NPR Music

On Feb. 21, the musical world lost a legend and pioneer of salsa: Willie Colón. The trombonist, songwriter, producer and arranger was a key part of the transition of Afro-Caribbean dance music from regional traditions to worldwide popularity. For an insider’s perspective on that history, this week we speak to trombonist and bandleader Angel “Papo” Vázquez, a Philadelphia-born musician who was not only inspired to play the trombone by Willie Colón, but also played on some historic recordings by Colón and other Fania Records notables. The best music tells great stories, and the same can be said about musicians. Vázquez brings along five tracks by Willie Colón that set him, and the rest of the world, on a path of deep appreciation for Colón’s contributions to salsa. This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below: See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Our third installment of calming songs includes Max Richter’s tribute to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ambient sounds from Ryuichi Sakamoto, Brazilian jazz from Wayne Shorter and more. Note: This episode originally ran in April, 2025 Artists and songs featured on this episode: (00:00) Intro (02:20) The Choir: “You Don’t Have To Smile,” from ‘Translucent’ (05:58) Orbital Patterns: “Can’t Tell If I’m Awake,” from ‘Extended Impostor Syndrome’ (10:11) Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alvo Noto: “Logic Moon,” From ‘Insen’ (15:46) Lea Bertucci: “Vapours,” From ‘Of Shadow And Substance’ (20:25) Hayden Pedigo: “Long Pond Lily,” From ‘I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away’ (25:57) Max Richter: “All Human Beings,” from ‘Voices’ (31:17) Wayne Shorter: “Tarde,” From ‘Native Dancer’ (36:15) Mabe Fratti: “El Sol Sigue Ahí,” From ‘Pies Sobre La Tierra’ (41:08) Ida: “Don’t Get Sad,” from ‘Will You Find Me?’ (46:10) David Zinman, Dawn Upshaw & London Sinfonietta:  “Lento,” from Henryk Górecki’s ‘Symphony No. 3, Op. 36 - Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs’ Support the show with a review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And tell a friend! Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below: See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Bruno Mars. Mitski. Grief and celebration from Gorillaz. Robin Hilton welcomes Raina Douris from WXPN in Philadelphia to chat about their favorite albums out Friday, Feb. 27. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer personal picks in the lightning round. The Starting 5 (00:00) Introduction & Bruno Mars, 'The Romantic' (03:54) Mitski, 'Nothing's About to Happen to Me' (09:44) Gorillaz, 'The Mountain' (15:04) Heavenly, 'Highway To Heavenly' (20:34) Voxtrot, 'Dreamers in Exile' (27:12) Nothing, 'a short history of decay' (32:52) The Lightning Round - Buck Meek, 'The Mirror' - Maria BC, 'Marathon' - Bill Callahan, 'My Days of 58' - GENA, The Pleasure is Yours' - Sarah Kirkland Snider, 'Forward Into Light' Sample the albums via our New Music Friday playlist and see our Long List of notable releases on NPR.org. Credits: Host: Robin Hilton Guest: Raina Douris, WXPN Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell Digital Producer: Dora Levite Editors: Otis Hart, Elle Mannion Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Special thanks to Hazel Cills, Ann Powers, Sheldon Pearce and Tom Huizenga To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below: See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

When the dust of 2025 settles, what songs are still in heavy rotation from the year? We look back at a dizzying amount of music and share some of our picks for the best tracks of 2025. This is an incredibly incomplete list that obviously just scratches the surface of all the incredible music that came out this year.  For a more comprehensive breakdown of what we loved in 2025, check out NPR Music’s list of the 125 best songs.  Artists and songs featured on this episode: Dijon: “Yamaha,” from ‘Baby’ Nourished By Time: “Max Potential,” from ‘The Passionate Ones’ Patrick Watson: “Peter and the Wolf,” from ‘Uh Oh’ FKA twigs: “Room of Fools,” from ‘EUSEXUA’ PinkPantheress: “Stateside,” from ‘Fancy That’ Asher White: “Beers with my name on them,” from ‘8 Tips for Full Catastrophe Living’ Wednesday: “Townies,” from ‘Bleeds’ Gabriel Jacoby: “the one,” from ‘gutta child’ Olafur Arnalds, Talos: “We Didn’t Know We Were Ready (feat. Niamh Regan & Ye Vagabonds),” from ‘A Dawning’ Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.  Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy