Music

Lovett plays country music, but he's heavily influenced by rock and roll and jazz. His newest album, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, takes its cue from the big band era.

Many listeners aren't familiar with the New Orleans pianist Professor Longhair, but his songs have had a profound influence on the current generation of Louisiana musicians. Rock historian has this profile.

Part 2 of the Fresh Air interview with Little Anthony. He talks about the making some of his hit records like "Shimmy Shimmy Cocoa Pop" and "Hurt So Bad." He performs regularly in New York, but hopes to reignite his recording career.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says a new album by Connie Crothers and the Lennie Popkin Quartet features predictable, snaking melodies, but, like their mentor Lennie Tristano, they keep up the intensity beneath their cool exterior.

Part 1 of the Fresh Air interview with soul singer Little Anthony. He fronted the group the Imperials, and is still performing in New York.

Jazz pianist Kenny Barron joins Fresh Air to perform some of Abdullah Ibrahim's music, as well as Barron's own composition inspired by Ibrahim.

XTC's Andy Partridge describes his band's music as "weird pop." His frustration with the imperfections of live performances and his intense stage fright have kept the band from touring. Yet Partridge opens up on XTC's latest album with what rock critic Ken Tucker calls "an aggressive humanism."

Classical Music Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a newly re-issued recording of the late pianist GLENN GOULD playing Haydn's last six piano sonatas. Gould made these recordings in 1980, two years before his death.

The record producer is best known for propelling Elvis Presley to stardom; but Phillips founded his label in part to give African American musicians in the South a place to record their songs. Rock historian Ed Ward tells his story.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says critical darling's piano music is often considered dark and heavy. But Blake's new album, Painted Rhythms Volume II, also has a sharp wit.

Barron was part of the Sphere jazz ensemble and records for the ECM label. He joins Fresh Air to perform some of the songs that influenced his playing.

The husband and wife duo Ashford & Simpson wrote hits for other artists before striking out on their own. Rock critic Ken Tucker says that their focus on contented, monogamous life may seem bland to many listeners, but their soulful pop make their bourgeois values seem sexy.

Lloyd Schwartz says that the classical pianist, like Glenn Gould, died too young. But unlike Gould, Lipatti's interpretations of canonical works were more traditional, evoking the way the pieces may have originally been performed. Schwartz reviews two recent re-releases of the musician's recordings.

Buell Neidlinger is a session musician who has recorded with several pop, folk and jazz musicians. He leads a string band on his new album, performing the music of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says it breaks down the barrier between serious art and raucous fun.

Patinkin had no formal training as a singer, but he's found fame starring in musicals like Evita and Sunday in the Park with George. He's also appeared in the films Yentl, Ragtime, and The Princess Bride, among others. Patinkin has a new self-titled album of songs from the stage and screen.

Rock historian Ed Ward says there were actually several women who could fit the bill, all of whom recorded and performed at the same time a Presley. These artists included Wanda Jackson, Janis Martin, and Lonnie Mack -- none of whom endured, according to Ward, because of restrictive expectations of women's roles.

Raitt's album "Nick of Time," features an eclectic mix of blues, rock, folk, and ballads. She talks about how her musical career has affected her personal life as a woman.

Jazz critic has this profile of Roy Eldridge, an early pioneer of the jazz trumpet, whose style departed from greats like Louis Armstrong in several important ways.

Ken Tucker is, as usual, disappointed by the winners of this year's Grammy Awards. But he's also dismayed by reader and critic polls which, according to him, celebrate dolorous and purposeless artists. New Order's recent album, Technique, could be described the same way, but Tucker appreciates its charm and accessibility.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording of Harold Shapero's symphony, conducted by Andre Previn and performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.