Bruce Springsteen Talks To ‘Morning Edition’; NEA Jazz Masters

Plus, the best songs of the 1980s. by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna A few weeks ago, we shared how some of our colleagues have been coping during this difficult time – in part, by listening to music from their childhoods and young adulthoods – and promised to share more nostalgic listening recommendations for quarantine. To continue our series this week, we asked senior manager Otis Hart to explain about a nostalgia-fueled project he’s been working on of late: a [list of the best songs of the 1980s.]( "When the pandemic struck and our collective future seemed uncertain, my brain craved solace and structure. So I retreated to familiar frameworks: my annual Top 50 Songs lists that I’ve been assembling for friends every December for the last 20-plus years. First, I took each Top 50 from [the 2010s]( and combined them into a shuffle-worthy 500-song playlist. Then, after a few months, I did the same thing with my 10 ranked lists from [the 2000s]( then [the 1990s](. That dose of borrowed nostalgia was even better. I needed more, so I turned to [the 1980s]( which birthed indie rock, hip-hop and electronic dance music while I was grooving to Sharon, Lois & Bram. That 500-song playlist is currently on [my NPR Music playlist]( which in any other year would be updated weekly with new music. I feel a bit guilty about ignoring the 2020 vanguard for so long, but I’m finally back to listening to current releases in preparation for NPR Music’s Best Albums and Songs Of 2020 lists. I guess I had to lose my edge to take the edge off." [Once in a lifetime]( Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- New Music - From the beauty of everyday life to the mystery of an electronic instrument celebrating 100 years, there's [lots to discover]( in this week’s new music mix from All Songs Considered’s Bob Boilen. - “I consider myself primarily a spiritual songwriter,” [Bruce Springsteen told]( Morning Edition this week ahead of the release of his new album with the E Street Band. He spoke to host Steve Inskeep about revisiting older material, finding hope in these unusual times and attending to his audience's spiritual needs; we’ve shared an extended cut of the interview on the site. - This week on [New Music Friday]( from All Songs Considered: a new album from Gorillaz with a sprawling cast of collaborators, plus albums from the electronic artist Actress, hip-hop group clipping., Malian desert blues band Songhoy Blues and more. --------------------------------------------------------------- Featuring - [Toshinori Kondo]( an improvising trumpeter, sought-after collaborator and all-around sonic chameleon, died at the age of 71 last Saturday in Kawasaki, Japan. A creative trailblazer until the very end, Kondo earned much of his acclaim while based in Amsterdam and New York City. - The [2021 class of NEA Jazz Masters]( – the nation’s highest honor for living jazz artists and advocates – includes a hard-bop stalwart, an avant-garde original, a ceiling-shattering bandleader and a bebop-obsessive broadcaster. - Cult musician The Caretaker has long leaned into challenging, unsettling and otherworldly sounds. Now his composition Everywhere at the end of time – a 6+ hour reflection on specific stages of Alzheimer's advancement – is gaining traction in an unlikely place: [as an increasingly popular "challenge" on TikTok](. - Same as it ever was? [Not hardly](. Hear Pop Culture Happy Hour's roundtable on David Byrne’s American Utopia, the new David Byrne theatrical concert film from Spike Lee, before you watch it. - For our latest [City Scenes spotlight on Boston]( with member station GBH, local publication Sound of Boston highlighted some of the city's artists paving the way toward a more inclusive music scene, including [Billy Dean Thomas and Anjimile](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Tiny Desk NPR A native of Clarksdale, Miss., the cradle of the blues, guitar prodigy Christone “Kingfish” Ingram has been hailed as the future of the genre by blues lovers young and old. His [Tiny Desk (home) concert]( – his second appearance for the Tiny Desk series, [following a set with Rakim at the desk in 2018]( – was filmed at the [Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale](. Also this week: Tiny Desk (home) concerts from near and far. The members of pop duo [Gracie and Rachel]( share space in a NYC apartment and are grateful to be able to "commute from their bedrooms" for their performance; meanwhile, legendary guitarist [Leo Kottke]( collaborates with Phish bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman from hundreds of miles apart (from Minneapolis to Burlington, Vt.). And the members of Atlanta hip-hop collective [Spillage Village]( crowded close together in a church to perform tracks from their new record, Spilligion. Plus, comedian, actress and author [Ali Wong]( picks her five favorite Tiny Desks – and spoiler alert: She loves slow jams. --------------------------------------------------------------- Louder Than A Riot Mac Phipps was a rising star of New Orleans rap when he was convicted of a killing he insists he did not commit. Two decades later, he is still fighting for his freedom and his art. This week, our new podcast, Louder Than A Riot, shared [the final installment of their story]( about Phipps, following the ripples of his case in the decades since that verdict was handed down. We’ve also published an [extended narrative from hosts Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden]( that tells the full story featured on the podcast. --------------------------------------------------------------- One More Thing [Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Elmo...and Wynton Marsalis, too!]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprmusic@npr.org](mailto:nprmusic@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? 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