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In 1959, jazz pianist Dave Brubeck topped the pop charts and shook up the notion of rhythm in jazz with an odd-metered song called "Take Five." On the occasion of its golden anniversary and a new reissue of Time Out, Brubeck explains why it was such a hit.

Judi Dench has won major acting awards on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Oscar, the Tony and six Oliviers (England's top theatrical honor). The British actress is famous for Shakespearean roles, but she's also played spy chief M in James Bond films and currently appears in the Vin Diesel science fiction action flick The Chronicles of Riddick. NPR's Susan Stamberg interviews Dench about the art of acting.

Folk artist Mose Tolliver's subjects were nature, people and animals. His medium was house paint. His canvasses were cabinet doors and discarded table tops. His paintings put him at the forefront of the Outsider Art movement.

One of the best hip-hop acts to surface in recent years, Spank Rock lays fun, over-the-top raps atop a mix of '80s-influenced electronic beats. Street-smart but beach-friendly, "Sweet Talk" is one of the catchiest, most exhilarating songs released this year, hip-hop or otherwise.

Yes, the sweet potato is a nutritional giant. Who can resist when it's topped with marshmallows? From the NPR archives, a Kenyan researcher explains why the sight of the tuber makes her go "heck, no!"

The son of Pakistani immigrants in the U.K., Mahtab Hussain was often taunted: "Go home." One day he did just that to see what his life might have been like if his parents had not left.

Belgian photographer Harry Gruyaert has spent his career traveling the world and capturing slices of life. His book Edges captures humanity's attraction to the water, spanning 44 years.

This year, Valentine's Day shares the 14th with Chinese New Year. Cupid had better flap his wings because it's the Year of the Tiger, and tigers don't eat chocolate. To commemorate this rare alignment, here are three books about love in Chinese families.

Two new novels should keep science fiction fans happy through the winter: Charlie Huston's Sleepless, the story of an insomnia plague, and Douglas Preston's Impact, in which human beings find themselves threatened by strange bombardments from the direction of Mars.

There are a few confessional speeches in Vu Tran's noirish debut novel, but what people write is more important than what they say: Anguished notes, letters and secret diary all drive the action.