Making Music Alone Together

Plus, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Music; new music from Bob Dylan.

by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Courtesy of the artist During the pandemic, those of us who are lucky enough to live with our significant others are spending more time side-by-side than ever before. And, as Jazz Night In America noticed, that’s especially true for musician couples. Artists are often apart from their partners for months while on tour, but now that we’re all sheltering in place, musician couples find themselves collaborating. Jazz Night asked a few of these couples to open a window into how they are living and creating together while in quarantine. This week, the Alone Together Duets video series kicked off with two couples: José James and Taali, vocalists and founders of Rainbow Blonde Records, and  vocalist and loop artist Thana Alexa and drummer Antonio Sánchez, performing the title track from Alexa's latest album, ONA. Watching these musicians collaborate from quarantine certainly gives a whole new meaning to working from home.  Collaborating from a distance, Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music While we’ve been bingeing TV shows, Bob Dylan has been staying productive. He’s dropped three new songs, including this week’s “False Prophet,” and announced a new album: Rough and Rowdy Ways, out on June 19. A surprise drop from Big Thief, an instrumental sonic adventure from The Decemberists' Chris Funk, a remarkable, transcendent pedal steel performance and more: Hear all of it on this week’s All Songs Considered New Music Mix. Ambrose Akinmusire, one of the most acclaimed jazz artists of his generation, released a song from his forthcoming album inspired by avant-garde master Roscoe Mitchell of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Featuring The Pulitzer Prizes were announced this week. The winner in Music was Anthony Davis' opera The Central Park Five, with a libretto by Richard Wesley: an operatic narrative retelling the true story of the five African-American and Latino teenagers wrongly convicted of raping and assaulting a white woman in 1989. Florian Schneider, a co-founder of the influential German group Kraftwerk, died this week. For over 30 years, he produced the group's albums with fellow founder Ralf Hütter — making music that redrew the entire outline of pop music for the late 20th century. After 16 years as the frontperson for Paramore, Petals for Armor is the solo record Hayley Williams never thought she’d make. It’s the result of unraveling, reckoning and reconciling, and feels like an exhale after holding your breath for a decade.  Tiny Desk Mhari Shaw/NPR From late night television to the Tiny Desk: This week, we shared The Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste's concert, filmed back in November. The New Orleans artist brought a new backing band and together they gave us a joyous set.  Back in 2015, Lianne La Havas performed a memorable set at NPR HQ – it remains one of the most popular Tiny Desk performances of all time. We invited the singer-songwriter to share a Tiny Desk (home) concert, which included two songs from her forthcoming self-titled album slated for release this July.  And finally, don’t let all that pent-up energy go to waste under lockdown: Our latest Tiny Desk playlist features five concerts – from the go-go sounds of D.C.’s Rare Essence to the electro-psych cumbia stylings of Bomba Estéreo – guaranteed to turn your living room into a dance party.  One More Thing Some assistance for helping your kids — or you — unwind. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy