Music

Critic Milo Miles reviews two new DVDs which document the history of hip-hop: Charlie Ahern's feature Wild Style from 1982, and Doug Pray's documentary Scratch from 2001.

With his writing partner, Fred Ebb, Kander wrote the music for the original Broadway musical Chicago. The movie version of Chicago is nominated for 13 Academy Awards this year. Kander and Ebb are nominated for their song "I Move On." Kander and Ebb also wrote the music for the shows Cabaret, The Act, Woman of the Year, and Flora the Red Meance, and the Martin Scorsese movie musical New York, New York. Both Chicago and Cabaret have recently been revived on Broadway.

His album, Down in the Alley has been nominated for a Grammy as Best Traditional Blues Recording. He's been playing acoustic blues for nearly 20 years. Though he was raised in California, his roots musically and otherwise are in rural Mississippi. He was influenced by Charlie Patton, Leadbelly, Blind Willie McTell and others. Later he was also influenced by Jimi Hendrix and Taj Mahal.

Composer Alf Clausen, the man behind the music of The Simpsons. This interview first aired May 14, 1997.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Extended Family (Tapestry), the CD of a quartet led by tenor saxophonist Fred Hess.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Up!, the new double CD by country star Shania Twain

He is also known as "Questlove" of the hip-hop group The Roots. The Grammy award-winning sextet has six albums to its credit. Their latest CD is Phrenology. Their first single from the album is "Break You Off." One reviewer writes, "To fully savor the sound, you've got to commit to spending time with The Roots, to wallow in both the music and the message.

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles blues singer Wynonie Harris who recorded between 1945 and 1952.

He reviews Crazy: The Demo Sessions (Sugar Hill records), a collection of songs Willie Nelson wrote and recorded between 1960 and 1966, hoping to sell them to the big stars of the country era.

Classical Music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new series of operetta re-issues on DRG and Ralph Benatzky's Bewitched Maiden on the Preiser label.

Book Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews “The Time of Our Singing” by Richard Powers.

Music critic Ken Tucker reviews American Life, the new CD by Madonna.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews The Headphone Masterpiece, the new CD by singer/songwriter Cody Chesnutt.

Kevin Whitehead reviews two albums: Gong With the Wind Suite from Lee Konitz and Matt Wilson, and the newly remastered Theme and Variations from John LaPorta.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the third album by singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur. It's called Redemption's Son.

Ed Ward profiles guitar prodigy Link Wray.

Music critic Milo Miles reviews two new recordings that rely on new technology: DJ Shadow's The Private Press (on MCA) and The Best Bootlegs in the World. Ever.

Eric Burdon was the lead singer for the British band, The Animals - the 1960s group that gave us, "House of the Rising Sun," "Don Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place." Burdon has written his new autobiography, Don Let Me Be Misunderstood (Thunder Mouth Press) He is currently touring with the New Animals.

He will give us his take on the best albums of the year, including new releases from Eminem, Missy Elliot and The Hives. He is a regular Fresh Air contributor and he also writes for Entertainment Weekly.

Lloyd Schwartz reviews some classic Hollywood musicals now out on DVD: The 1946 film The Harvey Girls, starring Judy Garland and Ray Bolger; the 1954 A Star is Born, starring Judy Garland and James Mason; the 1930 film The Blue Angel, starring Marlene Dietrich; Singing in the Rain; the 1947 film New Orleans (on Kino video), starring Louie Armstrong and Billie Holiday; the 1947 Edgar Ulmer's Carnegie Hall featuring Jascha Heifetz; The Big Broadcast of 1938, starring W.C. Fields and Bob Hope; 42nd Street, the Busby Berkeley film.