Music & Culture
Classical Music Posts
Sonny Simmons, Fiercely Independent Alto Saxophonist, Dies at 87
Simmons died last week at the age of 87. The cause of death remains unknown, but his life is cause for considerable celebration. Although jazz has established a place in academic and cultural institutions, it was and largely still is an outsider’s music, and Simmons was an outsider’s outsider.
A Melting Pot Of Traditions: Violinist Regina Carter Talks With Lara Downes
When Duke Ellington famously coined the phrase “beyond category,” he was talking about freedom — of choice, of expression, of belonging. He meant following your heart and your instincts into an artistic territory without borders. And that’s the place where violinist Regina Carter makes her home.
Collecting Stories Together, In A Year Spent Apart: A StoryCorps Northwest Special
This hour-long special of StoryCorps Northwest highlights some of the moving and inspiring stories from friends and neighbors in the Inland Northwest.
‘We Will Never Break’: In Iraq, A Yazidi Women’s Choir Keeps Ancient Music Alive
With its dirt roads and drab dwellings, the camp can be a bleak place. But the beat of a daf, a drum sacred to Yazidis, throbs underneath loud, energetic singing, rising over shouts of children in a trash-strewn playground.
Where Did ‘Papa’ Haydn Get His Nickname?
Joseph Haydn – often called the father of the symphony and the string quartet, teacher to many and an all around good-natured man. To this day, he still wears the nickname “Papa Haydn” – but where did it come from?
Bach’s Favorite Instrument You’ve Probably Never Heard Of: The Long-Lost Lautenwerck
No lautenwerks survived the 19th century. Picture extremely delicate harpsichords — in fact, lautenwercks are alternately called lute-harpsichords. Their strings are made of guts, originally from sheep (like lutes), which gives lautenwercks a warm, intimate tone distinct from brassy, metal-strung harpsichords.
