Michelle Mercer

Shorter's biographer, Michelle Mercer, recalls the many "isms" and lessons she learned from her time working with the legendary composer and saxophonist on his biography, Footprints.

This Oklahoma City venue is showcasing the role of protest music in the Trump era, and how songwriting can also bridge the political divide.

In the 1970s, Fitzgerald became the face (and glass-shattering voice) of Memorex tapes. It fueled a career revival that extended her relevance and positioned her to pass the torch to a new generation.

Mendonça, one of Brazil's most popular pop stars, is solidifying her reputation as the face of a new genre: "feminejo," which is injecting a female perspective into the region's pop-country music.

Saxophonist and composer Greg Ward's Stomping Off From Greenwood is a love letter to the city where he came of age as a musician.

In 2013, jazz composer and alto saxophonist Caroline Davis got some troubling news: Her father had a potentially dangerous condition — arrhythmia. His heart was beating irregularly. Her concern for him lead to a unique, musical response, and a new album.

Robert Glasper, Kendrick Scott, Ambrose Akinmusire and a handful of other Blue Note stars join forces on a new album called Our Point of View.

The jazz saxophonist and composer's new album is a dense work that musically maps the sport of boxing.

The pianist and composer left his home country seven years ago. Michelle Mercer says Rodriguez's latest album is the sound of a prodigiously talented Cuban embracing the wider world of music.

NPR reviews the latest release from jazz clarinetist Anat Cohen, Luminosa.