Music

World Music critic Milo Miles reviews guitarist Ry Cooder's two new collaborations: with Indian musician V.M. Bhatt ("A Meeting by the River" -- Water Lily Acoustics label), and with African Guitarist Ali Farka Toure ("Talking Timbuktu" -- on the Hannibal/World Circuit/Rykodisc label).

Commentator Milo Miles discusses the definition of the term "world music." Miles discusses Angelique Kidjo, Deep Forest, Big Mountain.

Rock Critic Ken Tucker reviews "Ill Communication," the new album by The Beastie Boys.

Singer-songwriter-poet-performance artist Maggie Estep. Estep calls herself "an angry, sweaty girl." As a teenager, she settled in New York City, and she's been in rock bands since the age of 17. Her current back-up band is called "I love Everybody." She was the cover girl on the February 1994 issue of "High Times" magazine; the article inside called her "the leader of the spoken word pack." She recently had a sold-out one-woman show at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Her debut album is called "No More Mr.

A concert and interview with singer/songwriter and musician Dave Alvin. He's best known for his guitar "firepower" with the Blasters (for which he was also primary composer and songwriter). He also had a short stint with the band X. Alvin went solo a few years ago, and began honing his voice. He's just released his third solo album -- his first acoustic one -- "King of California" (HighTone Records).

Bandleader and pianist Eddie Palmieri. Through his first band, La Perfecta, labeled "the band with the crazy roaring elephants," Palmieri was credited with originating Latin jazz's trombone sound in New York during the sixties. With the release of "Palmas," (Elektra), many critics feel that this respected 58-year old innovator will finally get the exposure and respect that his sound has long merited. Palmieri's lobbying over the past year culminated in the announcement of a new Grammy Award category for Afro-Carribbean Jazz.

Television and movie score composer Henry Mancini, who died of cancer on Tuesday. He is best known for composing "Moon River" for the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and the title theme to the movie "The Pink Panther." In 1954 he received his first Academy Award nomination for his score to "The Glenn Miller Story," and in 1961 his score for the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" won that year's Academy Award.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews two new reissues which were both recorded in New York in the mid-1960's. Steve Lacy and Rosewell Rudd combine modern jazz, avant-garde, and old blues in their album "School Days" ( Hat Art). Duke Pearson combines piano with Caribbean music on "The Right Touch" on the (Blue Note).

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new album by David Byrne, called "David Byrne," (Luakabop/Sire)

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Jon Secada's "Heart, Soul and A Voice".

World music commentator Milo Miles showcases guitarist Steve Tibbetts.

Classical Music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews some historic recordings by composer Benjamin Britten. (EMI Classics).

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the latest of MTV's "Unplugged" concert series, featuring Tony Bennett.

Beck is a 23 year-old hip/hop folk rocker, who goes by first name only and whose single, "Loser" has become the anthem for the underachievers of Generation X. His music has been described as "triumphantly anti-professional, idiot-savant music in which a heartfelt solo can be provided by kazoo as easily as guitar." Beck was part of the Los Angeles underground, with songs like "MTV Makes Me Want to Smoke Crack." Beck's first album, "Mellow Gold," (released on DGC) was recorded at home on four and eight-track recording equipment.

Sonny Sharrock was a guitarist. His genre was the free-jazz movement of the late 1960's Jon Pareles said in the New York Times that Sharrock's "guitar solos streaked and clanged, using blistering speed and raw noise to create music that had both the openness of jazz and power of rock." (Rebroadcast of 10/23/1991)

Jazz musicians Red Rodney and Sonny Sharrock. They're both important jazz figures who recently died. We will rebroadcast previous interviews with both Rodney was a trumpeter and band leader. He rose through the big band ranks and played in Charlie Parker's quintet. He was known as one of jazz's best improvisers. And he was known for regaling journalists with his stories-- often of dubious veracity. (Rebroadcast of 6/15/1990)

Ken Tucker reviews the new Pretenders album, "Last of the Independents".

World music commentator Milo Miles looks at old and new releases by Baden Powell, a guitarist associated with Bossa Nova.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new collection of Jelly Roll Morton recordings: "Jelly Roll Morton: Library of Congress Recordings" (Rounder records, 4 volumes).

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new Boz Scaggs record, "Some Change" (Virgin).