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Artists and activists Taina Asili and Olmeca talk about mixing activism with their music on this week's show.

Amy Winehouse is a young Londoner who draws on the musical past while telling tales about love and ex-lovers. She combines '60s R&B and soul, blues and jazz. With a stack of black hair, an athletic trainer's body and a unique personal style, her look is as arresting as her subject matter.

A singer, musician, activist and poet, Patti Smith has spent the last three-plus decades as one of the most visible and iconic figures in punk and rock music. The musical icon joined WFUV host Rita Houston for an interview and in-studio performance.

The boisterous, California-based acid-jazz collective Greyboy Allstars delves deep into vintage soul on "How Glad I Am." Drawing on a snazzy groove, chicken-scratch guitar riffs and fatback horns, the song brings to mind the loose funk of Charles Wright's 103rd Street Rhythm Band.

Turandot, Puccini's extravagant portrayal of ancient China, is home to "Nessun dorma!" — one of music's most famous numbers — a soaring tenor aria that's been recorded by performers ranging from Franco Corelli and Placido Domingo, to the Twelve Girls Band and the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra.

Joshua Bell plays a Stradivarius violin built in 1713 that's been notoriously stolen a few times. On his latest CD, the young virtuoso borrows a few great classical melodies and transposes them. He discusses his results with NPR's Liane Hansen.

With quirky melodies and a uniquely clever songwriting style, Sparks has remained one of the most innovative art-pop bands of the past three decades. While never gaining much more than a cult following, Sparks' peculiar brand of pop smarts has influenced everything from '80s synth-pop to Queen.

Any history of rock 'n' roll is sure to acknowledge the influence of piano master Jerry Lee Lewis, who popularized his own brand of rock.

On "Nile," Valerie Troutt approaches her lyrics with stirring conviction, but she never oversells the song. Fortunately, she doesn't have to — "Nile" is a ballad blessed with an enchanting melody and arrangement, brimming with thoughtful, heartfelt optimism.

Grant-Lee Phillips' nineteeneighties would seem to be an odd creative detour — the set finds him covering '80s alt-rock classics by the likes of R.E.M., the Cure and the Pixies — but it's surprising how smoothly its tributes fit into his homespun, heartfelt catalog.