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Elaine Heinzman offers a diary of five days in March at South By Southwest, the annual music festival in Austin, Texas. She sifted through an eclectic mix of 1,300 bands to fine-tune her sense of emerging trends.

Maria Hinojosa recorded years of conversations with a man who never expected to get out of prison. Then he did. On Monday, Suave, a podcast about his incarceration and release won a Pulitzer.

The new film from director Todd Solondz, Palindromes, begins with a funeral for Dawn Weiner, the memorable, much-maligned 11-year-old from the 1995 Solondz film Welcome to the Dollhouse. The main character of the new film is Dawn's cousin, but she's played by seven different and distinct actors.

Thelonious Monk proves the theory that great innovators often take a while to catch on. Monk's unusual sound repelled some listeners when he broke on the jazz scene in the 1940s. By 1964, he was on the cover of Time magazine and considered a legend. This 1959 album captures one of the few moments when Monk recorded with a large ensemble.

Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan first saw Best of Youth, which was originally made for Italian television, two years ago at Cannes. He's been waiting to review the movie -- which intertwines one family's story with 40 years of post-war Italian history -- ever since. It was, he says, worth the wait.

Many critics consider Duke Ellington to be the most important composer in the history of jazz. Along with his jazz compositions, he wrote film scores and stage musicals. The Duke at His Best has more than an hour of Ellington's most revered works, including "Take the 'A Train," "Caravan," and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore."

Alan Cheuse reviews Stop That Girl by California writer Elizabeth McKenzie, nine short stories so true to life that you'd think the events described must have actually happened.

It's easy being green... when it's your birthday: Kermit the Frog turns 50 years old Monday. Barry Gordemer, Morning Edition senior producer and puppeteer, has this birthday tribute to the star of The Muppet Show and countless movies and videos.

When saxophonist Frank Foster played with the Count Basie Orchestra in the 1950s, the band took out deductions for Social Security and a union pension. But the retirement benefits don't cover his expenses and a debilitating stroke left him unable to earn a living.

A native of California, Jon Nakamatsu performs music from Scarlatti and Liszt at NPR.