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In his new album, <em>Latin American Songbook, </em>jazz pianist Edward Simon offers a new take on some of his favorite Latin standards.

In 'Latin American Songbook,' Edward Simon Rethinks The American Jazz Standard

The pianist's new album places Latin standards at the center of instrumental jazz and offers creative experimentation with harmony and meter.

Some performances during the Bard Music Festival in the Hudson Valley take place at the Fisher Center, designed by Frank Gehry.

10 Can't-Miss Classical Music Festivals

There's something to please everyone — from Schubert in the Hudson Valley, great orchestras in in the Rockies and world premieres in a Chicago park.

Seattle Symphony Music Director Ludovic Morlot stands before his orchestra just before their Spring for Music concert at Carnegie Hall on May 6, 2014. (Inspired by the oceanic theme of the concert, the musicians are wearing deep blue scarves and ties created by Seattle fashion designer Michael Cepress.)

Seattle Symphony, New Pulitzer Winner At Carnegie Hall

John Luther Adams' prize-winning piece Become Ocean headlines a concert devoted to sea and sand that includes Debussy's La mer and an Edgard Varèse piece inspired by the New Mexico desert.

The 2014 Jazz At Lincoln Center Gala Concert

Billy Crystal hosts Love, Loss and Laughter: The Story of Jazz — a tour of the music's history in song and dance, featuring an all-star lineup and the JALC Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis.

"Jazz improvisation is supposed to be the highest form of communication," Sonny Rollins says, "and getting that to the people is our job as musicians."

Sonny Rollins: 'You Can't Think And Play At The Same Time'

"Jazz improvisation is supposed to be the highest form of communication," says the 83-year-old sax legend, who is about to release the third volume in his prized Road Shows series.

Hans Zimmer (far left) visits the studios of NPR West with (left to right) contest winner Daniel Suett, Bleeding Fingers CEO Russell Emanuel and Chairman Steve Kofsky.

Hear Hans Zimmer's Bid For The Next Great Screen Composer

The mind behind the music of Inception, Gladiator and more says he was looking for someone who would take his prompt and "ignore it as much as possible." He and the winner joined NPR's Rachel Martin.

Jessye Norman's new memoir is called <em>Stand Up Straight and Sing!</em>

The 'Marvelous Living' Of Soprano Jessye Norman

One of the most celebrated voices of her generation talks about her new autobiography, Stand Up Straight and Sing! The opera star journeyed from the segregated South to a divided Berlin and beyond.

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and May Festival Chorus came to Carnegie Hall on May 9, 2014, as one of the last orchestras to participate in the Spring for Music festival.

Spring For Music: A Rare American Oratorio At Carnegie Hall

Hear an intriguing program pairing John Adams' gorgeous Harmonium with an oratorio by black Canadian-American composer R. Nathaniel Dett — a work whose 1937 premiere was weirdly cut short.

The high-end Setai Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York, now called Langham Place, took in one of Warren Shadd's pianos.

The First African-American Piano Manufacturer

Like his father, Warren Shadd was a jazz musician and a piano technician. Then he decided to build a prototype instrument, went to a gospel music convention, and suddenly had more than 1,000 buyers.

An Iraqi jet fired missiles that hit the USS Stark in the Persian Gulf in 1987, killing 37 U.S. sailors. Iraq and Iran were at war at the time, and the U.S. wanted to keep open the regiion's vital oil shipping lanes. The current friction between the U.S. and Iran has again raised tension in the Gulf.

U.S., Iran Eye Each Other Warily In Persian Gulf

The U.S. and Iran sparred over oil shipments in the Persian Gulf in the 1980s, a confrontation known as the tanker war. The current tensions have some parallels, but there are concerns any hostilities could quickly escalate.

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