Jan 6th, 2009 · Steeped in the Piedmont blues of the North Carolina hill country, the trio breathes new life into the African-American string-band tradition. The group brings a claw-hammer banjo, fiddles, snare drum, bone percussion and even a kazoo to Mountain Stage.
Dec 9th, 2008 · It was a short commute for Brooklyn's Little Jackie when it performed at the Bronx studios of WFUV. The band strips away Adam Pallin's lush production in this session with an acoustic guitar, percussion and back-up vocalists. Vocalist Imani Coppola even pulls out her violin on a Shangri-Las cover.
Nov 29th, 2008 · Part alt-country, part indie-rock, the band Delta Spirit burst onto the stage this year with its debut album, Ode to Sunshine. The album is packed with serious messages set to pop riffs, thrown together with everything but the kitchen sink, including the occasional percussive trash can lid. NPR's Scott Simon talks to front man Matt Vasquez and bassist Brandon Young about the struggles of the road and unusual album art.
Nov 3rd, 2008 · Intricate, melodic and vivid: The sound of North Carolina's Annuals is the epitome of sunny indie-pop. The band's thoughtful harmonies, anthemic orchestration and percussion, and bright electronics are given an excellent showcase on Annuals' new album, Such Fun.
Oct 16th, 2008 · Jangling collages of sound, atonal melodies and jumbled percussion, avant-garde music has gone through a lot of bizarre phases. And now "noise music" is picking up young fans through easy digital access. In the birthplace of R.E.M., members of the underground scene push the boundaries of sound.
Sep 12th, 2008 · A brilliant and inventive composer and pianist, McCoy Tyner created the lavish harmonies and percussive piano lines heard on some of John Coltrane's most famous recordings and with his own trio. Tyner puts his prodigious technique to work on in a session with Marian McPartland.
Jul 28th, 2008 · Recorded at Atlanta's historic Fox Theater on July 5, Waits delivers a stunning and epic two-and-a-half hour performance, including songs he says he's never attempted outside of the studio before. Backing Waits is a five-piece group featuring Seth Ford-Young (upright bass), Patrick Warren (keyboards), Omar Torrez (guitars), Vincent Henry (woodwinds) and Casey Waits (drums and percussion). "They play with racecar precision and they are all true conjurers," says Waits. "They are all multi-instrumentalists and they polka like real men."
Jul 11th, 2008 · He cut his teeth with the John Coltrane classic quartet of the '60s, and spent the following decades securing his own legend. The jazz piano giant, known for his muscular and percussive attack, performs solo and with his own quartet in Los Angeles.