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Save the Whales (But Listen, Too)

Clarinetist, naturalist, and author David Rothenberg wrote about his quest to jam with the biggest singers on the planet: whales. Scott McVay made historic underwater recordings of whale songs. They join us to share their sounds and theories of whale song.

Our blog: John Schafer on whale songs: Are they music?

David Rothenberg's Website
Thousand Mile Song: Whale Music in a Sea of Sound (Amazon.com)

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CD Picks of the Week

Every week, the Soundcheck staff digs through our inboxes for the best new releases.

Al Green, "Lay It Down" (Blue Note)

Four decades into a legendary career, Al Green could just sit back and collect the royalties from his recording catalog. But the Memphis-based singer still loves making records. And he’s turned to the members of the hip-hop generation to enliven his latest album, called "Lay It Down." The drummer ?uestlove of hip-hop outfit The Roots co-produced the disc, which features guest appearances from R&B singers John Legend, Corinne Bailey Rae and Anthony Hamilton.--Brian Wise

Chumbawamba, "The Boy Bands Have Won" (Trade Root)

Chumbawamba started as a loose collective of anarchist punks in the early 80s – and no one was more surprised than they were when their song "tubthumping" became a summertime pop hit in 1997. Now, they’ve reinvented themselves as an acoustic band. Like so many of their earlier records, the title is a skewering of the music industry. And the songs? Well the band describes them as "calmly stating their case about the state of the world. Then buggering off." --John Schaefer

Rachid Taha, "Rock el Casbah: The Best Of" (Wrasse Records)

Think The Clash’s song Rock the Casbah, Arabic version. Growing up in France, Algerian singer Rachid Taha has often been a victim of prejudice and discrimination. On his album, "Rock el Casbah: The Best Of," he gives an angry take on intolerance, re-interpreting the hit by his punk idols. –-Gisele Regatao

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James Ehnes

Manitoba-born violinist James Ehnes is being called one of the hottest Canadian classical musicians to come along in a long time. Earlier this year he received a Grammy Award for his recording of concertos by Barber, Korngold and Walton. He joins us today -- in advance of an appearance with the NY Philharmonic -- to perform the music of J.S. Bach in our studio.

James Ehnes performs tonight at 8pm and tomorrow at 7:30 pm at Avery Fisher Hall with the New York Philharmonic. He performs again at Avery Fisher Hall Tues. Jul. 1 and Wed. Jul. 2.

James Ehnes' Website

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