Discovering New "Shades of Bud Powell"

Arnold Rampersad's biography of the African American poet has been called "a literary event." Despite dedicating his writing to the black experience, Hughes grew up in a largely white community. His more radical work didn't find much of an audience, which led to him adopting a more social-realist style later in his career.

Rhys Chatham is a classically-trained, minimalist composer who incorporates rock influences into his music. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his choice of instrumentation, and the evolution of his work over the years.

Performance group Robert Kaplow and the Punsters stage a radio play with Fresh Air host Terry Gross. Elvis Presley joins the show to talk about the current direction of pop music.