Music

The legendary soul scene in Miami that had its heyday in the 1960s and 1970s is the subject of a new retrospective. Eccentric Soul: The Deep City Label the imprint that discovered Betty Wright, Paul Kelly, and Clarence "Blowfly" Reid.

Monk's Bones is the new CD from the Monk's Music Trio.

First Impressions of Earth is the third album by the Strokes. The record offers some self-criticism — and some frantic career adjustment in the midst of the music. The Strokes begin a 17-city tour on March 3.

The Minus 5 is the newest album by singer-songwriter Scott McCaughey.

Cubist Music is the new recording by Puerto Rican pianist Edsel Gomez. It's on the Zoho label.

Several recent DVDs take up the history of punk music. Don Letts' Punk Attitude focuses on the ethos of teen rebellion, while All Dolled Up tells the story of the influential New York Dolls.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz shares his thoughts on the 250th anniversary of his favorite composer's birth: Mozart. Mozart was born on Jan. 27, 1756. (Music in the segment is from Mozart's opera Cosi Fan Tutte, taken from the DVD of the Peter Sellars production, conducted by Craig Smith on the Universal label.)

The new box set Miles Davis: The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 is the latest in a crop of critical anthologies that add perspective to the history of jazz.

For his latest release, producer and troubadour Joe Henry worked with giants in soul music, from Allen Toussaint to Mavis Staples. It was quite a departure for Henry, whose songs include "Richard Pryor Addresses a Tearful Nation."

The Breakthrough is the new recording by singer Mary J. Blige. It's her seventh studio album.

The 1951 film version of the Offenbach opera The Tales of Hoffmann, now on DVD, is recognized as a masterpiece of dark storytelling from the British team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Pianist Erwin Helfer is a son of New Orleans who adopted Chicago as his home. His music is a blend of the jazz he grew up with and the blues he discovered. Eleven songs — a mix of standards and originals — illustrate his wide-ranging, energetic sound on the CD Careless Love.

A disc devoted to concert music by Leonard Bernstein is among four new releases featuring conductor Marin Alsop, who became head of the Baltimore Symphony in 2005.

Blue Note has recently reissued recordings that feature three so-called "second-tier" saxophonists: The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions by Ike Quebec; Tex Book Tenor by Booker Ervin; Let Me Tell You 'Bout It by Leo Parker.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews two new country records that are bestsellers: Carrie Underwood's Some Hearts and Martina McBride's Timeless.

Reggaeton is an international hybrid of reggae, hip-hop and salsa. Several compilation albums offer an overview of the genre: Mas Flow, Mas Flow 2, and La Trayectoria.

For lovers of jazz music, the year 2005 brought a wealth of reissues by critical artists from Jelly Roll Morton to John Coltrane.

Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker offers his picks for the best music of the year, including Fiona Apple's latest album and a Bob Dylan DVD. He also addresses the topic of women in music, and he talks about the year in hip-hop. Tucker is the film critic for New York magazine.

In time for the holidays, Fresh Air presents an in-studio concert. Singer Rebecca Kilgore, trombonist Dan Barrett and pianist Rossano Sportiello played at the NOLA studios in Manhattan.