Nov 20th, 2008 · President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to bring change to Washington, but his administration appears to have a lot of familiar names from the Clinton years. Presidential historian Robert Dallek discusses the composition of the new White House.
Nov 5th, 2008 · Louisiana native Brooke Waggoner studied composition and orchestration at LSU before moving to Nashville to advance her career as a performing songwriter. Her quirky sense of song structure and her experimental nature bring to mind the wide range of influences that Mountain Stage host Larry Groce mentions in his introduction: from Chopin to Simon & Garfunkel to Rogers & Hammerstein.
Oct 14th, 2008 · As opposed to the hard-bop sound dominant on the East Coast during the '50s, the West Coast sound was a bit mellower and more lyrical, with blended harmonies and more interest in composition and arrangement than improvisation. In these five songs, you'll hear all the definitive aspects of the West Coast jazz sound.
Sep 30th, 2008 · In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, here are five Latin interpretations of songs written by jazz musicians, a process that isn't as easy as playing the chords of a jazz composition over a mambo rhythm.
Sep 23rd, 2008 · With a catalog that includes children's songs, television themes, audiobook compositions and chart-topping hit singles, perhaps no band in pop music has worked in as many media as They Might Be Giants, whose members recently stopped by Mountain Stage to perform.
Jul 21st, 2008 · Founded by mandolin virtuoso and Nickel Creek alumnus Chris Thile, the band plays traditional bluegrass instruments while immersed in progressive compositional ideas. Hear Punch Brothers show off selections from a new suite on Mountain Stage.
Jul 20th, 2008 · Today's young composers are breaking out of old stereotypes. At the Yaddo Colony for artists and writers in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Carl Schimmel uses squeaky toys and whoopee cushions in his work.
Jul 13th, 2008 · John Cage's composition "ASLSP" is better known as "As Slow As Possible." A church in Germany is taking that title literally, with an organ performance of the piece set to last 639 years. A new note was played a little over a week ago — the next note is set for November.