The west coast jazz trumpeter is known for his big band recordings in the 1950s. But he also made records with several smaller ensembles. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new box set collecting those little-heard tracks.
Television critic David Bianculli reviews two shows that wouldn't have been possible on network TV. Steven Banks: Home Entertainment Center succeeds in part because it unfolds uninterrupted, without commercial breaks; cable gives the macabre and funny Tales from the Crypt license to be as violent as it needs to be.
Apelfeld is a Holocaust survivor; his family was sent to a concentration camp, despite their being non-practicing Jews. This history informs much of Apelfeld's work, including his new novel, For Every Sin.
Staples' new album, Time Waits for No One, was produced by Prince. Early in life, she was discouraged from singing secular music, and later co-founded the gospel group The Staples Singers with members of her family.
Book critic Maureen Corrigan is no fan of minimalist literature, which she derides for its familiar, navel-gazing themes. By contrast, she admires T. Coraghesson's expansive, political, and historical fiction. Unfortunately, his approach is better suited to the novel, rather than the short stories in his latest collection, If the River Was Whiskey.
The writer published her first story she was 35; her first novel came out nine years later. Her latest book, Silver, is about marriage, domesticity and suburban life.
After a series of flops, David Bowie returns with a new band called Tin Machine. Rock critic Ken Tucker says they've succeeded in making some very dumb music. He suggests passing on their debut album and checking out the Royal Crescent Mob's Spin the World instead.
Film critic Stephen Schiff says the new, boarding-school themed movie never really allows star Robin Williams to cut loose; the younger actors, while good, exist in a kind of bland never-land. It's a departure from the normal Hollywood summer fare, but audiences will be turned off by the film's self-righteous piety.
Buba is conflicted about the movies he makes about his hometown -- he garners acclaim while Braddock, Pennsylvania counties to decline. His new movie, Lightning over Braddock, is about a steel plant closing, a grifter named Sal, and Buba's own filmmaking.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new live recording of composer Bedrich Smetana's patriotic music, including his oft-performed "Ma Vlast."
Critic Ken Tucker reviews a three-tape release of The Milton Berle Show, a classic variety program known for featuring prominent jazz musicians, among others. Tucker says that some of the humor doesn't hold up, but it's easy to see why Berle was successful.
Joe Frank produces the long-running program Work in Progress, which features improvised monologues and dramatic conversations about his fears and insecurities. Recently, Frank has been drawing inspiration from in-depth interview with his friends.
Joel Forrester and Phillip Johnston founded the NYC-based jazz combo. The group had trouble finding an audience early on, in part because of their unique blending of styles. Forrester and Johnston join Fresh Air to talk about their influences, and the logistics of keeping such a large group together.
Le Carre is the pseudonym of writer David Cromwell, who used to be a spy himself. His newest novel, The Russia House, considers the glasnost reforms of the Soviet Union's Gorbachev administration. Some of Le Carre's past novels include The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Little Drummer Girl, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Halberstam usually covers international affairs. Book critic John Leonard says the writer's new book reveals a boyish fandom for a bygone era of baseball.
Mason completed over a thousand combat missions in Vietnam and later served time for a drug smuggling. His debut memoir, Chickenhawk, found success while he was in prison. Mason's new, science-fiction inspired novel is called Weapon.
The saxophonist's latest album, Nightingale, features sensitive interpretations of spirituals and ballads. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead calls it Adams' most commercial effort yet -- and that's not a bad thing.
TV critic David Bianculli reviews the revamped satirical news show, which swaps prerecorded footage for live interviews and coverage. He says it's a smart move for the seven-year-old program.
The New York-based Hughes is known for her daring, lesbian-themed work. Critic Laurie Stone reviews her newest piece, about the incestual relationship between a mother and daughter.
