Music

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the record curated by Roseanne Cash, whose own contribution sets a high standard for the album.

World music critic Milo Miles surveys the work of Caetano Veloso. Miles says that, of the musician's many albums, each features both knockout songs and slow bores. But that doesn't diminish from his cultural impact -- and ever improving output.

Cage died yesterday at the age of 79. The New York Times wrote that Cage "started a revolution by proposing that composers could jettison the musical language that had evolved over the last seven centuries, and in doing so he opened the door to Minimalism, performance art and virtually every other branch of the musical avant-garde." His compositions include spoken texts, radios, toys and the sounds of vegetables being chopped. In honor of his passing, we present highlights of his 1982 interview with Terry Gross.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording by the Lydian String Quartet, featuring some of the late composer's chamber music.

Rock historian Ed Ward fills us in on the whereabouts of the eccentric musician Arthur Brown, known for his sole hit, "Fire." Brown just happens to live in the same Austin neighborhood as Ward.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews two new albums, one by the Black Crowes, and the other by the former drummer for the Replacements, Chris Mars. The Crowes can't break free from their 70s influences, but Mars uses his to shape something all his own.

Feuer co-produced the original "Guys & Dolls" on Broadway, which is currently in revival. He also produced 11 other Broadway musicals with Ernest Martin, including "Can-Can," "The Boyfriend," and "Silk Stockings." They also produced the film versions of "Cabaret," and "A Chorus Line."

When the hit rap song "The Message," by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, came out ten years ago, many rappers were inspired by its political message. Now "The New Message," an updated version has been released. Melle Mel was featured on both songs. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the direction of rap music today.

When he was 3 years old, Roach was taken from his Aboriginal family and placed with a white family, as part of an Australian assimilation program intended to dilute the aboriginal population. The policy, common practice until 1964, was neither publicized nor explained. At 14, he ran away to find his natural family, and spent ten years on the streets, mostly in Melbourne. He sang first for friends, and then was invited to sing in clubs and on radio. "Charcoal Lane," his acclaimed debut album, has just been released.

Joel Forrester, composer of Fresh Air's theme music, is back. Today he'll talk to Terry about writing music for different groups and ensembles.

The musician and composer will perform from his repertoire of avant garde polkas. He's played with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Kronos Quartet, has headlined the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Series, and recorded several albums.

Pizzareli has played with musicians as diverse as Benny Goodman, Zoot Sims, Bud Freeman, Dionne and the Belmonts, as well as his son, John Pizzarelli. He peforms a few tunes for a live Fresh Air audience.

Playwright and director George C. Wolfe. He wrote and directed the hit Broadway musical Jelly's Last Jam, starring Gregory Hines, about Jelly Roll Morton. Wolfe also wrote the play The Colored Museum, a satire about the black experience in America. Jazz pianist and composer Joel Forrester joins the interview to perform some of Morton's music.

Record Producer Ernst Jorgensen. He's just put together a 5-CD box set of Elvis recordings from the 1950s, called "Elvis: The King of Rock 'n' Roll--The Complete '50's Masters." It includes several alternate takes, early demos, and some previously unreleased tracks.

A concert and interview with producer/performer/songwriter T. Bone Burnett. Rolling Stone once called him "the best songwriter in America." He's produced records for Elvis Costello, John Hiatt, Marshall Crenshaw, and others. His new album is called "The Criminal Under My Own Hat."

Scott sang with Lionel Hampton's band in the late 1940s early 50s, and influenced such singers as Nancy Wilson, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder. Despite his talent, Scott has had a sporadic career marked by long periods of obscurity. His distinctive voice reaches into high registers, which many listeners early on mistook for a woman's. His new album is called "All the Way."

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new album featuring the Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini playing four scherzis of Chopin.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the new CD by Edward Wilkerson's group, "8 Bold Souls." It's called "Sideshow," on the Arabesque Jazz label. Wilkerson came from Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, which spawned several cutting edge icons of jazz.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews "2 x Winterreise," a reinterpretation of a series of 24 poems by Wihelm Mueller set to the music of Schubert.

Jazz critic Kevin Whithead reviews "Nightingale," the new release by Scottish saxophonist Joe Temperley, who carries on the musical legacy of Duke Ellington sax player Harry Carney.