Guitarist Marnie Stern mixes wit and warmth on 'The Comeback Kid'

Stern is known for the eight years she spent as a guitarist in Seth Meyers' late-night-talk-show house band, but her own upbeat, highlight original music is unlike anything you'll ever hear on TV.

* This article was originally published here

Reflecting on the legacy of the flute in pop music

This week, Andre 3000 released an instrumental album featuring the flute instead of an expected rap album. Scott Simon asks LA Times' August Brown about the flute's decades-long role in pop music.

* This article was originally published here

Composer Angelica Sanchez takes inspiration from the sound of the woods at night

Sanchez's latest album, Night Creatures, features music for nine instruments that variously contrast, blend or clash — channeling the open-air feeling of the pitch-dark woods at night.

* This article was originally published here

A disciplined plea for peace – and quiet – from composer Arvo Pärt

A new album of music by the 88-year-old Estonian mystic seems to put an arm around you and whisper, "In troubled times, music can help."

(Image credit: Luciano Rossetti/ECM Records)

* This article was originally published here

The Beatles' 'Now and Then' is a wistful curiosity, 45 years in the making

The Beatles' final song could never live up to the body of work that precedes it. But it could never diminish it, either.

(Image credit: Bruce McBroom/© Apple Corps Ltd.)

* This article was originally published here