegis Network, which had been funding the ambitious, three-day 50th-anniversary music festival with headliners including Jay-Z and Santana, says that the August event will not happen. Continue Reading Woodstock 50 Canceled By Its InvestorsRead More
The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge became a household name in 2016, not for its beautiful scenery or because 300 bird species flock there, but because a militant, anti-government group had taken over headquarters for 41 days, leading to a fatal shooting. Three years later, an Oregon symphony offers music as healing. Read More
"Hello Sunshine," the first single from Bruce Springsteen's upcoming album Western Stars, shares the same melancholy space as early '70s ballads by Jimmy Webb and Kris Kristofferson. Continue Reading Bruce Springsteen Finds A New Sound By Read More
The acclaimed Concertgebouw Orchestra issued a warmly worded statement Tuesday saying its disagreements with the conductor have been resolved by both parties. Continue Reading Top Dutch Orchestra And Ousted Conductor Daniele Read More
There's a grainy video of the first time Nirvana played "Smells Like Teen Spirit" live, at a small club in Seattle in April 1991. Nirvana was largely unknown outside of punk and indie rock circles in the Pacific Northwest. The band hadn't even recorded the song yet, which meant that nearly everybody in the room was hearing it for the very first time. Still, the reaction Read More
Chief organist Olivier Latry looks ahead at the church's extensive renovation process after the Notre Dame cathedral fire on April 15. Continue Reading After The Flames, Notre Dame’s Centuries-Old Organ May Never Be The Same Read More
NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Christian McBride of Jazz Night in America about the forgotten all-female big bands that toured the United States during World War II. Continue Reading Remembering The All-Female Big Bands That Read More
The young composer's opera, which debuted at the Los Angeles Opera, was inspired by her own experience as a survivor of sexual assault. Continue Reading Readjusting Your Opera Reality: Ellen Reid Wins Music Pulitzer For ‘P r i Read More
The famed musician and current chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame talks to NPR about a recent letter he and many other songwriters sent to the head of Spotify. Continue Reading ‘Songwriters Are Not Treated Read More
The song was everywhere during the 1967 gatherings in San Francisco. After it was used in a public service announcement, it became an anthem for the rest of the world. Continue Reading American Anthem: Beyond The Read More
Nézet-Séguin uses every part of his body when he conducts — including his eyes, eyebrows, shoulders and feet. He's the music director at New York's Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Continue Reading Fresh Air: Read More
Written by a feminist poet who struggled with bouts of depression, the song is an aspirational counterpoint to "The Star-Spangled Banner" — calling on America to use its riches for the common good. Continue Reading Read More
Nirvana's Kurt Cobain died 25 years ago Friday. The band's former manager Danny Goldberg discusses his memories of Cobain and his new book, Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain. Continue Reading Reflecting On Kurt Read More
World Cafe premieres this tightly syncopated groove from Gilfillian which draws on the vibes of '70s Afro-rock and funk. Continue Reading World Cafe: Devon Gilfillian Puts His Love Of Nigerian Psychedelic Read More
On his new album titled c.1300-c.2000, the pianist begins with a medieval song by Machaut and ends with an étude by Philip Glass. Continue Reading A Musical Odyssey Through 7 Centuries Of Music With Jeremy DenkRead More
The New York State Supreme Court dismissed most of the fallen music director's claims against the Metropolitan Opera and its general manager, Peter Gelb. Even so, both sides are claiming victory. Continue Reading Majority Of James Read More
It's not enough to say the Bruce Springsteen hit is misunderstood. Its contrasts — between grim verses and a joyous chorus, damning facts and fierce pride — are what give it its anthemic power. Continue Reading American Read More
The newly disclosed sale agreement of Westminster Choir College to a conglomerate partly owned by the Chinese government appears to state that the prospective owners can close the school at any time. Continue Read More
Join KJEM 89.9FM in Pullman at the Gladish Auditorium, April 11th, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. Jazz Night spotlights local to the Palouse groups Jazz Wires and Fatt Jazz. No ticket or RSVP required! Simply show up, kick back, and relax with this free community concert. In the meantime, enjoy some KJEM Jazz online right here.… Read More
