Dec 3rd, 2008 · Wait Think Fast is one of the current standouts in a burgeoning scene of ethnically and musically diverse Los Angeles-based bands. Fronted by Argentinean-born vocalist and pianist Jacqueline Santillan, the quartet adds distinct flavor to its atmospheric, post-punk sound by utilizing both Spanish and English for its bilingual lyrics.
Nov 17th, 2008 · He's descended from jazz royalty, and he wears it with pride. But the saxophonist has engineered his own modern and thoroughly personal approach to improvisation. Hear Ravi Coltrane's working quartet perform live at the Vanguard.
Nov 11th, 2008 · A quartet originally formed in Madison, Wis. in 1996, The Great Depression is now based in Denmark. The moniker is an especially fitting one, as the ten songs on the Great Depression's third and latest full-length album, Forever Altered, all drift through gray and somber landscapes. But its melancholia is sophisticated rather than melodramatic.
Nov 9th, 2008 · The Mideast "quartet" of peacemakers meet today in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to chart a way forward in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that have largely stalled because of electoral politics in both Israel and the United States. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.
Oct 31st, 2008 · The hyper-literate indie quartet The Decemberists has been touring college campuses to help get out the vote next week. Lead singer Colin Meloy spoke to Fresh Air in 2007.
Oct 27th, 2008 · The violinist, composer and occasional country singer has long been developing a rich, earthy take on American music, filtered through adventurous jazz sensibilities. Hear Scheinman's quartet reveal another facet of her sound at this performance, live from the Vanguard.
Oct 22nd, 2008 · From the Top travels to the Heifetz International Music Institute, on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, in New Hampshire, where a quartet of string players tackles a Schumann classic, and a speed reading 16-year-old violinist plays Bazzini's virtuosic Round of the Goblins.
Oct 14th, 2008 · The third album from the William Parker Quartet is named Petit Oiseau, after a character in a poem written by Parker. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead assesses whether the album — whose French title translates to "Little Bird" — takes flight.