Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996) was one of America’s greatest musicians. In this major biography, Becoming Ella Fitzgerald: The Jazz Singer who Transformed American Song (Norton 2023), Judith Tick documents Ella’s importance as a music maker, the ups and downs of her career, and her place in the music industry. Singers are often sidelined in histories of jazz, a ... Show More
Yesterday
E. T. Dailey, "Radegund: The Trials and Triumphs of a Merovingian Queen" (Oxford UP, 2023)
A princess born to the Thuringian royal house. A captive in war, forced to marry the Frankish king who killed her family. A queen, who renounced her position, received consecration as a deaconess, and took monastic vows. A religious leader, who acquired a fragment of the Cross of ... Show More
1h 6m
Mar 1
Joanna Bourke, "Five Evil Women: Hindley, West, Wuornos, Homolka, Tucker" (Reaktion, 2026)
Why do certain women become icons of evil? Five Evil Women: Hindley, West, Wuornos, Homolka, Tucker (Reaktion, 2026) by Professor Joanna Bourke offers the first comparative, non-sensationalist account of five of the most reviled women in the modern Anglophone world: Myra Hindley, ... Show More
1h 1m
Feb 27
Sarah Jones Weicksel, "A Nation Unraveled: Clothing, Culture, and Violence in the American Civil War Era" (UNC Press, 2026)
During the American Civil War, clothing became central to the ways people waged war and experienced its cost. Through the clothes they made, wore, mended, lost, and stole, Americans expressed their allegiances, showed their love, confronted their social and economic challenges, s ... Show More
55m 25s
Apr 2023
Annie Zaleski, "Lady Gaga: Applause" (Palazzo Editions, 2022)
As one of the world's best-selling musicians, Lady Gaga has set the musical bar high. Since her debut album, The Fame (2008), she has sold more than 124 million records and scooped numerous awards, including twelve Grammy Awards and eighteen MTV Music Video Awards.
Yet she is muc ... Show More
52m 16s
Jun 2022
Meltdown festival with Jessie Ware, Meshell Ndegeocello, Dave Okumu and Eska
Jessie Ware, Meshell Ndegeocello, Dave Okumu and Eska discuss why you shouldn’t appease anybody with your music, loving the souls of your audience, keeping in your mistakes, why music is an essential part of existence, being a jack of all trades, and why finishing a song isn’t ne ... Show More
32m 34s
Mar 2024
Women of Sound: Toshiko Akiyoshi
Toshiko Akiyoshi (1929-present) is a Japanese jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader. Her work, which combines standard jazz techniques with traditional Japanese instruments, has earned her 14 Grammy Award nominations. For Further Reading: After 75 Years, Jazz Pianist Akiyoshi St ... Show More
5m 30s
Oct 2023
Larry Carlton & Steve Gadd Discuss Their Musical Legacies
Alec Baldwin speaks with two genius musicians whose artistry has contributed to some of the most memorable songs of the sixties, seventies and eighties, leaving an indelible mark on the music world. Steve Gadd, one of the most influential drummers of all time, is known for bridgi ... Show More
50m 5s
Dec 2023
Comediennes: Fran Lebowitz
Fran Lebowitz (1950-present) is an American author, humorist, and public speaker. She rose to fame in the 1970s for her distinctive voice and unapologetic humor, often exploring topics such as politics, gender, and the urban experience. She has become a cultural icon for her shar ... Show More
7m 42s
Mar 2023
The bottom is the top and the top is the bottom, with Sun-Mi Hong, Jen Shyu, Mark Guiliana and William Parker
Sun-Mi Hong, Jen Shyu, Mark Guiliana and William Parker discuss art as an outlet to process grief, and how touring is the best way to meet interesting people.Sun-Mi Hong is a jazz drummer and composer. She was born and raised in Incheon, South Korea, but moved to Amsterdam in 201 ... Show More
26m 10s