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Soundcheck

Monday, August 27, 2007
  • Philip Glass
    Philip Glass

    The Maturing of Minimalism

    Composer Philip Glass turned 70 this year and minimalism is as popular as ever. It's also controversial, as some feel it's been overly commercialized and misrepresented. Today, music critics Kyle Gann and Steve Smith debate what – and who – is minimalist. Also on the show: Anoushka Shankar, the sitarist and daughter of Ravi Shankar and Karsh Kale, a producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist team up on the album "Breathing Under Water." They join us to share their musical and cultural fusions.

Minimalism: Point and Counterpoint

In honor of Philip Glass's 70th birthday year, the music critics of the New York Times recently published their list of essential recordings of minimalist music. The list unleashed a heated debate on the Internet, with some bloggers attacking the list for its omissions and biases. Today, we debate the minimalist canon with Kyle Gann, composer and former Village Voice music critic; and Steve Smith, classical music critic at the New York Times and music editor of Time Out New York.

Weigh in: Who is your favorite minimalist composer? What's your favorite minimalist recording?

Kyle Gann's blog
Steve Smith's blog
Steve Smith and Kyle Gann's Top Five Lists

Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale

Sitarist Anoushka Shankar and composer and producer Karsh Kale join forces on "Breathing Under Water," a new album that shows the many dimensions of so-called fusion and crossover music. The album also features Sting and Shankar's sister Norah Jones, and prolific Bollywood soundtrack composer Salim Merchant. Shankar and Kale join us today.

Breathing Under Water on Amazon

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.