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Friday, July 27, 2007
  • Sir  Edward Elgar
    Sir Edward Elgar

    Debating England's National Composer

    This year marks the 150th anniversary of Sir Edward Elgar. While the composer of "Pomp and Circumstance" is being feted everywhere from Gloucester, England to Bard College in upstate New York, not everyone agrees on his greatness and his links to England's imperialist past. Today, a debate on Elgar with two experts. Also: songwriter Nick Cave is not going gracefully into musical middle age. He's exploring an even darker side of his music with Grinderman. He and drummer Jim Sclavunos talk about the band's self-titled debut.

Who Says He's Elgar the Great?

2007 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Edward Elgar, the composer of works like Pomp and Circumstance. But it's also the year that the bank of England has removed him from the 20 Pound note. Today, a debate over his merits with Bard College president Leon Botstein and Norman Lebrecht, author and music critic from London's Evening Standard.

Norman Lebrecht on Elgar
Bard Music Festival: Elgar and his World

Filipino Hip Hop

In Queens, home to two-thirds of New York's Filipinos, a group called New York's Finest Pinoyz, or NYFP, is at the forefront of hip hop’s newest frontier. Dorian Merina has the story.
NYFP's website

Nick Cave

Australian songwriter Nick Cave enlisted three members of his regular band, The Bad Seeds, for a raucous side project called Grinderman. Cave and drummer Jim Sclavunos join us to share the group's self-titled debut.

Grinderman website

Best Live Performances of 2008

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We revisit memorable in-studio performances from Toumani Diabaté, Cat Power, Regina Spektor, and others.

The Year in Music and Branding

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Pop music and advertising go together like peanut butter and jelly. Grey Group music director Josh Rabinowitz shares his picks for the best song picks and ad campaigns of 2008.

Critics Week

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Music writers look back at the year's best pop, rock, hip hop, classical, jazz, Latin and world albums. Plus: the worst music of the year and the best online music. Read our critics' lists here. And don't forget to cast your vote in our best-albums poll.

Noteworthy New York

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We have invited musicians and artists to help us select their favorite cultural destination in the neighborhood where they live. From parks and coffee shops to bowling alleys and museums, the options are as diverse as our group of contributors.