Self-professed Ellington fanatic Kevin Whitehead reviews Recollections of the Big Band Era and Piano Duets, both of which, he says, reveal why the composer and pianist was so admired by later jazz innovators like Cecil Taylor.
Part one of the Fresh Air interview with Bob Balaban. He made his directorial debut with Parents, about a suburban family's dark secret. As an actor, he starred in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Absence of Malice.
Vecsey has a new book called A Year in the Sun, about his career in sports journalism. He writes for The New York Times, and covers the lives of athletes both on and off the field.
The new half-hour comedy Nick and Hillary is a reworking of the hour-long barroom drama Tattinger's. TV critic David Bianculli is a fan, though he admits the show's groan-worthy jokes are polarizing.
Political editor for the Boston Globe Ben Bradlee, Jr. has a new book about the National Security official, called Guts and Glory. He joins Fresh Air to discuss North's early life and his forthcoming trial for his involvement in the Iran-Contra affair.
Part 2 of the Fresh Air interview. Crowe talks about how, at 22, he posed as a high school student to research his movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He says youth culture had already changed drastically in the four years since he had graduated, especially with rise of Reagan youth.
Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews Cameron Crowe's directorial debut, about a lovestruck high school graduate, the beautiful overachiever he desires, and her doting father. Schiff says the plot is remarkably similar to The Graduate -- only Say Anything is the better movie.
Part I of the Fresh Air interview with Cameron Crowe. His new movie, Say Anything, is about a young man coming to terms with adult love. The film is Crowe's directorial debut.
Rock critic Ken Tucker says that, with the rise of bad boys and neo-traditionalists in country music, fans and critics have overlooked several accomplished women artists. He reviews new albums by four singers worth checking out.
Drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth are a married couple who comprise the Talking Heads' rhythm section. Despite the band's success, they found it hard to support their two children. To make ends meet, Frantz and Weymouth started a new band called Tom-Tom Club. Their new album is called Boom Boom Chi Boom Boom.
Ken Tucker reviews the home video release of I Wanna Hold Your Hand, about a group of teenage Beatles fans in New Jersey. The film, directed by Robert Zemeckis, was a commercial fop, but Tucker, who says it's insightful without indulging in cliches, hopes it will find a new audience on tape.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new Smithsonian box set of American musicals from throughout the twentieth century. His only complaint is that, with such a wealth of archival material, he wonders why more serious and contemporary music was included.
Small Faces were contemporaries of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, but never reached the same level of fame, in part because they failed to break onto U.S. charts. Rock historian Ed Ward says it's a shame -- they broke up soon after hitting their stride in 1968 -- but the members later found success with Humble Pie and Rod Stewart.
The veteran sports journalist has a new book called The Heart of the Order, which collects his baseball columns from the past five years. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the respectful way he interviews and writes about athletes, managers, and owners -- and how this approach has enriched his reporting.
Christa Wolf's new autobiographical novel juxtaposes the protagonist's worries over her brother's forthcoming brain surgery with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Book critic John Leonard says, despite the book's emotional darkness, Wolf's book is a flicker of light.
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews neo-bop drummer Ralph Peterson's first album as a bandleader. Whitehead praises Peterson's dynamic and energetic approach, particularly in how he backs soloists -- all of whom shine.
Schell rose to prominence for his 1982 book Fate of the Earth, about nuclear disarmament. A former staffer at the New Yorker, he has a new book called Observing the Nixon Years, about the precarious position the United States was in during the Vietnam War.
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, once on NBC, has found new life on the Lifetime network. TV critic David Bianculli says the performance of star Blair Brown is reason enough to tune in.
