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Mestre Joao Grande is a 78-year-old master of the black Brazilian martial art called capoeira -- a rich blend of music, dance and ritualized combat. Enslaved Africans brought the roots of capoeira with them when they came to South America in the 1600s.

In 2004, singer and songwriter Josh Rouse recorded a farewell record to Nashville — and to the United States. He picked up his life and moved to a small town on Spain's Mediterranean Coast. A new CD resulted.

Country singer Gretchen Wilson lived the hardscrabble life she depicts in her songs. Wilson was born to a teenaged mother and dropped out of high school. She worked as a bartender before getting her lucky break and is considered one of a new breed of Nashville star. Her latest CD is called All Jacked Up.

Jazz singer Nina Simone, once dubbed the "High Priestess of Soul," died two years ago. Now the RCA record label has released an anthology of her music, called The Soul of Nina Simone. Musician and writer David Was has a review.

High school marching bands have always played their part in New Orleans Mardi Gras parades. But with most city high schools closed, there are few local students marching this carnival season. One exception is the the MAX School's band.

Chris Douridas, a music supervisor for feature films and host of the music show New Ground at member station KCRW, recently went to Japan and brought back some real gems — he shares his musical finds.

Tim Carney, the last American ambassador to Sudan before the United States downgraded relations in 1997, wants to promote a broader view of the country through a new collection of photographs. NPR foreign correspondent Michele Kelemen reviews Carney's book, Sudan: The Land and the People.

One of the most beloved musicals by composer Jerry Bock and lyricist Sheldon Harnick is back on Broadway: Fiddler on the Roof, at the Minskoff Theatre. It stars Harvey Fierstein as Tevye -- and Rosie O'Donnell as Golde. The show includes a new song Bock and Harnick wrote. Bock and Harnick also collaborated on Fiorello (which won a Pulitzer Prize), She Loves Me, and The Rothschilds. This interview originally aired on June 21, 2004.

Irish storyteller and folklorist Eddie Lenihan has spent 30 years collecting and telling stories. He has the largest private collection of folklore in Ireland. Lenihan travels the world on a mission to tell his tales -- and in the process, help preserve Irish culture in the modern world.

Critic Bob Mondello reviews the newly released special-edition DVD for The Wizard of Oz. The three-disc set includes documentaries, outtakes and other special features. He says watching the classic film brought back many memories.