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Piano music and period instruments this Friday (6/27, rebroadcast Saturday 6/28)

The musicians, theater groups and artists of Belarus have been driven underground recent years under the increasingly authoritarian regime of President Alexander Lukashenko. Among the groups that have managed to thrive is the Belarus Free Theater, which is gaining recognition abroad. Its director was a key organizer of the popular protests of last month's president election, which many in the international community say was rigged.

Preview some of the artists playing the Montreal International Jazz Festival, a musical grand prix.

A widely admired virtuoso on the drum kit, Bellson was best known for his work leading and playing in big bands of the '40s and '50s. But over a career spanning seven decades, he also wrote more than 1,000 compositions. Bellson was 84.

Berklee-educated jazz keyboardist Marco Benevento is defined by two things players with similar training often strive to avoid: jam-band associations and plainspoken, hooky melodies. In "Golden," he applies jazz principles to a My Morning Jacket staple.

Jenny Toomey came out of Georgetown with a degree in philosophy and a punk rock band. She's also pressing the FCC to create more access on local radio stations for independent musicians. NPR's Neda Ulaby profiles Toomey.

On "24 Hours a Day," amid twangy strings, Elana James bursts into her own particular blend of bluegrass, western swing and jazz. The fiddler has traveled a winding road since the acrimonious breakup of her band Hot Club of Cowtown.

In "Oh My My," Barber is a 21st-century original: a rootsy big-band swinger with hip-hop attitude.

Music curator Alexis Charpentier hunts for forgotten records around the world. He shares the story of rediscovering a Swiss band from the 80s — and how he helped give their music a second life.

The singer of such hits as "Walking on the Sun" and "All Star" died of acute liver failure in his home in Boise, Idaho.