Music

Rock historian Ed Ward will look back at the Chantels, a 50s group of five New York teenagers whose exquisite harmonies drew comparisons with classical youth choirs.

Jazz Critic Francis Davis will review "Birth of a Notion," the first album by Shadow Vignettes, a 25-member ensemble, led by Chicago-based saxophonist and composer Edward Wilkerson.

Rock Critic Ken Tucker will review "Bad," the new Michael Jackson album.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz will review a Nonesuch recording featuring 95-year-old pianist Mieczyslaw Horszowski.

Celebrated by critics and opera aficionados, the singer is finally reaching a larger audience with recent recordings, like her CD of Schubert, Hayden, and Mozart lieder. She joins Fresh Air to talk about her technique, and the differences between singing lieder and opera.

Few people are familiar with the Canadian guitarist, who doesn't often record. After listening to Greenwich's new, Coltrane-inspired album, jazz critic Francis Davis hopes he's resurfaced for good.

The former girl group singer is making a comeback with a new album. Spector was the frontwoman of the Ronettes and former wife of Phil Spector, who forbade her from performing during their marriage.

Singer Jane Voss and pianist Hoyle Osborne will perform an original composition.

Soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy. He is midway through a rare U.S. tour. He now lives in Paris. His spans traditional jazz, including compositions by Thelonius Monk and more contemporary composers.

Humorist Alfred Gingold describes the sensation of sorting through a sprawling record collection with a loved one.

The jazz musician served time for crimes related to his heroin addiction. He left prison with his chops intact--he was often able to practice sax and perform for his fellow inmates.

Blues and country musician Roy Bookbinder joins Fresh Air to talk about his career on the road and the issues involved with being a white singer performing traditionally black music. He plays several songs in-studio.

Ken Tucker thinks that a new album by the Washington, D.C.-based band Trouble Funk might help prove that the genre is more than just a passing fad.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new collection of piano pieces written by women in the early 20th century, and performed by Virginia Eskin. Schwartz says it's a delightful listen and an important social history.

Poet Mark Halliday is inspired as much by popular culture and music as he is by the work of other poets. His latest collection is called Little Star.

Booker T. and the M.G.'s guitarist Steve Cropper cowrote and played on countless soul music hits during the 1960s. While he focuses more on producing nowadays, his musical legacy endures. Rock historian Ed Ward tells his story.

The musical theater actress walked away from Broadway, only to return to the stage as a cabaret singer. Cook was recently featured in a concert version of Follies and stars in a new musical revue.

Jazz critic Francis Davis says John Carter's new album, Dance of the Love Ghosts, is both experimental and structurally sound; each "electrifying" track needs to be heard in its entirety.

Singer Dion, from Dion and the Belmonts, is making a comeback singing Christian songs. He joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross to talk about his early career, growing older, and getting sober.

Surf guitar legend Dick Dale joins Fresh Air to talk about how he developed his signature style. He's featured in the new Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon movie Back to the Beach.