Michelle Mercer
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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.
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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.
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Pianist Jason Moran calls James Reese Europe "basically the 'big bang' of jazz." Moran's tribute to the composer and WWI "Hellfighter" pulls his contributions to the genre out of history.
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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.
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The jazz saxophonist and composer's new album is a dense work that musically maps the sport of boxing.
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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.
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NPR reviews the latest release from jazz clarinetist Anat Cohen, Luminosa.
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Luciana Souza's The New Bossa Nova features pop standards set to a Brazilian bossa nova beat.
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Irish storyteller and folklorist Eddie Lenihan has spent 30 years collecting and telling stories. He has the largest private collection of folklore in Ireland. Lenihan travels the world on a mission to tell his tales -- and in the process, help preserve Irish culture in the modern world.
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Involvement in bowling leagues, bridge clubs, and other participatory groups has declined considerably in recent decades, but community choruses have bucked the trend. Commentator Michelle Mercer has noticed the connection between singing and happiness, as she shares in this postcard from her gleeful local chorus.