Podcasts

Part of the series “Arts/Space: Where Art & Outer Space Come Together,” produced for ArtsEdge at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For as long as people have been putting words to music, they have tried to make the music express what they are talking about. While the idea of “outer space” is relatively new, people have been writing about the stars and the moon forever. This piece looks at the many ways artists have depicted “space” in music. The piece is narrated by Roger Launius of the Space History Division of the National Air and Space Museum, and features Miles Hoffman, commentator for NPR’s Morning Edition, John Dennis, who created the music for Disneyland’s Space Mountain, and Jonn Serrie, the nation’s leading composer of music for planetarium shows.

“Music in Space”

Part of the series “Arts/Space: Where Art & Outer Space Come Together,” produced for ArtsEdge at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Roger Launius of the Space History Division of the National Air and Space Museum talks with and/or plays the music of everyone who has ever played a musical instrument in space. It also talks with the NASA technician who is responsible for making sure that music instruments can be brought into space safely and played safely in space.

“A Lasting Legacy”

Part of the series “Blues Journey,” produced for ArtsEdge at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Musicologist Kip Lornell explains that Blues musicians who moved north tailored their music to reflect their new urban surroundings. Acoustic guitars gave way to electric guitars; and drums and stand-up bass rounded out the sound. Blues went electric — setting the stage for rhythm-and-blues and rock-’n-roll. And with a little help from the radio and jukeboxes, the blues sound could be heard far and wide.

“Spreading the Joy of Blues”

Part of the series “Blues Journey,” produced for ArtsEdge at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Musicologist Kip Lornell explains that the blues sound was captured by Alan Lomax, who was among the first to record folk songs in the 1930s. Because of Lomax’s recordings, people across the country could hear the unique music of blues artists like Huddie Ledbetter (Leadbelly) and Muddy Waters for the first time.

“A Blue Melody-A Shuffle Beat”

Part of the series “Blues Journey,” produced for ArtsEdge at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Musicologist Kip Lornell of George Washington University explains that Blues musicians accompanied their own signing on an acoustic guitar, piano, or harmonica as fans ate, drank and danced away their woes. Sometimes musicians played the guitar by sliding a knife or a glass bottle over it’s strings.

“Got Them Blues: A History”

Part of the series “Blues Journey,” produced for ArtsEdge at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Musicologist Kip Lornell of George Washington University explains that as black slaves toiled in the fields, they often sang to communicate with each other and pass the time. In songs called field hollers and work songs, one person would call out lyrics and the group would respond in unison. This call-and-response pattern was modified by blues musicians — instead of waiting for a response, they answered their own calls.

“Billy Taylor - Unsung Jazz Players 2 of 2″

Part of the series “Jazz In DC,” produced for ArtsEdge at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. There are many great jazz players you have never heard of because these people chose to stay put — working in the post office and elsewhere — in Washington, DC. Billy Taylor and Frank Wess talk about some of the best Jazz Players you never heard. Those discussed include pianist John Malachi, guitarist Biddy Fleet, and a trumpet player named “Georgetown” who, despite persistent requests by Duke Ellington to join his band, refused to leave Washington. They also talk about Washington native Billy Eckstine whose career was ruined at its height when he was publicly kissed by a white woman.

“Billy Taylor - Unsung Jazz Players 1 of 2″