Music

Badalamenti composed the music for David Lynch's Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, and Wild at Heart. Before writing film scores, he had a workaday musician's life, arranging and playing piano in bands.

Classical music critic reviews Creators' Records, which compiles historic recordings from 1877-1903 of legendary operas sung by the original performers.

Artists like Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan had hits with songs by John Hiatt. Despite Hiatt's success as a songwriter, he hasn't yet topped the charts as a performer. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his career, quitting drinking, and his new album, Stolen Moments.

Was is half of the rock group Was (Not Was). They have a new album called Are You Okay?. Was, who is white, has also become an in-demand producer who is heavily influenced by black music. He helped make Bonnie Raitt's comeback album, Nick of Time.

Fred Ho is a first-generation Chinese immigrant sax player who incorporates Asian melodies into his ensemble work. Carlo Actis Dato's music has a distinct Italian folk flare. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says their recent albums are irresistible.

Hidalgo and Perez's Los Angeles-based band fuses traditional Mexican music with more straightforward rock. Their new album is called The Neighborhood, which is inspired by the different cultural communities of their home city.

Vaughan recently died in a helicopter crash. Milo Miles joins Terry to discuss the late musician's legacy.

Rock critic Ken Tucker says that the album Graffiti Bridge, which is also the soundtrack for an upcoming film, is a return to form for the artist, with simple, straightforward songs with strong hooks.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says Russell Sherman's performances of these compositions are both technically accomplished and narratively powerful. A new recording has been released by the Albany Records label.

The early rock singer had a few big hits in 1957. By 1959, after a series of flops, he was washed up. What followed included jail time for a drug-related crimes and, eventually, death by a gunshot wound that may have been self-inflicted. Rock historian Ed Ward has this profile.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead thinks there's nothing better than Duke Ellington's masterful compositions, arrangements, and performances. He reviews two new CDs he thinks are particularly excellent.

Esteban "Steve" Jordan grew up partially blind in a poor family in Texas. Also known as El Parche, he became an accomplished accordionist playing conjunto and other regional styles. World music critic Milo Miles has this profile.

Mark Halliday returns to Fresh Air to recite two of his poems, about families, nostalgia, music, and memory.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews two albums representative of the new, technology fueled variation on the classic Jamaican style. He says its accessibility may give reggae the larger audience it deserves.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording of "Flavio" on the Harmonia Mundi label. He says it's perhaps the best performance of the opera since Handel's own time.

Rock historian Ed Ward talks about how the city's music scene in the late '70s and early '80s incorporated rockabilly with bands like X, and Mexican traditions with Los Lobos.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says that some of the soloists Duke Ellington featured in the bandleader's big band left a lasting impression -- even after their departure. Whitehead reviews two new CD anthologies which feature trumpeters Bubber Miley and Louis Armstrong's collaborations with the jazz composer.

Kent Nagano conducts the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. He's known for performing lesser known, experimental works, including pieces by Olivier Messiaen and Frank Zappa. Contrary to many other musicians, he doesn't place much value in recordings, and believes the only way to fully appreciate a work is to witness it performed live.

After a government decree that Indonesian musicians reject Western music and focus on local traditions, a new style emerged, called Jaipongan. It combines gamelan rhythms, a charismatic woman singer, and melancholy lyrics about jilted lovers. World music critic Milo Miles reviews two CDs featuring vocalist Euis Komariah.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the music featured in Days of Thunder, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, and Dick Tracy. Whatever you may think of the movies, each soundtrack album has at least a few gems.