A hundred years ago, the poet Carl Sandburg turned Chicago into an American icon. He called it "The city of broad shoulders" a gritty Midwestern metropolis, teeming with hard working immigrants. Composer David Nagler celebrated the 100th anniversary of Carl Sandburg’s famous Chicago poems by...
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Music
Our musical guest for this hour, Asumaya, talks about how one person can play the music of a full band. Alongside some performances, he tells us what inspires the myriad of sounds he has in his musical arsenal.
This episode was produced in partnership with the Center for Humans and...
While pregnant with her first child, Amanda Shires was playing fiddle on the road for her husband, the country superstar, Jason Isbell. Near the end of her pregnancy, touring got to be too much. So she stayed home, alone, for weeks… with nothing to do but write songs.
Charles Monroe-Kane talks to David Nagler about adapting Carl Sandburg's poems to music.
One of Charles’ favorite musician interviews is with country music star Brandy Clark. Brandy and Charles have a similar upbringing and he had a strong connection with her album “Big Day in a Small Town.”
In 2013, violinist Mariela Shaker escaped the Syrian Civil War and relocated to the US, moving from Aleppo, a city of 2 million, to a small Illinois town of less than 10,000.
Jazz bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding talks about the inspiration behind her latest album, 'Emily’s D+Evolution.'
Critic Ted Gioia says a new generation of young musicians have discovered an antidote to stale, formulaic pop music in the energy and ecstasy of jazz.
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