Music

Critic Milo Miles reviews "Bloque" (pronounced, "Blow-K") from Colombia(Lukabob/WArner).

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews "Fool's Parade" by Peter Wolf.

Musician and singer Peter Wolf. He's the former lead singer with the J. Geils Band which he was with for 17 years. He's been a solo artist for a while. On his latest CD "Fool's Parade" (Mercury) he's incorporated the Memphis sound.

First violinist Arnold Steinhardt is one of the founding members of the Guarneri (Gwa-NAIR-ee) String Quartet, which has been playing together for 35 years. He's written a new memoir, "Indivisible by Four: A String Quartet in Pursuit of Harmony" (Farrar Straus & Giroux). The Quartet is considered to be one of the finest string quartets performing today.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new two-cd set of Stephen Sondheim's "Follies"

The Fresh Air rock critic gives his picks for the best albums of the year. Tucker is critic-at-large for Entertainment Weekly.

Rhino Records has just released "Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman." a new four CD box set that includes an entire disc of Newman's previously unreleased tracks. Newman's most popular songs include "Short People" and "I Love L-A." He's also written music for the films, "Ragtime," "The Natural," and "Toy Story," among many others.

Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Burt Bacharach's new collection, "The Look of Love."

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews two recent recordings by the German singer Thomas Quasthoff of Mozart and Schubert (both on RCA Red Seal).

Cooper helped popularize the Hammond B3 organ as part of rock music, performing on recordings of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and The Who. He was a member of the legendary Blues Project, and later founded the group Blood Sweat & Tears. Now he teaches at The Berklee College of Music in Boston, and writes a monthly column for EQ Magazine. His autobiography, "Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'n Roll Survivor" (Billboard Books) which was first published in 1977 has just been updated and reissued.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews "Hear My Prayer: Choral Music of the English Romantics" (on the Chicago label, Cedille).

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the new Miles Davis reissue, "The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions."

Fulks has one foot in the singer/songwriter scene and one in country music. He spent three years writing songs in Nashville, but no one opted to record his songs. So he's recently come out with a new CD of his own music, "Let's Kill Saturday Night" (Geffen Records). Fulks began his career as a regular at the same fabled Greenwich Village hole in the wall where Bob Dylan made a name for himself. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his career and sing some of his songs.

Pop critic Ken Tucker reviews "Is This Desire" the latest release by the English singer, songwriter and guitarist Polly Jean Harvey.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews "A Recital of Intimate Works" (Dorian label) by pianist Andrew Rangell.

Rock historian Ed Ward looks back on the career of songwriter Bert Berns.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews "War Orphans" the new release by Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson, on the ECM label.

Bette Midler made a name for herself in the early 1970s at New York's Continental Baths, a club for gay men. Since then she's been nominated for two Academy Awards, and earned Emmy and Grammy awards. She has a new CD, "Bathhouse Betty" (Warner Bros. Records).