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Soundcheck

Tuesday, April 20, 2004
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  • Samite of Uganda - Photo by Jon Reis
    Samite of Uganda (Jon Reis)

    From Austin to Uganda

    Ugandan flutist Samite (pronounced SAH-mee-tay) was born and raised in Uganda, fled to Kenya in 1982 to escape political oppression and ultimately emigrated to the United States, settling in Ithaca, N.Y. Throughout the ordeal, his connection to his homeland remained strong through his music. As he tells John Schaefer today, his music draws on African folk traditions and features native instruments like the kalimba (finger-piano), marimba, and litungu (a seven-stringed Kenyan instrument). Also on the show, Austin-based singer/songwriter Patty Griffin, who has been generating a buzz lately for her imaginative songwriting talents. Her latest CD has earned praise in Billboard for its "attractive new tunes, strong atmosphere and Griffin's most engrossing performances to date." Finally, our concert pick of the week comes to us from music journalist Ken Smith, and features the young Chinese pianist Yundi Li.

Additional Resources:
» Samite's Web site
» A Patty Griffin biography
Irma Thomas

Irma Thomas

Soundcheck

August 22, 2008
New Orleans singer Irma Thomas has survived 50 years in the music business - and at least two hurricanes. She joins us to talk about her record, Simply Grand.

Bon Iver

Soundcheck

July 30, 2008
Singer-songwriter Justin Vernon spent a winter holed up in his father's hunting cabin in remote Wisconsin, recording songs about solitude that would be released under the name Bon Iver. He joins us to play some of them live.

Billboard Chart

Who's On Top and Who Should Be?

Soundcheck

August 14, 2008
Soundcheck looks at the artists who are reigning atop the Billboard albums chart -- and what their rankings tell us about the state of pop music.

Janelle Monae

The Next Big Things

Soundcheck

Paste magazine editor-in-chief Josh Jackson joins us to talk about Johnny Flynn, Janelle Monae, Bon Iver, Amy MacDonald and other must-hear artists who made Paste’s list of "The Best of What’s Next: 26 Emerging Artists You Should Know."

  1. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from the Republican National Convention: Day 5 (09/05/2008)
  2. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from the Republican National Convention: Day 4 (09/04/2008)
  3. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from the Republican National Convention: Day 2 (09/02/2008)
  4. The Leonard Lopate Show: Young'Uns (09/03/2008)
  5. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from the Republican National Convention: Day 3 (09/03/2008)
  6. The Leonard Lopate Show: Big Storm (09/04/2008)
  7. The Leonard Lopate Show: Jazz Can Change Your Life (09/02/2008)