Music

Jon Batiste plays a rainbow-colored piano outdoors as people in surgical masks walk by

Modern Hollywood Discovers Its Jazz ‘Soul’ Modern Hollywood Discovers Its Jazz ‘Soul’

Pixar’s Christmas release is the best jazz film in a long time. But then, there isn’t a lot of competition.

Dec 24, 2020 / Ethan Iverson

The Best Albums of 2020

The Best Albums of 2020 The Best Albums of 2020

Our music critic’s 11 favorite pieces of music from this year.

Dec 18, 2020 / Books & the Arts / David Hajdu

Bob Dylan at Montfort Hall, Leicester (U.K.) in 1965.

How Bob Dylan Wrote the Second Great American Songbook How Bob Dylan Wrote the Second Great American Songbook

The sale of the singer-songwriter’s catalogue is a reminder of his massive cultural legacy.

Dec 11, 2020 / Jeet Heer

‘You Have to Listen to the Streets’: Rebel Diaz on Hip Hop and the Chilean Constitution

‘You Have to Listen to the Streets’: Rebel Diaz on Hip Hop and the Chilean Constitution ‘You Have to Listen to the Streets’: Rebel Diaz on Hip Hop and the Chilean Constitution

Brothers Rodrigo “RodStarz” and Gonzalo “G1” Venegas, who make up Rebel Diaz, discuss the role of art and music in Chilean activism.

Nov 5, 2020 / Q&A / Jack Delaney

When Raving Was Radical

When Raving Was Radical When Raving Was Radical

Rainald Goetz’s 1998 novel captures both the complicated politics of the German electronic music scene and the chaotic experience of a night lost to dancing.

Nov 5, 2020 / Rachel Hahn

A Soundscape of Pure Empathy

A Soundscape of Pure Empathy A Soundscape of Pure Empathy

Kelly Lee Owens’s quietly complex electronic music is defined by its spirit of care.

Oct 27, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Julyssa Lopez

Synthesizing Sound and Self

Synthesizing Sound and Self Synthesizing Sound and Self

The vexed legacy of electronic music pioneer Wendy Carlos.

Oct 15, 2020 / Sasha Geffen

Stanley Crouch, 1945–2020

Stanley Crouch, 1945–2020 Stanley Crouch, 1945–2020

Even many of those who at times wanted to throttle Crouch will miss him now that he’s gone.

Oct 12, 2020 / Gene Seymour

Kendrick Lamar’s Poetic Awakening

Kendrick Lamar’s Poetic Awakening Kendrick Lamar’s Poetic Awakening

How an encounter with a creative writing teacher changed the LA rapper’s life.

Oct 8, 2020 / Marcus J. Moore

John Luther Adams’s Songs for a Vanished World

John Luther Adams’s Songs for a Vanished World John Luther Adams’s Songs for a Vanished World

A conversation, conducted via satellite phone, with the legendary composer about his new memoir, Silences So Deep, and the music of his life.

Oct 7, 2020 / Rumaan Alam

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