Black History Month

On the final installment of World Cafe's Black History Month series, John Morrison talks about what's happening today in Black music.

World Cafe correspondent John Morrison explores the cultural exchange between different musical communities. Making records — the emergence of the record industry itself — sped up and accelerated this process of cultural exchange in unimaginable ways.

Imani Perry's new collection of essays, "Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People," explores how the color blue has been intertwined with Black history over centuries.

Black history happens every day, and the stories from NPR listeners are good examples of that. From becoming the first Black mayor of a town to singing music about change, these stories matter.

Lillian Gregory, the widow of comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory, remembers her husband who died in 2017. The interview is part of the StoryCorps "Brightness in Black" project.

Every week for Black History Month, World Cafe correspondent John Morrison is highlighting a different trailblazer and maverick of Black music history.

Every week for Black History Month, World Cafe correspondent John Morrison is highlighting a different maverick of Black music history.

On this Leap Day, today's Beautiful Music is by a composer born on February 29, 1792: Gioachino Antonio Rossini. We known him best for his 39 operas, including THE BARBER OF SEVILLE, SEMIRAMIDE, and WILLIAM TELL.

Frederick Ballentine is an American tenor whose awards include a Grammy for his recording of George Gershwin’s PORGY AND BESS. The opera star exudes a sense of ease, confidence, and fun when it comes to his career.

English horn is a double reed instrument in the oboe family. It has a distinctively deeper and reedier sound than its cousin, the oboe. Today's Beautiful Music is a 2009 composition for English horn with orchestra -- ROMANCE -- by Grigory Smirnov.