Music

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a 1986 recording of a live performance of Leonard Bernstein's opera "A Quiet Place," the sequel to "Trouble in Tahiti." "A Quiet Place" traces what happened to the characters introduced in "Trouble in Tahiti," a satiric look at marriage and life in the suburbs.

Rock historian Ed Ward looks at the music of Mardi Gras as performed by Professor Longhair, the Neville family and The Hawkettes.

Fresh Air's classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz. It's part of our continuing series of conversations with Fresh Air's contributors. Schwartz is the classical music editor of the Boston Phoenix and writes for The Atlantic magazine and Vanity Fair. Schwartz was the winner of the 1987 ASCAP Deems Taylor for music criticism.

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the work of Kansas City pianist Jay McShann. As a big band leader in the 40s and 50s, McShann helped start the careers of jazz stars like Charlie Parker and Big Joe Turner. Kevin reviews a reissue of a 1972 album, "Going to Kansas City."

Brazilian guitarist Orlando Haddad performs two songs popular during "Carnaval," the holiday that preceded Lent.

Bob Geldof, the star of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats and organizer of the Band Aid and Live Aid benefit concerts to aid starvation victims in Africa. His autobiography is titled Is That It?

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the music of British pop stars Rick Astley and his sister Virginia. Rick Astley has the top hit in England - "Never Gonna Give You Up" - and the song is now getting wide airplay on U.S. stations. Virginia Astley has recorded several albums in Europe. Her first American album has just been released.

Rock Critic Ken Tucker. It's another in the continuing series of interviews with Fresh Air's contributors. Ken tells us how a frustrated college poet found himself in crowded clubs listening to punk bands and being paid for it.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a recent recording in which Seiji Ozawa leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in music of Gabriel Faure. The album also features soprano Lorraine Hunt and cellist Jules Eskin.

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles Little Willie John, an unrecognized rhythm and blues singer in the 50s who recorded the song "Fever" long before Peggy Lee made it a pop hit.

Television Critic David Bianculli previews "The Man Who Shot John Lennon," the "Frontline" documentary on Mark David Chapman. The program relies on audiotaped psychiatric interviews with Chapman, and on a close analysis of the novel The Catcher in the Rye, which Chapman followed as though it were a script for Lennon's murder.

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews "The Current Set," bassist Mark Helias' second album as band leader and writer. Helias is probably best known for his work in the late 70s and early 80s with saxophonists Dewey Redman and Anthony Braxton. "The Current Set" features trumpeter Herb Robertson, trombonist Robin Eubanks and alto saxophonist Tim Berne.

Hammer dulcimer virtuoso John McCutcheon returns for another performance.

Record producer Thomas Z. Shepard, one of the most imaginative and successful producers of Broadway and classical recordings. Shepard has produced the cast recordings for "Sweeney Todd," "Ain't Misbehavin'," "La Cage Aux Folles," and "Me and My Girl," which has just been nominated for a Grammy.

Fresh Air's film critic Stephen Schiff. Schiff is the Critic-at-Large for Vanity Fair magazine where he writes feature articles and the monthly film review column, "Short Schiff." From 1978 to 1983, Schiff was the film critic for the weekly Boston Phoenix. He has served three terms as chairman of the National Society of Film Critics.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the No Speak record series, all-instrumental albums brought out by the producer Miles Copeland. The artists are Pete Haycock, formerly of the Climax Blues Band, William Orbit, Stewart Copeland, guitarist for the Police and the group Wishbone Ash.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a reissue featuring the Kolisch Quartett, a little-known but innovative European ensemble that played in the 30s and 40s. They recorded sparingly, but two of their works have just been reissued.

Rock historian Ed Ward profiles The Buzzcocks, a British punk group that had more influence on the British punk scene than better-known bands like The Sex Pistols. The band was based in Manchester and had an even grittier veneer than that of the notorious London punk bands.

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a reissue of a 1964 session featuring pianist Paul Bley. In the early years of his career, Bley worked closely with pianist Charles Mingus and saxophonist Ornette Colemen. Since the 60s, he's led his own small groups.

Banjo and pedal steel guitar player Winnie Winston will perform several pieces. A four-time world champion on the banjo at the country's top bluegrass competition, the Union Grove Old Time Fiddler's Convention in North Carolina, Winston has played with Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, Dave Bromberg and the late Steve Goodman.