Music

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz just returned from Tanglewood, where composer Elliot Carter was a guest of honor at the Festival Of Contemporary Music. Carter will be 90 on December 11, 1998, and his birthday has been celebrated all year long in recordings and performances. Schwartz has a review of the Tanglewood performance.

World music critic Milo Miles reviews "Vaya Rumba! Fiery Rhythms From The Heart of Catalonia." (Music Club) It's a compilation of Spanish rumba tunes.

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Eddie Harris's newest cd "Greater than the Sum of His Parts."

Rock historian Ed Ward tells us the tale of Joe Tex, a black man who longed to be a country singer, a preacher who renounced Christianity, and a life-long teetotaler who died of drug and alcohol abuse.

Russian composer Alfred Schnittke died Monday. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reflects on the his life and legacy.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews a new release of previously unheard Woody Guthrie lyrics put to music by British folksinger-songwriter Billy Bragg. Bragg composed music for the lyrics with the help of the American band Wilco. It's called "Mermaid Avenue." (Elektra)

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews three new CDs by clarinetist Ben Goldberg: "12 Minor" (Avant); "Here by Now" (Music & Arts) and "What Comes Before" (Tzadik).

After over 30 years in the business, Dara he's just released his first solo album, "Olu Dara: In the World: From Natchez to New York" (Atlantic). During the 70s and 80s Dara played in Art Blakey's band, as well as that of advante gardist Henry Threadgill and others. His new CD blends the two worlds and the two sounds that influenced him most: his hometown of Natchez, Mississippi and New York City where he lives now.

World music critic Milo Miles reviews three new re-issues of the music of saxophonist Tab Smith, featuring songs were recorded from 1953-1954. He says "Top 'n' Bottom" is has the best assortment of recordings.

Sataloff discusses the physiology of how we talk and sing. He is author of "Professional Voice: The Science and Art of Clinical Care." (1997 Singular Publishing Group) Sataloff is a Professor of Otolaryngology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is part of a emergency clinic there for singers who experience vocal problems. He has treated many famous singers. Sataloff himself is also a performer. He sings professionally and is the University's choir conductor.

Rock historian Ed Ward looks back at the career of Lonnie Johnson, a bluesman who also made a career as a studio musician and club owner.

Honky-tonk singer Johnny Bush. He hails from Texas and began his career in the 1950s. Later he went on to such best-selling singles as "Sound of a Heartache," "You Ought to Hear Me Cry," "What a Way to Live" and "You Gave Me a Mountain." He wrote the song ""Whiskey River" for his friend Willie Nelson, and later had a hit with that too. This singer with the melancoly songs never became a household name, and in the late 70s an voice ailment curtailed his career.

Critic Ken Tucker reviews "A Long Way Home" (Reprise), the new release by Dwight Yoakam.

Songwriter, musician and former leader of the Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Fogerty. He wrote the hits "Born on the Bayou," "Susie Q," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Proud Mary" and "Bad Moon Rising." He was with the band from 1967 to 1972. His blend of rock, blues, country and bluegrass has influenced a generation of musicians. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Last year he released a solo album of new songs "Blue Moon Swamp" (Warner) and went on tour.

Rock historian Ed Ward looks at the career of Aubrey "Moon" Mullican who billed himself as "The King of the HIllbilly Piano Players." His recordings have been reissued on "Moon Mulligan: Moonshine Jamboree."

Critic Milo Miles reviews a new CD by Paolo Conte, an Italian piano player and singer, "The Best of Paolo Conte" (Nonesuch)

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews a new Lucinda Williams' CD "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road." (Mercury Records)

Holzman founded the record label in 1950, initially focusing on recording folk and ethnic music. In the 1960s he signed on some of the big pop and rock voices of the era like Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Carly Simon, Jackson Browne, and the Doors. He talks with Terry Gross about working with the Doors. Holman headed Elektra Records for 23 years. He has a new book, "Follow the Music: The Life and High Times of Elektra Records in the Great Years of American Pop Culture" (FirstMedia Books)

Manzarek has written the new autobiography called "Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors."He talks about his experience playing in one of the 1960's most influential bands. The Doors disbanded after its lead singer Jim Morrison died in 1971. Since The Doors, Manazarek has produced four albums for the punk rock band X and recorded several solo albums. He also performs with Beat poet Michael McClure at nightclubs and on college campuses.

A conversation with our jazz critic, Kevin Whitehead. Kevin's just published a new book, called "New Dutch Swing." (Billboard Books) It's "an in-depth examination of Amsterdam's vital and distinctive jazz scene." Kevin brings along some recordings of his favorite players.