Nusrat’s final collaboration with Michael Brooks opens fascinating new directions in sound.

A brilliant work that coalesces personal and global tragedies into a searing song cycle, this 1994 record stands among Laurie’s best.

Chandra’s second album for Real World Records is both a magnum opus of the female voice and an instrument of alchemical transformation.

Twenty-five years ago was a long time, long enough for me to have written down my thoughts about the day several times before; long ago enough for the act of remembering to yield to the act of editing, redacting, and constructing a narrative thread of the day. In September 2001 I was in the second … Continue reading "Remembering"

A brief one today, about a peripheral feature in early Virginia Glee Club history. Frederick G. Rathbun (1862–1903) conducted the Glee Club for a single season, but lived an unusually varied and rich life in music outside of his experience with the Glee Club. Rathbun was born in South Lee, Massachusetts, which is about a … Continue reading "F.G. Rathbun, Virginia Glee Club conductor and hymn composer"

The Kenyan musician’s sole Real World album is a mesmerizing window onto music both specific to the Luo tradition, and universal.

Album of the Week, August 29, 2026 This week is another round of traditional qawwali music from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and it has a complicated release history. Originally there were two records, released separately in 1986 for WOMAD Records following Nusrat’s triumphal 1985 performance, Love Songs and Devotional Songs. These were rereleased on Real … Continue reading "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Love and Devotion"

Voice, drone and the universality of musical expression.

The artist’s most emotionally direct album digs in the dirt to yield a richly organic collaboration featuring some of his most enduring songs.

A mesmerizing collection of traditional and modern song from the great qawwali master.

I sang a composition arranged by Roland Hayes this Sunday at church. Our church’s regular choir doesn’t do the summer services, so I sometimes sign up to sing a solo one week. This year I learned that we would be preaching from Luke 2, which tells stories of Jesus as a boy, and went looking … Continue reading "Roland Hayes"

An album mixing traditional music from Uganda and modern reflections, by turns joyous and sober, from a musician in exile.

A legendary collaboration between the great singer and ambient artist Michael Brook that gave traditional qawwali music a new beat.

His second major label album finds the Senegalese superstar making uncompromising mbalax dance music that moves feet globally.

Way back in 2003 and 2004, I wrote about a trip that we took with our friends Charlie and Carie to see the Museum of Glass and pointed to the pictures we took there. That trip started a chain of events that saw me enter an NPR phoneblogging competition and one of my photos published … Continue reading "Revisiting the Museum of Glass and Bridge of Glass in Tacoma"

In which a performance artist leans into the musical side of her art and finds emotional resonance.

For me, the American Bicentennial celebrations in 1776 came and went without leaving much of an impact. I was not yet four years old, so am unsure of what I do remember, though certain impressions (crowds, heat, loud sounds) persist. I do remember the atmosphere of the year: lots of red, white, and blue kitsch. … Continue reading "Declarations"

Kate reaches a deeper emotional resonance on the sequel to Hounds of Love, with help from an unlikely cast of collaborators.

A musical journey around the world with the collaborators and inspirations for the sounds of Peter Gabriel’s groundbreaking soundtrack.

The Senegalese superstar’s major label debut blends a deep groove with modern technology and that incredible voice into a compelling, if uneven, listen.

Nusrat’s first Western album is an ideal representation of the sacred and secular art of qawwali singing.