Music

A look back at Motian, who died last week at the age of 80, with highlights from a 2006 interview. Motian played with Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett before becoming a bandleader himself.

Owens may be best known as the smiling country singer who co-hossted Hee Haw, but he also sang original tunes. A new collection, Buck Owens: Bound for Bakersfield, goes back to the days before Owens made it big.

The psychedelic band has a complex legacy that goes beyond its big hit, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," critic Milo Miles says. A newly released concert recording from 1968 provides the best chance in decades for a fresh look at Iron Butterfly.

Rowan got his start performing with the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe. In the '70s, he formed the band Old and in the Way with Jerry Garcia. Now, he joins his group for an in-studio session and interview on Fresh Air.

O'Neal's Whirling Mantis is named for a defensive move in karate. The martial-arts reference suggests one way to look at how O'Neal's music operates: The players react to each other's moves, deflecting one another in stylized interaction.

Colley's not from Kansas, but his music fits the wide-open flatlands, where you can see the weather coming on. Bill Frisell, Brian Blade and Ralph Alessi breathe life into the frameworks the bassist builds on Empire.

Kevin Whitehead says this Davis quintet was consistently amazing, not least on its last big tour.

Kevin Whitehead looks at genre-bending new albums by Pablo Aslan and Sao Paulo Underground.

Four the Record is Miranda Lambert's first new collection of songs after her 2009 album Revolution. Since then, Lambert has quickly become one of Nashville's most prominent stars. But rock critic Ken Tucker says Lambert is still not a typical country act.

The out-of-print and much-coveted album combines a dramatically spare sound with a heavy backbeat.