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Soundcheck

Monday, June 18, 2007
  • Two American Arias

    Opera star Sherrill Milnes went from an Illinois dairy farm to taking bows at the Met. Today on Soundcheck, he tells us how he became one of the world’s great baritones. And: Lee Konitz started cool jazz with Miles Davis in the 40s. He joins us on the eve of his 80th birthday concert at the JVC Jazz Festival. Paul McCartney's "Memory Almost Full" is his first album with Starbucks' Hear Music label. It's also getting a lot of play in the stores -- too much according to some patrons. We hear about the marketing strategy for the album which includes playing it on a continuous loop.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Opera

Opera star Sherrill Milnes got his start singing while milking cows in rural Illinois. He joins us to talk about his memoir, "American Aria: Encore."

American Aria: Encore at Amadeus Press

Absolute-Lee Konitz

Saxophonist and composer Lee Konitz helped give birth to cool with Miles Davis in the 40s and grew more experimental as he got older. He joins us in anticipation of his 80-year birthday concert celebration at the JVC Jazz Festival.

Lee Konitz is playing Monday, June 25 at Carnegie's Zankel Hall. Check the Carnegie Hall website for more details.

CarnegieHall.com
JVC Jazz Festival Web site

The Beatle and the Barista

Paul McCartney’s decision to release his new album on Starbucks’ Hear Music label, instead of EMI, might be paying off. Memory Almost Full debuted at No.3 on the Billboard 200 with 160,000 albums sold in its first week. But will first-week success come at a cost for Sir Paul and Starbucks? We talk with Bob Lefsetz, author of the Lefsetz Letter, a daily online newsletter covering the music industry.

The Swell Season in The Greene Space

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Joshua Bell in The Greene Space

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