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Indiana Avenue, the "main stem" of the city's black community, hosted master musicians nightly.

NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and host Guy Raz spin an eclectic mix of new classical releases.

Steve Lehman's new album Dialect Fluorescent ends with a song called "Mr. E," a composition written by jazz legend Jackie McLean. But the connections run deep between Lehman and the alto saxophonist he considers a personal hero.

The celebrated Chicana author swings by to discuss life, literature and the music that moves her.

Hear an excerpt from a new recording of Beethoven's violin sonatas by the violinist and his collaborator, pianist Enrico Pace, that keeps the spotlight on the compositions, not the soloist.

A intense but modestly scaled new opera called Sumeia's Song, written by rising young Arab-American composer Mohammed Fairouz, offers clues into how chamber-sized presentations can be successfully both financially and artistically. And Philip Glass' new Walt Disney opera streams for free Wednesday.

The composer has done a brave thing for any artist in any medium: He's messed with a classic, specifically, Vivaldi's most famous four violin concertos. Richter says he had "to figure out how much Max and how much Vivaldi there was going on at every moment."

Unpredictability is the key ingredient of the annual New York showcase, which often emphasizes new bands or projects. Here's a preview of five groups who will present unreleased music, featuring musicians like Lee Konitz, Brandee Younger and Jason Lindner.

There's a certain intensity of spirit in jazz and improvised music, to the point where it occasionally aligns with religious worship. Of course, sometimes jazz musicians just like playing familiar songs. Here are five records, all from 2012, which run the gamut of Christmas jazz.

Musicians who loved Elliott Carter and his music remember the great composer (who died last month at age 103) by discussing pieces of his music that touched them personally. They show how his long professional relationships with performers illuminated the conversational complexity of his music.