Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images |
WXPN in Philadelphia, home of World Cafe, is producing tons of great series, features and interviews for Black History Month. So this week, we’re handing the mic over to Bruce Warren, assistant general manager for programming, to share some highlights:
Without Little Richard, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sly & The Family Stone, Chuck Berry, Louis Jordan and others, there would be no rock and roll music. Throughout Black History Month, World Cafe is celebrating the Black Roots of Rock and Roll with a series of segments with music journalist, podcaster and All Songs Considered contributor John Morrison. Drawing on blues, gospel, jazz and R&B, John and Cafe host Raina Douris time-travel through the decades, identifying the influence of Black musicians on the beginnings and development of rock.
The influence of Haiti’s history, culture and music on the music of New Orleans is in the spotlight in Kanaval: Haitian Rhythms & the Music of New Orleans, a new three-hour documentary hosted by Leyla McCalla and produced by WXPN. We’ve got three playlists that illustrate the Haiti-NOLA connections here.
And throughout the month, World Cafe has featured interviews with Black Thought of The Roots; funk legend Steve Arrington; singer, songwriter and producer Raphael Saadiq; Brittany Howard and others. Speaking of funk legends, do not miss our interview with the Starchild himself, Bootsy Collins.
— Bruce Warren, WXPN |
|
|
| Newsletter continues after sponsor message |
|
| - Chick Corea – keyboardist, composer and bandleader and one of the most revered figures in contemporary jazz – died on Feb. 9 at age 79. Corea was one of the fathers of jazz fusion, with his work spanning from acoustic jazz to his own interpretations of Mozart. We’ve been revisiting Corea’s performance at the Tiny Desk from 2016 with fellow NEA Jazz Master Gary Burton and spending time with our Chick Corea: In Memoriam playlist. You can also hear a conversation with bassist Christian McBride, host of Jazz Night in America, about Corea’s life and legacy on Here & Now.
- This week, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the nominees for its newest class of inductees, including The Go-Go’s, Jay-Z, Kate Bush and Tina Turner.
- If you spun the dial of your AM/FM radio on any given day in the early 1980s, chances are you heard The Pointer Sisters. A new feature in our Turning the Tables series traces the group’s hidden legacy of reformulating the girl group for an era of self-actualization and Black power.
- This week, Mary Wilson, one of the co-founders of The Supremes, died at the age of 76. The group was Motown's most successful act in the 1960s, reaching 12 No. 1 hits; Motown’s Berry Gordy said in a statement that Wilson "was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed."
- Kayhan Kalhor is a Grammy-winning artist whom Yo-Yo Ma has called "one of the greatest musicians I’ve ever had the privilege to know and work with.” Reporter Anastasia Tsioulcas traces why, after chaotic encounters with American immigration at the height of the Trump-era travel ban, he decided to return to his home country of Iran.
- From NPR Live Sessions: Watch the Orrin Evans Trio plus special guests Morgan Guerin and Ruth Naomi Flody perform “Oh Freedom” from Philadelphia’s Mother Bethel AME Church for WRTI.
|
- This week on All Songs Considered: a stark song about the afterlife from Eve Adams, a sonic adventure from Suss, reflections on earlier days from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and more. Plus, the New Music Friday crew talks about slowthai’s fantastic sophomore record, jazz supergroup R+R=Now’s latest live release, a new compilation of experiments in Latin music and more great albums out Feb. 12.
- Hayley Williams, best known as the lead singer of Paramore, released her second solo album this month. On Flowers for Vases / descansos, recorded at home during quarantine, she blurs the lines between mythology and reality to offer a new language to cope with grief.
- The Alt.Latino playlist is back! The songs in this week’s update have a running theme of nostalgia, with odes to the natural, spiritual and historical.
|
The Tiny Desk’s celebration of Black History Month continued this week with a spotlight on R&B. To kick things off, we premiered a radiant set from rising Grammy-nominee GIVĒON. Up next: KeiyaA’s star shines so bright it’s nearly impossible to look away. Recording from Brooklyn’s Electric Garden, the Chicago native showed off hardcover copies of works by Jayne Cortez and Ntozake Shange, citing their writing as inspiration. And finally, Meshell Ndegeocello’s long-awaited Tiny Desk (home) concert set unfolded like a narrative film. Filmed in black and white, the set spanned her career and featured reflections on the importance and influence of James Baldwin.
This week’s Tiny Desk Black History Month playlist comes to us from author, filmmaker and cultural critic Nelson George, who recommended Tiny Desk sets from Raphael Saadiq, Daniel Caesar and Tank and the Bangas. |
| As the U.S. approaches 500,000 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic, NPR is seeking to pay tribute to the lives we've lost through the music that meant the most to those individuals. To that end, we're looking for family or friends to share stories of their loved one's favorite song. |
| Listen to your local NPR station. |
|
Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). |
|
|
| |
|
|
| | 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. |
|
|
|
|
| | | 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 |  |
| |
|
|
|
| | |
No comments:
Post a Comment