NPR Music

The NEA Jazz Master died Tuesday at the age of 79.

The composer's magnetically powerful Fire Shut Up in My Bones lands with a force of authenticity, a too-rare window into Black life in an operatic setting.

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with author Traci Todd and illustrator Christian Robinson about their new children's book 'NINA: A Story of Nina Simone,' and adapting a complicated figure's story for kids.

The Latin Grammys nominations favor a wider range of artists, genre, and fusion pieces, but mostly relegate reggaeton music to its own category.

Netflix's Britney vs Spears and Hulu's Controlling Britney Spears — released right before an important hearing on the singer's conservatorship — piece together how Spears lost control of her life.

Yes, we know they're technically called "MacArthur fellows." But for this group of artists, scientists and scholars, the term fits well enough as any other.

Resonant gongs, vibraphone, fluttering trumpet and groaning, synth-like transmissions from Aarset's guitar coalesce over the seven minutes of "Manta Ray."

A two-minute bruiser taken from the Toronto five-piece's new album, Conditioned to Chaos.

The latest song from the former Tiny Desk Contest entrant is about the indignities and joys of growing up in the suburbs.

Using a GPS tracking app, Pete Stokes biked a 93-mile route that formed a picture of the album's art — a naked baby in a pool — when viewed from above. It took him nearly eight and a half hours.