Music

Drummer and drum historian Max Weinberg. For over a decade, Weinberg was the drummer for Bruce Springstein's E Street Band. Now he leads the 7-piece band on Late Night With Conan O'Brien on NBC. Weinberg co-authored The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's Great Drummers (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1984). Now, he has produced and annotated a three-volume compilation of music performed by his favorite rock 'n roll drummers of the 50's, 60's and 70's. (Max Weinberg Presents: Let There Be Drums, Vols. 1-3. on the Rhino label.

Singer/Songwriter Elvis Costello. In the late 1970s he burst out of Britain's pop-music scene with a sound and attitude never seen before. He was the angry young-man with a fresh sound. He's known for making connections between different musical communities. He's collaborated with Paul McCartney, Ruben Blades, Aimee Mann of "'til Tuesday," David Was of "Was (Not Was)," and T. Bone Burnett.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews "Morning Song," (Enja) the new release by tenor and soprano saxophonist John Stubblefield.

Clarinetist, jazz musician, and klezmer virtuoso Don Byron. He's an unlikely candidate to play klezmer, a product of Eastern European Yiddish culture: Byron is African American and dreadlocked. Byron has become best known for klezmer, but musically he's all over the map: He plays jazz with his Don Byron Quintet, modern classical music with the Semaphore quintet, and he toured Europe last fall with Music for Six Musicians, an Afro-Cuban ensemble. He's also currently writing a classical piece for the avant-garde Kronos Quartet.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the second album by the Boston Trio "Morphine." It's called "Cure for Pain" (Rykodisc).

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews two new albums: Jane Siberry's "When I Was a Boy," and Sheryl Crow's debut album "Tuesday Night Music Club." (Reprise).

World Music critic Milo Miles reviews "60 Horses in My Herd," (Shanchie) by the group Huun-Huur-Tu (HUN-HER-TOO), from the Tuva region in Mongolia.

Musical theater historian Robert Kimball. Kimball compiled and edited The Complete Lyrics of Ira Gershwin (Knopf) and is artistic advisor to the estate of Ira Gershwin. Kimball knew Ira Gershwin and his wife Leonore. He also edited The Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter.

Classical Music critic Lloyd Schwartz on a live performance of Bellini's opera "I Puritani" which features Luciano Pavarotti and Beverly Sills. (Legato Classics)

Musician, Singer, Record Producer and a Fresh Air favorite Ben Vaughn. He has a new release, "Mono USA: 8-track Home Recordings 1988-1992" (Bar/None).

World music commentator Milo Miles reviews some dancehall reggae by Jamaican-born New Yorker, Shaggy. His debut album is "Pure Pleasure," (Virgin)

Jazz Vibraphonist Gary Burton. He invented a four-mallet grip for the instrument that is used by many contemporary players. Burton left Stan Getz's quartet in the mid 60's (at the age of 24) to form his own combo; a few years later he hired a young guitarist named Pat Metheny, giving Metheny his first taste of big time jazz. Burton has been teaching percussion and improvisation classes at the Berklee School of Music in Boston; in 1985 he was named Dean of Curriculum there. Burton has over fifty albums to his credit and three Grammy award.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new Bob Dylan album, "World Gone Wrong." (Columbia)

Broadway Composer Charles Srouse. His hits include, "Bye Bye Birdie," "Applause," and "Annie." He's also written the film scores for "Bonnie and Clyde," and "The Night They Raided Minskys," and others. Strouse newest production is the sequel to "Annie," -- "Annie Warbucks." It's his second stab at an "Annie" sequel, and it comes after a string of flops. When asked if he'd ever just wanted to quit he said, "Never. . .

Rock critic Ken Tucker gives his list of bests (and a worst) for 1993.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz tells us about his favorite recordings from 1993.

Classical Music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording of Leonard Bernstein's "On the Town" and the television concert of the same show. (Deutsche Grammophon).

Comedienne Carol Leifer. She's been a longstanding regular as a stand up on Late Night With David Letterman, and a writer for Saturday Night Live. This year, she writes for comedy pal (and former boyfriend) Jerry Seinfeld -- some say the character of Elaine is based on Leifer. Last year she produced "Gaudy, Bawdy & Blue", a fictional recreation of the great "Blue" comediennes of the sixties: Belle Barth, Pearl Williams, and Rusty Warren (who's XXX-rated "Knockers Up" album sold six million copies in 1960).

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews "Vs" (Versus) the new album by the Seattle rock band Pearl Jam. (Epic).

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new CD-box set, just right for the jazz-lover in your circle of family or friends "Ornette Coleman: Beauty is a Rare Thing: The Complete Atlantic Recordings," (on Rhino).