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.
Dispensing with the points-of-view of the usual power brokers like police and politicians, the new made-for-TV movie focuses on a young, black reporter. Television critic David Bianculli says the quiet parts are as effective as the moments of upheaval.
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.
The humor writer's new book details his travels across America to fulfill ten personal goals, including working at the world's largest McDonalds, finding and kissing 60s actress Tina Louise, and photographing his dog in front of Babe Ruth's tomb. His previous book is called Roadside America.
New Yorker writer Paul Brodeur's new book considers the health hazards and cancer risks associated with power lines and electronic devices. Later, Fresh Air host Terry Gross talks to Dr. William Farland of the EPA to get the agency's perspective on this matter.
Critic Owen Gleiberman reviews the home video release of the curiously high-quality exploitation movie, featuring excessive nudity and a surprisingly emotional center. He says its a better vehicle than Drugstore Cowboy for star Kelly Lynch's talent.
Chestnut earned his law degree at Washington D.C.'s Howard University, but soon returned to his hometown of Selma, Alabama, where he opened a law office -- before legal protections like the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act were passed. His new memoir is called Black in Selma.
Adler has a new memoir about his career in musical theater. He wrote songs with Jerry Ross for The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. Ross died early in their partnership in 1955.
Stephen Schiff reviews The Two Jakes, directed by star Jack Nicholson. Schiff says nothing about the film is particularly bad -- nor does anything stand out.
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.
A new made-for-TV movie about the late actress's life and television career, called Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter, is as awful as any tele-movie, says critic Maureen Corrigan. Since Ball's death last year, networks have been trying to recapture the magic of Lucy's sitcom -- an impossible task since, according Corrigan. the original show was nearly perfect.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says the one downside of the current crop of Broadway CDs is that few releases feature excellent singers. A reissue of the once-rare Mary Martin Sings, Richard Rodgers Plays is a noteworthy exception.
Sarris reviews movies for several newspapers and teaches at Columbia University. In the 1960s, he pushed forth the auteur theory, which said that films could best be understood by the director's singular vision within the context of their full body of work. Now, he often finds genre films more interesting than mainstream movies that explore important ideas.
Esposito has been featured in Spike Lee's movies Mo' Better Blues and Do the Right Thing. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the intensity of working on the set of Do the Right Thing, and how he started acting at the age of six.
Performance artists Karen Finley and Holly Hughes, whose work is often sexual and political in nature, recently had their NEA grants vetoed, despite a recommendation by the organization's peer review board. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Stephan Salisbury speaks to Fresh Air about the controversy.
Chester Arthur Burnett didn't become a professional musician until he was 38, when he adopted the stage name Howlin' Wolf. Rock historian Ed Ward profiles the musician's move from the South to the North, and the development of his urban blues sound.
Forsythe plays the villain Flattop in the new Dick Tracy movie. He also appeared in the Patty Hearst biopic and Serigio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer joins Fresh Air to talk about the scientific and cultural history of the Red Planet. He advocates for robotic and human exploration of Mars -- an endeavor that would lead to greater technological innovations and international cooperation.
Book critic John Leonard reviews the new novel by Tadeusz Konwicki, which fictionalizes the author's family history in Czarist-era Poland. It's complex narrative anticipates the political upheavals by Stalin and Hitler, and the rise of anti-Semitism.