The former member of The Walker Brothers and singer of "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" was also one of experimental music's most beloved composers. Continue Reading Scott Walker, Pop Idol Turned Avant Auteur, Dies At 76Read More
The bill for Woodstock 50 has been announced featuring acts like Imagine Dragons, Jay-Z and Miley Cyrus. The lineup is prompting conversation online. NPR Music's Stephen Thompson weighs in. Continue Reading Can Woodstock 50 ‘Re-Create The Read More
The jazz legend and barrier breaker was born on March 17, 1919 in Montgomery, Ala. Continue Reading Nat King Cole Still Remains ‘One Of The Great Gifts Of Nature’ 100 Years LaterRead More
The DIVA Jazz Orchestra celebrates 25 years, and one of the last surviving members of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm reflects on the legacies of all-female big bands. Continue Reading No Man’s Band: All-Female Jazz Orchestras Then and Read More
Woody Guthrie was born into the Dust Bowl's devastation and displacement. His signature song, taught in classrooms and sung at protests, offers an expansive, inclusive idea of what home can be. Continue Reading American Anthem: Read More
Composer Austin Schlichting was raised in Bellingham and currently works as a music educator in Lacey. Last year, he partnered with the Olympia Symphony to write and premier a new piece celebrating the Orchestra's 65th Anniversary. His new work for the Olympia Symphony is Nisqually River Run: A Fanfare to the Pacific Northwest. Read More
In the book Speaking of Alabama, an essay by linguistics professor Catherine Davies calls "y'all" a speech "improvement" — at least when referring to the plural second person. Continue Reading Y’all Heard? An Argument For The Great Southern Read More
To mark the sesquicentennial of the composer's death — and a new box set of recordings — Berlioz biographer David Cairns celebrates the one-time musical misfit from France. Continue Reading At 92, The Man Who Wrote The Book Read More
The black British singer grew up loving American country music. Now, she's living out her Americana dreams with her debut full-length, Walk Through Fire. Continue Reading Yola Combines Softness And Grit In Her Virtuosic View Of Read More
A spokesman for Ohio's Cuyahoga County Public Library said there are no hard feelings about the extreme delay and the return sets a good example. "We just want our stuff back," Robert Rua said. Continue Reading Good Day Sunshine: 1968 Read More
Scott Simon speaks with Hozier about his latest album, Wasteland, Baby! Continue Reading 5 Years After Taking Us To Church, Hozier Brings You To A ‘Wasteland, Baby!’ In Sophomore AlbumRead More
André Previn died Thursday morning in Manhattan. He was a composer of Oscar-winning film music, conductor, pianist and music director of major orchestras. Continue Reading André Previn, Musical Polymath, Conductor And Read More
The Swedish composer is the link between Childish Gambino's "This is America," the Grammys' song and record of the year, and Black Panther, now an Oscar winner for best original score. Continue Reading How A Swede Named Read More
Children's writer, Patrick Carman, self publishes his latest book, Towervale, which is LitRPG. Continue Reading The Quest for Children’s Literacy with LitRPG and Patrick CarmanRead More
A review of Northwest author Jeff Jone's latest work, "Bloodshot Stories." Continue Reading A Memory Box of Craft: Moscow Writer Jeff P. JonesRead More
Though often associated with the Vietnam War, Buffalo Springfield's signature song was inspired by a confrontation back home, which erupted on a few famous blocks in Los Angeles. Continue Reading American Anthem: How Read More
The mayor of Cremona, Italy, blocked traffic during five weeks of recording and asked residents to please keep quiet so master musicians could play four instruments — note by note — for posterity. Continue Reading An Italian Town Read More
How did Samuel Barber's stirring, lush work for strings — music that has become America's semi-official music of mourning — morph into a beloved and endlessly remixed dance floor anthem? Continue Reading American Anthem: Read More
Bob Dylan has called Izzy Young's Folklore Center "the citadel of Americana folk music." It was at the center of the folk music revival in New York City in the 1950s and '60s. Young died Feb. 4 at 90. Continue Reading Izzy Young, Center To The Folk Music Read More
After last year's Grammys, the president of the Recording Academy said that women needed to "step up" in the business. Women and men in the business pushed back, but what's actually changed? Continue Reading A Year After The #MeToo Grammys, Read More
