Ron Nachman

Simply labeling Los Angeles duo People Under the Stairs as old-school hip-hop heads misses the point. Thes One and Double K are more like docents at an imaginary Museum of Old-School Hip-Hop Praxis, a pair who deal exclusively with hip-hop's basic building blocks -- rhymes, scratches, and rare-groove funk samples...

Back in the day, jazz musicians had movements to latch onto, whether it was bebop in the 1940s, cool in the '50s, free jazz in the '60s or fusion in the '70s. At the age of 28, Brooklyn pianist and bandleader Jason Moran -- whose fourth album, Bandwagon, captures his...

The United States' latest ventures abroad prove that our country is far better at combating cultures than at mixing with them. So perhaps it makes sense that three dudes from our favorite scapegoat nation should remind us about the art of the enlightened blend. Having already sold a half-million copies...

As an international post-indie rock star, Damon Albarn's waded through it all with a grin. Along with archrival Oasis, vocalist Albarn and his band Blur ushered in the early-'90s Britpop era that saved smart guitar rock in the U.K., before the Gallaghers knocked them out of arena contention. They've taken...

From the left-field blues that Shara Nelson crooned for Massive Attack to the thumping turbo-sex rhythms that Timbaland's plastered behind Tweet and Missy, modern soul vocals and minimal electronic beats have been fitfully flirting with each other since Prince first asked for some extra time in your kiss. Since the...