Search results for

Musicians Johan Karlberg and Etienne Tron first met Malawi-born Esau Mwamwaya running a junk shop outside their studio. The two were eager to befriend Mwamwaya, in part because they thought he was an African drummer. Turns out, he was much more. The three have formed a group called The Very Best and released Warm Heart of Africa in October.

Fresh Air's music critic Ken Tucker's picks for the best music of 2009 include songs by Taylor Swift, Billy Currington and Michael Franti as well as albums by Loudon Wainwright III, the Fiery Furnaces, and Bob Dylan.

The centuries-old rhythm of Cumbia music evolved from African slaves and indigenous Colombians. But mutant strains of the genre have permeated the music scene in Los Angeles, from immigrant cantinas to Hollywood clubs.

Radiohead shook up the music industry last week, when it announced that its new album would not be released as a CD, or as a download through iTunes. Instead, it is offering In Rainbows through its own Web site for whatever price each customer decides to pay — even nothing.

James Bobin is the co-creator and director of HBO's series Flight Of The Conchords. He has been nominated for eight Emmys since 2003 for his work on Conchords and Da Ali G Show.

On Jan. 25, the American Symphony Orchestra will give the U.S. premieres of composers from the former East Germany. It's music most Americans have never heard. Conductor Leon Botstein says that the music of Eisler, Fessay and Matthus often experiments within the tradition of Bach and Mozart.

Saxophonist Hank Crawford died Jan. 29 at the age of 74. The Memphis-born musician backed B.B. King and Ray Charles before going solo. He later became the musical director for Charles' band. Fresh Air remembers Crawford with a 1998 interview.

Antony Hegarty, lead singer for Antony and the Johnsons, has a striking sound — "between male and female ... at once ethereal and earthy," one critic writes. The group's new CD is The Crying Light.

In honor of Miles Davis' 50th-anniversary Kind of Blue reissue, music writer Ashley Kahn looks at a few of the stories behind the scenes of the legendary recording sessions.

Richie Havens is the man who opened Woodstock, and he hasn't stopped performing or inspiring ever since. Here, the legendary folk singer and guitarist discusses his new album, Nobody Left to Crown.