Nov 21st, 2008 · Filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles' breakout hit Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song rattled the Hollywood status quo when it was released in 1971 with an "X" rating for adult content. Since then, Van Peebles has gone on to write, direct and act in many other projects, which has earned him upcoming tribute by the Gotham Indepedent Film Awards. Van Peebles discusses highlights of his career and addresses criticism of his work.
Nov 10th, 2008 · South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba died Sunday at age 76. In a letter of tribute, Nelson Mandela said, "Her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us." Talk of the Nation remembers her with a 1988 recording of Mosadi Ku Rima.
Nov 10th, 2008 · A restored Rashomon and rarely seen sketches in the director's own hand anchor a three-month tribute to the man who brought Japanese cinema to the world.
Nov 10th, 2008 · Sixty years ago, Moses Asch set out to record "all the sound of the world." He established Folkways Records — "the little label that could" — and in the decades that followed, recorded everything from folk singers, to jazz greats, to sounds of the natural world.
Nov 7th, 2008 · The African-American radio pioneer celebrated his 93rd birthday this week at a tribute in his honor at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. He also marked his 69th year in the radio business.
Oct 24th, 2008 · Widely recognized as one of the preeminent interpreters of Antonio Carlos Jobim, vocalist Eliane Elias has lately begun exploring the works of Bill Evans. She plays and sings a previously unreleased Evans tune, "Here Is Something for You," for which she has written a lyric, and McPartland gives her own Evans tribute on "B Minor Waltz."
Oct 16th, 2008 · It should come as no surprise that James Brown has inspired countless tributes and covers, both good and bad. Explore five of the most unusual and exceptional examples, from inspired tributes to psychedelic reinventions.
Oct 10th, 2008 · Marian McPartland celebrates her 90th birthday in style with a special concert at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Some of the biggest stars in the jazz universe stop by to pay tribute to McPartland, and the birthday girl gets everything she wants, performing duets with singer Norah Jones, violinist Regina Carter and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt.