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Ray Brown was born 100 years ago, on Oct. 13, 1926. In a career spanning nearly six decades, he played alongside Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker as bebop took shape, spent 15 years in the Oscar Peterson Trio and appeared on more than 2,000 recordings. He also mentored generations of musicians, including two bassists he called his "sons": John Clayton and Jazz Night host Christian McBride. In this episode, Christian talks with his "big brother" John to pay tribute to Ray.

Grammy-winning singer and musician Laufey is using her platform to encourage fans to go to their local library and sign up for library cards. She talks with host Indira Lakshmanan about how growing up in Iceland felt like a fairytale and helped inspire her songwriting. She also shares how she feels about libraries being an important third space at a time when younger generations are yearning for something that feels physical and nostalgic. This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

The documentary “Smooth World” explores the world of smooth jazz: its waning popularity, the remaining stars, its aging-but-passionate fanbase, and those trying to move the genre forward. Indira Lakshmanan speaks to director Mickey Duzyj. This article was originally published on WBUR.org. Copyright 2026 WBUR

Today is World Cafe's 35th anniversary! For 35 years, it's been our mission to discover new artists and share their music with you. To celebrate this milestone, instead of looking back with an old favorite, we wanted to welcome a rising star: Remi Wolf. Remi started releasing music in 2019, but her musical journey began long before that. She was performing as a teenager, appeared on American Idol and went on to study pop music in college.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Writer Yiyun Li does not talk about "grief" or the "grieving process." To her, those words make it sound that at some point you emerge from grief. Instead, Li prefers to use the word "abyss," which, she says, is where she expects to be for the remainder of her life.

From jazz and Tejano to norteño and ska, 'El Tiny' returns with a takeover from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 for Latin Music Month. Draco Rosa's trajectory from '80s boy band star to enigmatic solo performer music fascinates me to no end. Behind the Desk, Rosa creates shimmering, electric guitar-driven ruminations on life and love.

At almost exactly the midpoint of our conversation about the fifth album made by his band, Fontaines D.C., Grian Chatten said to me, "It's an interesting time to be a self." We'd been talking about the themes on Dopamine Chamber, which comes out on Friday, Oct.

Saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins talks about the impact that winning a 2026 MacArthur Fellowship will have on his art.

New songs added to her 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl has shot the release up the charts.

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with the "Satanic doo-wop" duo Twin Temple about their new album Doomed Lovers and what drew them to Satanism and the occult.