Music

Musicians and composers Phillip Johnston and Joel Forrester of The Microscopic Septet have reunited for the release of their two-volume History of the Micros: Seven Men in Neckties & Surrealistic Swing. The Microscopic Septet composed and recorded the Fresh Air theme song.

Rhythm-and-blues singer Ruth Brown died last week at the age of 78 from complications following a heart attack. Brown got her start in the 1940s and influenced an entire generation of singers including Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Little Richard and Bonnie Raitt. Her hits include "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean" and "Teardrops From My Eyes." Later, she appeared in John Waters' film Hairspray and in the Broadway hit Black and Blue. She published an autobiography, Miss Rhythm, in 1996. Rhythm." This interview originally aired on Dec. 22, 1997.

It might come as a surprise that such superstar conductors as Claudio Abbado, Simon Rattle, and Daniel Barenboim think that most important thing going on in the world of classical music is not taking place in one of the European capitals but in Venezuela.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Sound Grammar, the latest album from saxophonist Ornette Coleman.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the debut album by country singer Bradley Walker, Highway of Dreams.

Funny Ha Ha, the first film by 29-year-old director Andrew Bujalski, made a lot of critics top 10 lists in 2004 — quite a feat for a film made with a minimal crew, a loose script, and the director's friends. Bujalski’s new film, Mutual Appreciation, features Justin Rice, lead singer for the indie pop band Bishop Allen.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a recently re-released 1940 recording from pianist Frank Melrose called Bluesiana.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your A**, the new CD from the band Yo La Tengo.

Musician, composer and bandleader Don Byron has a new album out, Do the Boomerang. It's a collection of songs associated with the great Motown saxophonist and singer Autry "Junior Walker" DeWalt. Tracks include Shotgun and Roadrunner. While Byron is usually associated with the clarinet, he plays tenor sax on this new CD.

Rock historian Ed Ward pays tribute to Floyd Dixon, a pioneering rhythm & blues singer and piano player who died this summer at age 77.

Manzarek talks how he came up with the famous piano riff from "Light My Fire."

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews The Captain and the Kid, Elton John's new album.

Texas and country music legend Freddy Fender, 69, died Saturday of lung cancer. Fender's big hit was "Before the Next Teardrop Falls."

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews White Bread Black Beer, the first album in eight years by the post-punk band Scritti Politti — which is now down to its sole founding member, Welshman Green Gartside.

Rock historian Ed Ward tells us the story of Wire, a British art-rock band from the late 1970s. Wire has broken up and reformed several times, but Ward focuses on the original. Three albums have been reissued and are available in stores: Pink Flag, Chairs Missing and 154.

John Pizzarelli has been playing jazz guitar with his legendary father, Bucky, since he was 6 years old. John's latest album is Dear Mr. Sinatra, on which he plays songs written for Ol' Blue Eyes. Pizzarelli appears at the Birdland jazz club in Manhattan this week.

We remember country music singer and yodeler Don Walser, who died Wednesday at the age of 72 of complications from diabetes. Walser was a country music icon in Austin, Texas, where he lived and played at clubs, VFW halls, and honkytonks. He's best remembered for his series of records in the 1990s, produced with Asleep at the Wheel's Ray Benson. This interview originally aired Dec. 13, 1994.

Everybody knows jazz is an American invention that mediates between African and European musical conventions. But for decades, African and European improvisers have been forging their own bonds and hybrids, without American mediation. As a case in point, here's a newly issued historical recording by the South African-born bassist Harry Miller: Harry Miller's Isipingo: Which Way Now.

Actor Ed Harris plays Ludwig van Beethoven in the new film Copying Beethoven, and he's also starring in the new play Wrecks, written and directed by Neil LaBute. The play is set to begin previews at New York's Public Theater on September 26 and open on Oct. 10.