Soundcheck

Muses in Greek mythology

Do Musicians Still Have Muses?

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Muses have fascinated us for centuries, yet they seldom get as much exposure as the artistic geniuses they inspire. From Yoko Ono to Eric Clapton's Layla to Carla Bruni, the first lady of France who is writing songs inspired by poets like Emily Dickinson, we look at how muses feed the imagination to this very day. Also: jazz singer Catherine Russell talks about her own inspiration – her very musical parents.

Listen to the whole show

Behind Every Great Artist...is a Great Muse

Ann Powers, chief pop critic with the LA Times, and Colin Fisher, who researchs improvisation and creativity at Harvard University, discuss the role of muses in popular music why muses are so indispensable to artists.

Soundcheck's CD Picks of the Week

Huong Thanh and Nguyen Le, "Fragile Beauty" (ACT)

In this globalized world, the most unexpected encounters happen in music. Take this one: Vietnamese songs, jazz guitar, a Japanese koto and African drums. And it works! At least for us, Soundcheckers. The album is “Fragile Beauty” and it features singer and composer Huong Thanh, who was born in Saigon, Vietnam, but has been living in France for more than 20 years. --Picked by Gisele Regatao

Johann Sebastian Bach: Six Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, transcribed and performed by Winsome Evans, harpsichord (Celestial Harmonies)

Whose crazy idea was this? Taking the Bach Sonatas and Partitas, works that form the pinnacle of the solo violin repertoire, and arranging them for harpsichord? Who thought that would work? Turns out, it was Bach himself. Bach would often play his solo string works on the keyboard, so armed with that knowledge, Australian harpsichordist Winsome Evans decided to transcribe all 6 solo violin suites, embellishing as needed to make them genuinely work as keyboard pieces. --Picked by John Schaefer

Hot Chip, "Made in the Dark" (Astralwerks)

the British electronic quintet Hot Chip. Two years ago, the progressive, practically irresistible dance music on their album “The Warning” helped Hot Chip join the ranks of LCD Soundsystem and Daft Punk. Now, the group is back with “Made in the Dark.” Over 13 tracks, Hot Chip turns in plenty of catchy synthesizer-melters, but the group also wanders – compellingly – into piano ballads and even R&B slow-jams.--Picked by Joel Meyer

Kronos Quartet, "The Cusp of Magic" (Nonesuch)

Few composers could write a string quartet that features the squeaking of a rubber duck and seriously get away with it. But that’s one of the sounds woven into “The Cusp of Magic” a rambling, six-movement work that composer Terry Riley wrote for the Kronos Quartet in 2004. Just out on a CD by Kronos, the piece also incorporates various percussion and synthesizer effects, plus the contributions of Wun Han, who plays the pipa, or Chinese lute. --Picked by Brian Wise

Catherine Russell live

For many years, jazz singer Catherine Russell made her living singing back-up, often with pop icons like Steely Dan and David Bowie. Now stepping out as a leader, she mixes blues, jazz, country and folk influences on her second solo album. She joins us today with a live performance.

More about Catherine Russell
Catherine Russell's MySpace page