Music

Critic Milo Miles tells us about the work of blues guitarist John Jackson whose latest album is "Front Porch Blues" (Alligator Records). He's also got two vintage collections: "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down" and "Country Blues and Ditties" (Arhoolie Records).

Music critic Ken Tucker reviews the latest CD by country music legend George Jones. Titled "Cold Hard Truth." Jones was involved in a serious car accident in March but is recovering.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews "Play" the latest release of techno-dance music by Moby.

Milo Miles reviews the tribute album "Bleecker Street: Greenwich Village in the 60s." (Astor Place Label).

Singer and songwriter Loudon Wainwright the Third. He has a new CD, "Social Studies," a collection of topical songs, many which were first featured on NPR's Morning Edition. Loudon Wainwright III grew up in the town of Bedford in wealthy Westchester County north of New York City. He became a folk singer/songwriter in the late '60s, singing humorous and autobiographical songs.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Randy Newman's new release "Bad Love" (on the Dreamworks label).

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the new album "Von & Ed" (Delmark) It features tenor saxophonists Von Freeman with Ed Petersen. A cd Whitehead says showcases the generational differences in jazz...between baby boomer Petersen, and Freeman who developed his style in the 1940's.

Music critic Milo Miles comments on a recent concert he went to featuring Brazilian pop singer Caetano Veloso. He's currently touring in the United States promoting his new album "Livro" on the Nonesuch label.

Jazz guitarists Jim Hall and Pat Metheny talk about their recent collaboration on the album "Jim Hall & Pat Mentheny" (Telarc) Hall emerged on the jazz scene in the late 1950's and went on to performed with such artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Art Farmer and Itzhak Perlman. Metheny's recording career took off in the 1970's and became so successful...that Guitar Player magazine called him the "Jazz Voice of the 80s." This newest recording is being hailed as a cross-generational summit of two exceptional jazz guitarists.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new PBS documentary "Uncommon Visionary" about the 20th century Polish-Jewish harpsicord prodigy Wanda Landowska (VAN-da lan-DOV-ska).

Clarinetist Ken Peplowski. The 40-year old jazz musician, has been playing the instrument since the age of 7, and went on to play in Benny Goodman's last band, and in the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (led by Buddy Morrow). Peplowski influences include Goodman, saxophonist Sonny Stitt, the Beatles, and Ornette Coleman He launched a successful solo career in the early 1980s and now has 16 albums to his credit. His latest is "Ken Peplowski: Last Swing of the Century-Big Band Music of Benny Goodman" (Concord Jazz).

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews "Convergence" by Dave Douglas' quintet (Soul Note label)

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz comments on the news that Seiji Ozawa will leave in three years as Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. His tenure which began in 1973 is the longest of any music director currently active with an American orchestra. As for his next job, he says he will take over the Vienna State Opera. Ozawa was born in Shenyang, China.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new CD "Whereabouts" by Canadian singer and songwriter Ron Sexsmith.

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles Hadda Brooks.

American guitarist and composer Ry Cooder. Cooder produced a new CD by Ibrahim Ferrer (ph), one of the singers with the band. A new documentary film called "Buena Vista Social Club," produced by Cooder, tells the story of these musicians.

We remember one of America's great lyricists, Yip Harburg. He wrote over 500 songs including, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "Brother Can You Spare a Dime," and "It's Only a Paper Moon." We talk with his son, Ernie Harburg and his wife Deena Rosenberg. They have collaborated on the new show "Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Yip Harburg's America" which is showing this week in Philadelphia. Rosenberg worked closely with Yip Harburg for nearly a decade including working with him on the early concept of this show. Yip Harburg died in 1981.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews a new collection of previously unreleased material by the late white soul singer Eddie Hinton, "Hard Luck Guy"

Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood who are co-founders of the band "Fountains of Wayne". Their second album "Utopia Parkway" has just been released. (Atlantic) Anchored by the song writing team of Chris and Adam , the New York-based band released its debut album "Radiation Vibe" in late 1996. Now the Fountains are back with "Utopia Parkway," described as a concept album about teenage life in the "Greater Metropolitan Areas" outside of New York City.

Singer Mel Torme died Saturday at age 73 of complications from a stroke. We'll hear an interview Terry Gross did with Mel in 1988. For more than 50 years, Torme was one of most accomplished and versatile pop and jazz singers. Known for years as "The Velvet Fog," Born Melvin Howard Torme to Russian-Jewish immigrants in Chicago on Sept. 13, 1925, Torme first made his reputation in the Big Band era as a songwriter, arranger, drummer and singer. He later sang in MGM musicals.