wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Liz Phair

When it was released in 1993, Liz Phair's debut "Exile in Guyville" was heralded as many things: a response to the Stones' "Exile on Main Street," a fresh (and frank) collection of songs, and a great rock record. It was also a complex feminist manifesto -- one that's endured for 15 years. (Rolling Stone called it one of the 500 best albums of all time.) Phair joins us to talk about the album, which is being reissued next week, and her work on the CBS television series "Swingtown."

Liz Phair on MySpace

• Comments [6]
• Email
• Save

CD Picks of the Week

"String Poetic," Jennifer Koh, violin; Reiko Uchida, piano (Cedille)

The New York violinist Jennifer Koh and her frequent piano collaborator Reiko Uchida shape a century’s worth of American contemporary music on the new album "String Poetic." The disc features rare and unusual works by Carl Ruggles, Lou Harrison and John Adams. But the biggest draw is the title piece, Jennifer Higdon’s "String Poetic." This five-movement suite is one of the freshest and most appealing new works for violin that we’ve heard in a long while. It spans a range of moods – from the slow, ethereal "Nocturne," to the breathless movement called "Jagged Climb," in which the violinist seems to be scampering up a mountain peak at full throttle. --picked by Brian Wise

Laura Marling, "Alas, I Cannot Swim" (Astralwerks)

Our next CD pick of the week comes from -- you guessed it -- another incredibly talented young woman from the UK! Eighteen-year-old folkie Laura Marling aims to join a successful, transatlantic crowd that includes Lily Allen, piano-pop star Kate Nash, Welsh neo-soul diva Duffy, the brassy upstart Adele, and and a certain troublemaker whose name rhymes with "Schmamy Vinemouse." On a full-length debut called "Alas, I Cannot Swim," Laura Marling does more than keep her head above water, buoyed by rapid-fire confessional lyrics and a voice that can hang with any of her British sisters. Or brothers. The album is available on iTunes and gets a CD release in August. --picked by Joel Meyer

Etenesh & Le Tigre, "Enaf", (Buda Records)

Our final pick this week is an album of Ethiopian pop played by a French jazz band. Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, was known as “Swinging Addis” in the late 60s/early 70s, when a strange and potent brew of European brass band music, Indian film music, James Brown funk, and Ethiopian folk took hold. Now, Le Tigre des Platanes, a French jazz quintet, and the Ethiopian singer Etenesh, have recorded contemporary arrangements of some classic Ethiopop. The album is called “Zeraf!”--picked by John Schaefer

• Comments [2]
• Email
• Save

Tatum's Ghost in the Machine

Digital technology is enabling jazz pianist Art Tatum, who died in 1956, to "perform" again. His music is the subject of a new show at the Apollo Theater as well as a new CD on Sony BMG. John Q. Walker, the founder and president of the Raleigh, N.C.-based Zenph Studios, talks about the digital-era player piano that’s at the heart of this.

Our blog: John Schaefer on the marvel of Zenph's technology

Weigh in: Do you appreciate the sonic improvement of old recordings or do you prefer the scratchy old versions?

Zenph Studios web site

• Comments [3]
• Email
• Save