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The Pacific Northwest has been the source for a lot of great rock music — in the early 1990s, for example, it spawned the "grunge" sound made famous by acts like Nirvana and Soundgarden. Music critic John Brady shares some of his favorite new and sometimes quirky acts.

A three-part series on the musical scores nominated for the Academy Award wraps up with a look at Pride and Prejudice, a recap of the other nominees and a prediction for which composer will win.

Debussy's Six Antique Epigrams are based on erotic poetry from the sixth century B.C. Nude dancers performed at Debussy's one and only performance of them in 1901. We hear them performed at Music from Salem in New York. Nina Tichman and David Breitman play piano four hands.

Eef Barzelay knows how to mix humor and heartbreak. As leader of the band Clem Snide, he's sung from the perspective of folk-pop lightweight Jewel and conspiracy theorist David Icke, and he's concocted cello-tinged odes to the music of Nick Drake.

A new CD gathers rare early blues and country records, including some that have never before reached the general public. Richard Nevins, who compiled The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of, tells Debbie Elliott about the collection.

Balkan Beat Box fuses clarinets and horns with hypynotic trance music and a techno beat. The band's Israeli-born founders Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat tell Jacki Lyden about their first-ever CD.

Music journalist Ashley Kahn shares the sounds of New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In the final report from this series, Kahn reports on how Hurricane Katrina influenced the lyrics and music of this year's Jazz Fest.

Konono No.1 is a 12-piece group hailing from Kinshasa, Congo. The band's debut album, Congotronics, introduces the world to their unique sound. That sound has been honed by years of performance, mostly in Kinshasa's outdoor cafes.

Pianist Billy Childs' new CD is nominated for a Grammy as Best Jazz Instrumental Album. He visits NPR's Studio 4A, where he tells Liane Hansen about his "jazz-chamber music" and performs selections from Lyric.

Scotland's art-pop hipsters Belle and Sebastian and the Canadian power pop group The New Pornographers visit Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club for a night of live music.