Music

Record producer, musician and songwriter Todd Rundgren joins Fresh Air to talk about his career both in-studio and on the concert stage. Recently, he's branched out into television, writing music for Pee Wee's Playhouse.

Rock historian Ed Ward looks at how record labels tried--and failed--to market second-rate bands from San Francisco's psychedelic rock scene.

Jazz critic Francis Davis reviews a 7-LP box set, The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, which was just reissued with additional tracks. He says the selections, curated by fellow critic Martin Williams, are essential but predictable, and often dismissive of more forward-looking artists.

The renowned soloist says the nature of his instrument demands that he be flexible about also playing supportively in ensemble settings. He talks about how the death of his parents, both of whom were musicians, contributed to his artistic development.

Husband-and-wife musical duo Jane Voss and Hoyle Osborne perform two songs from the 1920s that they believe resonate with listeners today.

Roseanne Cash's newest album, King's Record Shop, blends country and rock music. Rock critic Ken Tucker says that her affectless voice lends itself to both genres.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz shares his admiration for the Music & Arts Programs of America, a Berkeley-based record label that reissues classic performances from earlier in the 20th century.

Listeners will recognize Frankie Laine's voice from the opening sequences of Rawhide and Blazing Saddles. Laine also makes a career performing and recording pop, country and jazz tunes.

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles the rise and fall of soul singer Etta James, whose heroin habit curtailed her career after a string of fantastic albums.

Only in his mid-thirties, Scott Turre is already a seasoned musician. Jazz critic Francis Davis says his latest album features Turre's newfound maturity as a soloist and arranger.

Marty Grosz returns to Fresh Air to perform two songs he learned while starting out in Chicago and New York.

British music critic and producer Leonard Feather worked with fellow producer John Hammond to desegregate jazz in the United States, as well as to promote women jazz musicians. In his new book, The Jazz Years, he considers how racism, radio stations and record labels affected the popularity of different styles like big band and bebop.

Ted Hawkins busked in Venice Beach for years before recording his first album; he was in his 40s. Now 51, he has a new album called Happy Hour, which blends blues, soul and pop. While the singer is popular in England, rock critic Ken Tucker says Hawkins deserves more recognition in his home country.

Novelist and professor John Barth tried to make his mark as a jazz drummer; instead, he became a maximalist writer known for his sprawling, metafictional books. He joins Fresh Air to discuss his early career, the nature of storytelling, and his experiences at John Hopkins University as both a student and instructor.

Critic-at-large Stephen Schiff says that La Bamba, the new biopic about Ritchie Valens, is a whitewashed portrait of the late musician, and mostly lacks a rock and roll spirit.

Director Peter Sellars helmed a modernized production of Mozart's iconic opera at this year's Pepsico Summerfare. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwarz saw the performance in Purchase, NY. He says not all of the updates worked, but the individual performances reached the audience "on a profoundly emotional level."

The jazz singer and songwriter is known for his distinctive voice and, most recently, his work on the children's show Schoolhouse Rock. He performs several songs in-studio for Fresh Air listeners.

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles the 1960s California band, fronted by African American singer and songwriter Arthur Lee.

While he was still a teenager the musician moved with his twin brother from Phoenix to Los Angeles to find work as a jazz musician. His career later took him to New York and, eventually, Vienna, where he has lived for several years. He has recently reunited his old group, the Jazztet, with tenor saxophonist Benny Golson.

New music composer John Harbison was drawn to classical music because the genre leant itself to longer pieces and a deeper exploration of musical ideas. He often writes for his wife, the violinist Rosemary Harbison.