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The Anthem, With Soul

This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of Marvin Gaye's stirring-yet-funky performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game. Journalist and radio host Harry Allen joins us for a look back at a historic moment for the national anthem and for a gifted, but troubled, singer. And, Bruce Hornsby saw Gaye's performance. The Grammy-winning artist tells us what it was like and shares his own experiences performing the anthem.

Weigh in: Do you have a favorite performance of the anthem? A least favorite?

Video: Marvin Gaye, "The Star Spangled Banner," 1983 NBA All-Star Game
Bruce Hornsby website

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Soundcheck's CD Picks of the Week

Wu Han, piano; "Russian Recital" (ArtistLed)
Pianist Wu Han wears many hats: co-artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the head of her own record label, ArtistLed, and of course, busy concert soloist. On the cover of her new album, it’s a big woolly Russian hat that she’s wearing. The album is called "Russian Recital" and it features piano works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Scriabin. Picked by Brian Wise

Lo Cor de la Plana, "Tant Deman" (Buda Musique)

Lo Cor de La Plana is comprised of six male singers, four of whom also play hand drums, tambourines, and their own bodies. They are based in Marseille, but even if you speak French you can’t understand what they say: They sing in a disappearing language called Occitan. And their repertoire is music that used to be confined to churches. But when you hear the call and response, the African drums, the solo voices, it sounds anything BUT church music.Picked by Gisele Regatao

Jeffrey Lewis, "12 Crass Songs" (Rough Trade)

Cover albums can be, well, a little hit or miss. But when they’re good, cover albums make us re-think an artist we thought we had pegged down a long time ago. On his latest album, anti-folk singer Jeffrey Lewis gives us a fresh take on Crass, the anarchist, so-called “peace punk” band of the 1970s and ‘80s. Lewis detaches Crass from its D.I.Y. punk bluster and nestles the band’s social-message heavy in beautiful acoustic arrangements. And you know what? It sounds punk as, well, you know. Picked by Joel Meyer

Scroobius Pip, "The Beat That My Heart Skipped"
Crass is actually one of the bands name-checked in the video "Thou Shalt Always Kill," which was an underground hit last year for the bearded London rapper named Scroobius Pip. So far, Scroobius Pip doesn’t have a CD, so our final pick this week will simply be his MySpace page. On it, you’ll find "Thou Shalt Always Kill," a delicious satire on pop culture. And with beatmaster Dan Le Sac, Scroobius Pip also offers a Letter from God to Man in which the deity expresses pride in and regret for his favorite creation. Picked by John Schaefer

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Flamenco Frenzy

Flamenco has moved beyond the old stereotypes of tapas restaurants and kitschy souvenirs. Today, Miguel Marin, founder of The New York Flamenco Festival, explains how younger artists -- like Diana Navarro, Rocio Molina, Eva Yerbabuena and Son de la Frontera -- are shaking up the sound and the face of Spain's traditional music. And Diana Navarro performs live.

2008 NY Flamenco Festival

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