Music

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the recordings Live at the Fillmore by the group Cypress Hill, and Restless by the rapper Xzibit.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the reissue The Eminent J.J. Johnson, Volume 2

Ward remembers rock and roller Eddie Cochran whose big hit in the US was Summertime Blues.

His new biography of Bing Crosby is called, Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams—the Early Years, 1903-1940 (Little Brown and Company). From 1930s to the 50s, Crosby was a pop culture icon, dominating American entertainment with his hit records and movies. In this first volume of the biography, Giddins chronicles the rise of Crosbys career. Giddins may be best known as a jazz columnist for the Village Voice. He won the 1998 National Book Critics Circle Award for his book Visions of Jazz. He was one of the experts featured in Ken Burns Jazz series on PBS.

Rock historian Ed Ward remembers the 60s band MC5.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new series of recordings called Live at the Left Bank"

Rock historian Ed Ward remembers South Texas singer Doug Sahm.

Tucker reviews When Somebody Loves You the new album by country singer Alan Jackson.

Rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, and Guitarist Barbara Lynn. The left-handed guitarist was one of the first female practioners of the instrument. Her signature song is the 1962 hit Youll Lose a Good Thing. The Rolling Stones recorded her song Oh Baby (We Got a Good Thing Going) in 1964. After a lengthy hiatus to raise a family, Lynn made a come back in 1986. Her new album is Hot Night Tonight (Antone Records).

Miles remembers Czech musician Milan Hlavsa leader of the band The Plastic People of the Universe. He died on Jan 5th from cancer.

World music critic Milo Miles reviews the new box set by Little Feat: Hotcakes and Outtakes: 30 Years of Little Feat

Critics call Bill Charlap one of the strongest mainstream jazz pianists on the scene and one of the most gifted interpreters of standards. He has worked with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, Benny Carter, Clark Terry and the Phil Woods Quintet where he remains. His most recent album, Written in the Stars (Blue Note) was released in 2000.

Ward considers the work of the bluegrass music duo the Stanley Brothers.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new CD boxed set of live performances by conductor Leonard Bernstein.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews “Bach Christmas Cantatas,” a new CD featuring the orchestra and chorus of Emmanuel Music.

Editors Robert Gottlieb and Robert Kimball have collaborated on the new book “Reading Lyrics” (Pantheon Books), an anthology of some of the most important lyricists of the last century, including the lyrics of George M. Cohan, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin, Lorenz Hart, Dorothy Field, Frank Loesser, Johnny Mercer, and more. The book covers the time period 1900-1975. Robert Gottlieb is the author of “Reading Jazz,” and Robert Kimball is the editor of complete lyrics collections of Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin, and Lorenz Hart.

We remember jazz bassist Milt Hinton. He died yesterday at the age of 90. Hinton was one of the great jazz bass players, having played with musicians like Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday. Throughout his career, Hinton photographed the musicians he worked with, and the surroundings he moved through. His books of photographs are "Bass Line: The Stories and Photographs of Milt Hinton" (Temple University Press), and "Overtime: The Jazz Photographs of Milt Hinton"

Critic Milo Miles reviews the new edition of “The Rough Guide to World Music.”

Rock critic Ken Tucker looks at the new pop compilations reminiscent of those sold by K-Tel records on T-V in the seventies. This series is “Now That’s What I call Music,” and Ken looks at #5, with hits from Destiny’s Child, Janet Jackson, Everclear and Mystikal.