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Soundcheck

Wednesday, March 07, 2007
  • DJ Jubilee
    DJ Jubilee

    New Orleans, Getting a Good Rap

    There's more to the New Orleans music scene than jazz. Hip hop is one of the city's most popular musical exports. It's inspired by jazz funerals and the dance rhythms of Mardi Gras. Today, we go behind the New Orleans rap scene by focusing on a style known as bounce music. Also: The Swingle Singers were the first classical-pop crossover group in the 1960s and are now on a US tour that includes a stop at Joe's Pub this weekend. We talk to the group's founder, Ward Swingle. Finally: The Obie-award winning cabaret performer and actress Jackie Hoffman joins us to preview her Joe's Pub show, "Jackie With A Z."

Bounce Music 101

Corey Takahashi, a journalist who covers culture for NPR, PRI and Vibe magazine, and DJ Jubilee, talk about New Orleans' hip hop scene and specifically the style known as bounce music.

Jackie Hoffman

Jackie Hoffman (Garden State, Hairspray, Kissing Jessica Stein) previews her Joe's Pub show, "Jackie With A Z."

Concert details: Jackie Hoffman at Joe's Pub

The Saga of Ward Swingle

Ward Swingle, founder of the Swingle Singers, talks about the group's legacy singing everything from jazz-inflected Bach arrangements to avant-garde works by Berio.

Swingle Singers' Web site

Introducing our Video Contest

Soundcheck

John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.

In Studio: Los Amigos Invisibles

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The Venezuelan funk-rock band "Los Amigos Invisibles" was discovered by David Byrne in a Manhattan record shop. They perform live on Soundcheck.

In Studio: Angel Deradoorian

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The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.

Cucu Diamantes Performs Amor Cronico

Soundcheck

Cucu Diamantes went from a tough childhood in Havana, Cuba, to an art school in Rome to underground New York City, where she co-founded the Latin alternative band Yerba Buena.

In Studio: The Decemberists

The Portland, Ore., band's latest album, "The Hazards of Love," is a concept album with a mythological flair. They joined Soundcheck to play live for a studio audience in WNYC's Greene Space.

Sound Off

Soundcheck

Throughout May, Soundcheck presents “Sound Off” a Friday series on the many aspects of noise in music and our lives. The series -- which coincides with “Better Hearing and Speech Month” -- looks at issues like New York’s noisiest neighborhoods, the latest research on iPods and hearing loss, and what happens when noise becomes a musical ingredient.