Music

When he's not doing studio work, Neidlinger mostly performs the work of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, both of whom he sees as two of the most important American composers. Classically trained on the cello, Neidlinger joined avant-garde pianist Cecil Taylor's band in the 1950s. Several of their albums have just been reissued.

Rock critic Ken Tucker says that Paul McCartney's recent lackluster work has been eclipsed by other pop stars, including fellow Beatle George Harrison. His new album, Flowers in the Dirt, is familiar and sentimental, but features a few good songs cowritten with Elvis Costello.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz recently attended the Boston Early Music Festival, which featured all-day programs of performances and workshops. He has this review.

Cooper says his new novel Closer -- which features explicit depictions of sex acts -- is meant to disturb, but not shock or arouse. While honing in on the experiences of gay men, Cooper sidesteps the issue of AIDS; he says sexuality generates enough anxiety on its own.

Before starting his anarchic, avant-garde band the Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa wrote chamber music and played in lounge bands. His new memoir explains how he went from a freelance guitarist to an unwitting rock star.

Rock historian Ed Ward looks at how country musicians in the age of Elvis took their cues from African American blues and boogie-woogie to develop a new, electric guitar-fueled style.

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.

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.

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.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new live recording of composer Bedrich Smetana's patriotic music, including his oft-performed "Ma Vlast."

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.

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.

Rock critic Ken Tucker says the group's first collaboration with country artists, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, breathed new life into their music. The second volume of that effort is less focused, with a strange and haphazard assortment of collaborators.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a CD of Olaf Bar's performances of selections from Mozart's operatic oeuvre. Schwartz says Bar's lower range is limited, causing him to growl and bark. It's an affect that might work for a full production, but is distracting in a recital setting.

The former Steve Miller Band guitarist took a break from the music industry, but is back with a new album called Other Roads. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his early albums and the evolution of his music over the decades.

Rock historian Ed Ward says that the 1970s were a wasteland for rock music. But two notable, experimental bands emerged from the era. The Residents' music was bizarre and hollow sounding, while Pere Ubu sought to bring an experimental edge to rock and roll.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says many other critics don't know what to make of the jazz pianist's percussive, atonal playing. Cecil Taylor doesn't improvise using standard jazz changes or harmonies, yet he says his biggest influence is the blues. Whitehead reviews a reissue of Taylor's album Indent, and explains what to listen for.

Critic Ken Tucker, a big fan of rap music, missed the theatrical release of Run D.M.C.'s film. He had high hopes it might capture the spirit of black action movies of the 1970s; but after watching the home video release, Tucker says the movie failed to live up to its promise.

Rock critic Ken Tucker says the pop star rails against commercialism -- despite the fact that his success depends on it. But it's the music on Big Daddy -- moreso than the lyrics -- that best coveys Mellencamp's anti-pop message.

The San Francisco-based Graham organized and promoted concerts for several important bands in the 1960s. He worked hard to create diverse lineups, and balance the needs and desires of artists and record labels. Graham closed his iconic Fillmore Theater in 1971.