Fred Ho is a first-generation Chinese immigrant sax player who incorporates Asian melodies into his ensemble work. Carlo Actis Dato's music has a distinct Italian folk flare. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says their recent albums are irresistible.
Hidalgo and Perez's Los Angeles-based band fuses traditional Mexican music with more straightforward rock. Their new album is called The Neighborhood, which is inspired by the different cultural communities of their home city.
Rock critic Ken Tucker says that the album Graffiti Bridge, which is also the soundtrack for an upcoming film, is a return to form for the artist, with simple, straightforward songs with strong hooks.
Elmes has been working with the director since Lynch's first film, Eraserhead. He joins Fresh Air to talk about their visual, technical and narrative approach to moviemaking.
After serving in the Vietnam War, Peacock sought solace in nature. While camping in the woods, he had several encounters with grizzly bears. He wrote about his observations of the animals in his new book, Grizzly Years.
Stephen Schiff reviews the new operatic, gothic action movie directed by Sam Raimi. He says it may not live up to its lofty, Phantom of the Opera-like pretensions, but he praises the film for its comic book-like exuberance.
Harrison has new collection of novellas, called The Woman Lit by Fireflies. He lives in relative isolation with his family on a farm in upstate Michigan.
Scientist Zhores Mevedvev was the first scientist in the West to determine that the Soviet Union suffered a nuclear accident in 1957, three decades before Chernobyl. He has a new book called "The Legacy of Chernobyl," about the latter disaster -- which contributed to the Soviet Union's glasnost and perestroika reforms. Medvedev's father was exiled from Russia; Medvedev himself faced persecution for his research and activism.
With fellow reporter Jerry Bishop, Michael Waldholz has written a new book, called Genome. It covers recent developments in gene therapy and explores the controversy surrounding the human genome project. Waldholz is a staff writer for the Wall Street Journal.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says Russell Sherman's performances of these compositions are both technically accomplished and narratively powerful. A new recording has been released by the Albany Records label.
Since 1987, Maya has been performing his one-man show at clubs and performance spaces, mostly around New York. His style of observational humor focuses on his suburbia, current events, and gay politics. Maya came out publicly this year; he believes its important to emphasize his identity in his act to boost representation of gay people in popular culture.
The author of The Satanic Versus has been in hiding due to threats on his life. He's written a new essay, published in Granta and separately as a pamphlet, about his life since then, and his evolving perspectives on literature and religion. Maureen Corrigan has this review.
The early rock singer had a few big hits in 1957. By 1959, after a series of flops, he was washed up. What followed included jail time for a drug-related crimes and, eventually, death by a gunshot wound that may have been self-inflicted. Rock historian Ed Ward has this profile.
Norman's book, called the Psychology of Everyday Life, is about the effect of poor industrial design has on our interactions with new and familiar technology. He says not enough consumers complain; without their influence, corporations will continue to produce difficult-to-use products.
Brown joins Fresh Air to discuss the mechanics of filmmaking, and the impact the success of Jaws had on his career. His wife is Helen Gurley Brown; they work together on the women's magazine Cosmopolitan. David Brown's memoir is called Let Me Entertain You.
New York Times journalist Timothy West says that cities in the region like Seattle strike a successful balance between urban centers and the natural world. His new book about his travels throughout the Pacific Northwest is called The Good Rain.
In anticipation of the new season, networks have been trying to one-up with each other with pilots of new shows. TV critic David Bianculli says NBC's Parenthood is the best of the bunch, while Hull High can't compete.
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead thinks there's nothing better than Duke Ellington's masterful compositions, arrangements, and performances. He reviews two new CDs he thinks are particularly excellent.
