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Renowned Iraqi conductor and cellist Karim Wasfi tells NPR's Scott Simon about his music, the challenges of his work and his commitment to his country.

For NPR Music's jazz critic and the editorial director of WBGO, 2018 was a year that saw music — not just jazz — in the throes of a creative boom, rocketing in many directions.

The music on our list takes you to Tsarist Russia, the New Mexico desert, 18th century Spain, the austere landscapes of Iceland and Vienna, at the dawn of the 20th century. Happy travelling.

Friends of the show offer memories and music of pianist Cecil Taylor, Village Vanguard owner Lorraine Gordon, South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and trumpeter Roy Hargrove.

Composers of color have long had to compete with dead white men for space on the concert stage. A new project, spearheaded by Rachel Barton Pine, seeks to correct that for the next generation.

The legendary frontman plays all the characters in a new recording of Igor Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale. Critic Lloyd Schwartz calls it a seriously enjoyable addition to the Stravinsky catalog.

A new album by the octogenarian saxophonist is always a big deal, but his latest — and the winner of the 2018 Jazz Critics Poll — is also just plain big: 3 discs and an 84-page graphic novel.

A look back at the extraordinary creative souls we lost in 2018, from producer Richard Swift and opera singer Montserrat Caballé to rapper Mac Miller and Aretha Franklin.

Over 130 critics voted on the best jazz albums of 2018 — celebrated elders dominated the top of the results, but a class of younger musicians is rising.

Superstar Andrea Bocelli has sung with just about everyone, from Celine Dion to Ariana Grande. On his latest album, Sì, Bocelli tries something new — singing with his son.