Nate Chinen

Annahstasia enters the chat. The Cure reimagines a lost world. Mary Halvorson demonstrates why she's a MacArthur genius. WRTI's Nate Chinen joins Stephen Thompson to share their favorite albums out June 13.

The superbly alert and flexible drummer formed a swirling current in modern jazz for more than 60 years. He was 82.

His wife, Fresh Air host Terry Gross, said the longtime contributor to The Village Voice and NPR had been living with emphysema and Parkinson's disease.

Bartees Strange. Denison Witmer. The Sun Ra Arkestra's Marshall Allen. NPR Music's Stephen Thompson welcomes Nate Chinen of Philadelphia's WRTI to discuss the best new releases out on Valentine's Day. Featured albums: • Bartees Strange, 'Horror' • Denison Witmer, 'Anything At All' • Marshall Allen, 'New Dawn' • Sullivan Fortner, 'Southern Nights' • John Patitucci, 'Spirit Fall' Check out our longer list of albums out Feb. 14 and stream our New Music Friday playlist at npr.org/music. Credits: • Host: Stephen Thompson • Guest: Nate Chinen (WRTI) • Producer: Simon Rentner • Editor: Otis Hart • Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed • Vice President, Music & Visuals: Keith Jenkins

This year's unmissable jazz releases came in two flavors: breakthrough releases by driven young newcomers, and a heap of unearthed treasures from the vault.

NPR Music's Ann Powers and Daoud Tyler-Ameen are your guides to the most compelling albums released this Friday. Featured albums: • Ab-Soul, Soul Burger • Jamey Johnson, Midnight Gasoline • Our Girl, The Good Kind • Various Artists, Like Someone I Know: A Celebration of Margo Guryan Check out the longer list of albums out Nov. 8 and stream our New Music Friday playlist at https://npr.org/music.

The rapper-turned-country star Jelly Roll, who has had a major breakthrough in Nashville in the last couple of years, leads the pack of the most exciting albums out on Friday, October 11. As NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and WRTI's Nate Chinen discuss, his new album Beautifully Broken is a powerful (and sometimes overwhelming) portrait of recovery and empathy for those grappling with addiction. Also on the show this week: The second album from punk teens The Linda Lindas feels like confirmation of a promising career; Samara Joy and Immanuel Wilkins put two different approaches to the modern jazz vocal album on display; E L U C I D combines influences from Miles Davis to Public Enemy into a harrowing experience of modern indie rap and Charli XCX's remix album leads us to consider the tradition of artists reworking their own songs. Featured albums: • Jelly Roll, 'Beautifully Broken' • The Linda Lindas, 'No Obligation' • Samara Joy, 'Portrait' • Immanuel Wilkins, 'Blues Blood' • E L U C I D, 'REVELATOR' Check out our long list of albums out Oct. 11 and stream our New Music Friday playlist at npr.org/music.

A saxophonist of otherworldly gusto, two pianists of impulsive eloquence and a critic with a pen nearly as sharp as his ears are the latest selections for the the nation's highest honor for jazz.

The adult contemporary star, who became a reluctant giant of smooth jazz in the 1980s, died on Sunday after a six-year battle with prostate cancer.

The composer and percussionist was "shocked beyond belief" after hearing the news on Monday afternoon.