Music

Commentator Milo Miles reviews the new album by Olivia Tremor Control, "Black Foliage: Animation Music." (Flydaddy, Inc) The record company says this about the new album. "Foliage is consumed with the exploration of dreams: hopes and longings, fears and phobias that we admit to only when we sleep. It is an attempt to turn our subconscious into music.

Minimalist composer Steve Reich. He's considered one of our foremost living composers. There's a new CD "Reich Remixed" (Nonesuch) a dance album in which American, British, and Japanese DJ's pay tribute to Reich, by sampling and reassembling his music. Reich will be the subject of this summer's Lincoln Center Festival. And Reich's "Triple Quartet" written for and performed by the Kronos Quartet, will have its world premiere on May 22nd at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

Today marks the Centennial of Fred Astaire's birthday. First, we'll hear from Will Friedwald on Astaire's singing ability. He says while Astaire didn't have the best voice, he was still wonderful to listen to. Friedwald is author of several books on Singers including: The Tony Bennett autobiography "The Good Life," "Sinatra! The Song is You: A Singer's Art," and "Jazz Singing :America's Great Voices from Bessie Smith to Bebop and Beyond"

Pianist Peter Mintun talks about how Fred Astaire's movies impacted his career. Mintun is considered one of today’s leading interpreters of popular songs composed between the two world wars which he calls classic melodies that transcend time.

Jazz pianist/composer Dave Brubeck. He turns 80 next year and has been recording for 50 years. There are several new collections of his work: "The Dave Brubeck Collection" (Columbia/Legacy) which reissues five of his classic out-of-print LPs, and "Dave Brubeck: Time Signature: A Career Retrospective"

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new CD "The Mountain" (E-Squared) by Steve Earle which pays tribute to bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews the world premiere of Tod Machover's "Resurrection" performed by the Houston Grand Opera

To complete our celebration of the centennial of Duke Ellington's birth (April 29th, 1899) a talk with music critic Gary Giddins. He won the National Book Critics Circle award for criticism for his new book "Visions of Jazz: The First Century." (Oxford Press). Giddins has written for The Village Voice for 25 years.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording of Pierre Boulez conducting Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. (on Deutsche Grammophon).

Mark Linkous of the rock band Sparklehorse. He writes, sings, and plays nearly all the music. They debuted in 1995 with the album, "Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot." Their latest release is "Good Morning Spider" (Capitol).

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead continues his look at Duke Ellington.

From the off-Broadway musical, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" composer-lyricist Stephen Trask, and actor/singer Michael Cerveris. The musical is about a failed rock singer who happens to be a German transsexual.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead corrects some common misconceptions about Duke Ellington.

Dave Brubeck talks about Duke Ellington.

Rock historian Ed Ward reviews "The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966: The 'Royal Albert Hall' Concert" (Columbia). The series documents his controversial world tour when he plugged in his electric guitar. The Royal Albert Hall concert took place in Manchester, England.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the re-issue of "These are my Roots: "Clifford Jordan plays Leadbelly" by Koch Jazz. It originally came out in 1966.

Philip Furia talks specifically about the lyrics Dorothy Fields wrote. Furia is Chairman of the English Department at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He is also author of "Poets of Tin Pan Alley."

Singer Becky Kilgore and pianist Dave Frishberg perform music by Dorothy Fields.

Composer and Broadway director Cy Coleman talks about working with Dorothy Fields in the 1960s and 70's with Dorothy Fields. They collaborated on the Broadway shows "Sweet Charity," and "Seesaw." Coleman is the composer and director of the current Broadway show, The Life.

Singer Becky Kilgore and pianist Dave Frishberg perform music by Dorothy Fields.