Music

Kaiti Jones (top right) performing "Daydreaming" with fiddle player Emily Baker and Katie Lynne (bottom) singing "Amelia." (Screenshot/YouTube)

From The Massachusetts Tiny Desk: Two Songs That Capture Our Solitary Days

Kaiti Jones and Katie Lynne Sharbaugh's Tiny Desk Contest entries sound nothing alike, but both capture, with vivid poetry, the anxiety and solitude of the present moment.

The ARTery

1 hour ago

NWASOUL (top) performing their song "OWK" and Eph See singing "the things I used to care about seem so stupid now." (Screenshot/YouTube)

From The Massachusetts Tiny Desk: Two Songs With Distinct Artistry

NWASOUL and Eph See's entries were distinct for both their artistry and presentation while still making talent the focal point.

The ARTery

Sep 29, 2020

Pianist Noah Haidu Remembers Kenny Kirkland's Life, Work In Retrospective

Sept. 28 would have marked the 65th birthday of Kenny Kirkland — the jazz pianist known to his friends as “The Doctor” or “Doctone”.

Here & Now

06:03Sep 28, 2020

Grace Givertz (top) singing “Bitter Lemons” and Rachel Sumner singing “Radium Girls.” (Screenshot/YouTube)

From The Massachusetts Tiny Desk: Two Songs With Impressive Lyricism

Rachel Sumner and Grace Givertz’s Tiny Desk Contest entries stood out for their ability to capture emotional clarity in their songwriting.

The ARTery

Sep 28, 2020

Watch: Jazzmyn RED's Hopeful Anthem For Troubled Times

The new song, “We Gon Make It,” is suffused with a sense of hope.

The ARTery

Sep 25, 2020

We're Looking For Our Favorite Tiny Desk Contest Entry From Massachusetts. Here Are The Top 19 So Far

Out of thousands of entries to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest, 212 were from Massachusetts. We've narrowed down the field a bit more. Later this month, we'll announce the Massachusetts...

The ARTery

Sep 24, 2020

7 Albums To Listen To This Fall

Between a slew of releases from some of music’s biggest names, to some of the most compelling local music in a generation, the albums of this fall season have something...

The ARTery

Sep 23, 2020

Pianist Lang Lang attends the release ceremony of his latest recording of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Goldberg Variations" on Sept. 4, 2020 in Beijing, China. (Beijing Youth Daily/VCG via Getty Images)

Superstar Pianist Lang Lang Records 'Goldberg Variations'

The Chinese classical pianist's new recording of Bach's "Goldberg Variations" contains both a studio recording of the work as well as a live performance at St. Thomas Church in Germany...

Here & Now

11:08Sep 22, 2020

An impromptu memorial for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at Harvard Law School Library. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Local Remembrances Of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Plus, it's the first day of school in Boston.

Radio Boston

48:21Sep 21, 2020

Great Scott Steps Closer To Moving Into Former Regina Pizzeria Site In Allston

The beloved Allston rock club announced in May it would be closing permanently because of the pandemic -- but long-time concert booker Carl Lavin started a crowdfunding campaign to save...

Radio Boston

07:00Sep 21, 2020

Kristin Hersh (Courtesy Gabriella Marks)

Throwing Muses' Kristin Hersh Reflects On Life And Nearly Four Decades Of Music

The band is out with a new album, “Sun Racket,” and despite the career longevity, Hersh wishes for anonymity. “I wouldn’t be performing if it wasn’t a chance to disappear...

The ARTery

Sep 21, 2020

Singer and songwriter Anjimile plays guitar on a porch in Jamaica Plain, Boston. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

On The Cusp Of A Breakthrough, Anjimile's Music Transforms

"Giver Taker" revamps a lot of Anjimile's old material with a bigger, more adventurous sound -- a pretty different artist than fans may remember.

The ARTery

05:33Sep 18, 2020

On the eastern side of the synagogue, a small prayer corner was created so staff and residents could commemorate the lives lost in the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Many staffers are from Haiti and other Caribbean island nations. (Courtesy Randall Armor)

At The Hebrew SeniorLife Synagogue, The Sacred Is Found In Song

Before the pandemic, residents of a historically Jewish senior home in Roslindale gathered in their synagogue to sing Bob Marley songs and connect with one another, visiting family and staffers.

