Jon Pareles

D’Angelo: 14 Essential Songs The soul singer, songwriter and producer, who died on Tuesday at 51, released three studio albums of meticulously constructed, vocally ambitious, genre-crossing music.

D’Angelo — the soul singer, songwriter and producer who died on Tuesday at 51 — released three studio albums of genre-crossing music. Here are 14 essential songs that show his extraordinary musical scope.

Hermeto Pascoal, Eccentric and Prolific Brazilian Composer, Dies at 89

R.I.P. Hermeto -- definitive obit by Larry Rohter. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/a...

Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places. Leave the Dead Kennedys out of it.

Another #BandcampFriday is here. Support musicians directly.

50 Years Ago, Bruce Springsteen Made a Masterpiece. It Wasn’t Easy. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/b...

‘Fleetwood Mac’ at 50: A Marvel of Serendipity and Perfectionism

A Critic's Notebook:

‘Fleetwood Mac’ at 50: A Marvel of Serendipity and Perfectionism www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/a...

Eddie Palmieri, Latin Music’s Dynamic Innovator, Dies at 88

RIP to an ultimate NYC musician. Eddie Palmieri, Latin Music’s Dynamic Innovator, Dies at 88 www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/a...

Robert Wilson Expanded Our Sense of Theatrical Possibility

Irreplaceable.

Robert Wilson Expanded Our Sense of Theatrical Possibility www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/a...

Another month, another #bandcampfriday Support musicians directly.

Bruce Springsteen Reveals His Paths Not Taken www.nytimes.com/2025/06/18/a...

He’s Ringo. And Nobody Else Is. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/a...

A poster for I AM THE BAND show June 22 at Lincoln Center

I'm gonna keep pushing this show it's FREE and celebrates WOMEN PLAYING INSTRUMENTS including the voice) and features percussion legend BOBBYE HALL and queens WENDY AND LISA and my young faves YASMIN WILLIAMS and MEI SEMONES and many more YOU SHOULD COME IF YOU CAN!!! JUNE 22 LINCOLN CENTER 7 P.M

Irreplaceable. E pluribus unum with maximum funk.

#bandcampfriday continues. Support musicians.

Tracy Chapman Wants to Speak for Herself For years, the singer and songwriter has avoided the spotlight. But she is breaking her silence to look back on her self-titled debut and its powerful hit “Fast Car.”

“I haven’t really done press in a long time.” Tracy Chapman, the singer and songwriter, has avoided the spotlight for years. But she is breaking her silence to look back on her self-titled debut and its powerful hit “Fast Car.” Read our exclusive interview.

Rare Beatles Audition Tape Surfaces in a Vancouver Record Shop The recording appears to be from the band’s 1962 audition for Decca Records, which notably rejected the group.

The recording appears to be from the band’s 1962 audition for Decca Records, which notably rejected the group. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/a...

The Wizard of Vinyl Is in Kansas Chad Kassem is on a mission — saving listeners “from bad sound” — at the rural factory where he pores over LPs from some of music’s most important artists.

a @Sisario gem: The Wizard of Vinyl Is in Kansas www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/a...

A 4-hour #Oscars can include nominated songs and serious score excerpts, not snippets. Ran short anyway. Music can transform a movie--admit it.

John Schaefer is a beacon. This is such a loss for music lovers

Roberta Flack’s 11 Essential Songs One of the supreme voices of the 1970s and a master of revelatory reinterpretation has died at 88.

R.I.P. Roberta Flack. There was such strength in her delicacy. Roberta Flack’s 11 Essential Songs www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/a...

The Old Man and the Keys: The Improvised Legacy of Garth Hudson Writer, musician, and Hold Steady member Franz Nicolay remembers the Band’s famed keyboardist and sage eccentric, who died Tuesday at age 87

I went long on Garth Hudson for @theringer.com.web.brid.gy

www.theringer.com/2025/01/22/m...

Pop Musicians, Please Spare Me the Back Stories The power of a lasting song is that it breaks free of its origins. Hits should be more than celebrity narratives.

Year-end rant--stop gamifying songs! Pop Musicians, Please Spare Me the Back Stories www.nytimes.com/2024/12/28/a...

Find Your New Favorite Song from 2024 Catch up on the year’s most notable music: Listen to the 450-plus tracks we reviewed this year, save them to a playlist and share it with your friends.

Now hear these -- kudos to the Interactive team! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Dennis Overbye on Retiring from The New York Times: A Solstice of the Soul For his next trick, your cosmic correspondent for the past quarter-century will (try to) retire.

🤗🤗🤗🤗 A Solstice of the Soul www.nytimes.com/2024/12/20/s...

how it's going...

58 Jazz Luminaries Assembled for This Photo. Only One Remains. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

#BandcampFriday still happens. Support musicians directly.

Best Albums of 2024: Charli XCX, Mk.gee, MJ Lenderman and More Charli XCX, Mk.gee and MJ Lenderman top our pop music critics’ lists this year.

Argument starter kit: Best Albums of 2024 www.nytimes.com/2024/12/04/a...

So many amazing Roy Haynes performances. Brain, arms,legs, physical, mathematical, spiritual. This was music: please look him up.

Kim Deal Is Ready to Go Solo. It Just Took 4 Decades. www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/a...