Daily Schedule

Bonnie Raitt tells us about her career, launching her own label, and winning her tenth Grammy Award for her latest album, "Slipstream." Randall Poster discusses putting together an album of music from both sides of the Civil War. Amy Tan on her latest novel, The Valley of Amazement. Nick Bilton of the New York Times discusses the launch of Twitter and how the site’s quick rise in popularity sowed the seeds for power struggles.

Your morning companion from NPR and the WNYC Newsroom, with world news, local features, and weather updates.

It's the first day of 2014, and the first day of the Bill de Blasio administration. Live coverage of the inauguration ceremony begins at 11am with Andrea Bernstein and Brigid Bergin o...

The Peabody Award-winning program features Terry Gross’ fearless and insightful interviews with big names in pop culture, politics and the arts.

A wrap-up of the day’s news, with features and interviews about the latest developments in New York City and around the world, from NPR and the WNYC newsroom.

A wrap-up of the day’s news, with features and interviews about the latest developments in New York City and around the world, from NPR and the WNYC newsroom.

In this episode: Over his long and legendary career, soul singer, songwriter and guitarist Bobby Womack has been responsible for countless timeless songs. Last year's superb album, his 11th, The Bravest Man In The Universe, was co-produced by Damon Albarn and Richard Russell and it's considered one of his best and most inventive efforts yet. In a lengthy interview with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Womack reflects on making the new album, playing with and writing for countless icons in music, and much more.

Plus: Since the 1970's, the Fender Rhodes has become a staple of jazz, rock, pop and R&B. Gerald McCauley, the author of the comprehensive new book Down The Rhodes: The Fender Rhodes Story, talks about how the instrument was invented and why artists -- like Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Ray Manzarek and more -- embraced it.

 

 

This New Sounds offers a new take on Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, with the composer’s own poems in new musical settings by Uri Caine and a modern English translation sung by Theo Bleckmann.  Originally, Vivaldi wrote that most famous set of four concertos based on his Italian sonnets about each of the seasons.  Listen to the re-working, along with other poetry set to music, including settings from Korean poetry by Sunny Kim.  There's also music by Harold Budd and Steve Reich, to name a few.