Radio Boston

08:01Sep 17, 2020

Ricky Reed of the music group Wallpaper performs at the MTV2 VMA Concert at The Music Box on Aug. 26, 2011 in Hollywood, California. (Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)

DJ Sessions: Positive Vibes Only

We talk to DJ Valida Carroll from KCRW in Santa Monica, California, about the music getting her through days of unending smoke and buyouts at her station.

Here & Now

09:53Sep 17, 2020

5 Things To Do This Weekend, Including A Dance Party and Virtual Listening Party

Plus a tea party on Martha's Vineyard and a pop-up beer garden.

The ARTery

Sep 17, 2020

Dinosaur Jr. playing a drive-in concert in Swanzey, New Hampshire on Sept. 12, 2020. (Courtesy Ben Stas)

A Concert From The Car — Dinosaur Jr.'s Drive-In Show Offers Pandemic Reprieve

“It would’ve been a rough concert experience by ordinary standards, but the novelty of the event made a difference,” writes ARTery contributor Karen Muller.

The ARTery

Sep 16, 2020

Boy band Stray Kids performs on stage during the 8th Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards on January 23, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

A Look At K-pop's Black American Influence And Activism During Black Lives Matter

Black American culture has a significant influence on K-pop music at large, author Crystal Anderson says.

Here & Now

11:25Sep 15, 2020

Never-Before-Seen Photos Shine A Spotlight On Boston's Early Hip-Hop Scene

From 1985 to 1989, John Nordell documented the burgeoning rap scene in Boston. His photos are included in a Sotheby's auction celebrating the cultural impact of hip-hop.

The ARTery

Sep 15, 2020

Conductor Brandon Keith Brown at work. (Courtesy)

'Classical Music Can Change The Racial Conscience Of Society,' Says One Conductor

Brandon Keith Brown, a classical conductor based in Berlin, has written about how classical music needs to diversify.

Here & Now

09:51Sep 14, 2020

The Boston Symphony Orchestra performing at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. (Courtesy Suntory Hall)

BSO Ratifies New Labor Agreement, Musicians Agree To Salary Cuts

Musicians will take a salary reduction averaging 37% in the first year of the agreement. The orchestra also announced the creation of a fellowship for early-career musicians of color.

The ARTery

Sep 11, 2020

Morning Edition

From The Massachusetts Tiny Desk: Two Songs That Capture Our Solitary Days

From The Massachusetts Tiny Desk: Two Songs With Distinct Artistry

Pianist Noah Haidu Remembers Kenny Kirkland's Life, Work In Retrospective

From The Massachusetts Tiny Desk: Two Songs With Impressive Lyricism

Watch: Jazzmyn RED's Hopeful Anthem For Troubled Times

We're Looking For Our Favorite Tiny Desk Contest Entry From Massachusetts. Here Are The Top 19 So Far

7 Albums To Listen To This Fall

Superstar Pianist Lang Lang Records 'Goldberg Variations'

Local Remembrances Of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Great Scott Steps Closer To Moving Into Former Regina Pizzeria Site In Allston

Throwing Muses' Kristin Hersh Reflects On Life And Nearly Four Decades Of Music

On The Cusp Of A Breakthrough, Anjimile's Music Transforms

At The Hebrew SeniorLife Synagogue, The Sacred Is Found In Song

DJ Sessions: Positive Vibes Only

5 Things To Do This Weekend, Including A Dance Party and Virtual Listening Party

A Concert From The Car — Dinosaur Jr.'s Drive-In Show Offers Pandemic Reprieve

A Look At K-pop's Black American Influence And Activism During Black Lives Matter

Never-Before-Seen Photos Shine A Spotlight On Boston's Early Hip-Hop Scene

'Classical Music Can Change The Racial Conscience Of Society,' Says One Conductor

BSO Ratifies New Labor Agreement, Musicians Agree To Salary Cuts