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The emergence of more indie classical labels and self-produced, high-quality CDs is a reminder that American music is doing just fine. Hear a list of the year's best new classical recordings.

We're now a decade into the 21st century, so it's time to check in on the blues and see how it's doing in the relatively new world of loops, samples and remixing technology.

The soprano saxophone has never been a dominant instrument in mainstream jazz, but it's been in the mix since the beginning. Take a quick tour of the soprano sax throughout jazz history with the help of these five songs.

The popular video of Beethoven's 5th dressed in a mambo beat is a reminder of many other classical transformations, from jazz great Betty Carter to the Japanese electronics wiz Tomita.

As NPR covered the events of Sept. 11, it was music that gave listeners time to reflect; to digest the images and the impact. Hear some of the songs we played 10 years ago in the days following the attacks.

When these cross-continental art forms meet, the result is beautifully rhythmic and dramatic.

Hear the fruits of a record-canvassing mission co-piloted by Madlib.

A song cycle pleading for peace and mourning lost love — and the one piece Rorem claims he would like to be remembered by.

The jazz producer put artists like Ella Fitzgerald into concert halls while striking a blow for civil rights.

Hear an excerpt from a brilliant new recording of music by one of today's most essential composers — it's an early contender for Best Album of 2012.