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Singer and songwriter Tom Russell cites many artistic influences, including comedian Lenny Bruce, environmental activist Edward Abbey, country artist Merle Haggard and his beloved poet mentor Charles Bukowski. NPR's Alex Chadwick talks to Russell about his new CD, Hotwalker.

The Way Up, a new album from the Pat Metheny Group, offers a more ambitious compositional style that amounts to an epic journey.

Ray Charles once said that blues sensation Louis Jordan was his biggest influence. This album covers Jordan's career from 1942 to 1951, when he had an unprecedented 57 hits on the R&B charts.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews two new albums of Handel arias by opera singers Renee Fleming and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (on the Universal and Avie labels).

Lee Morgan may have single-handedly saved Blue Note Records from bankruptcy. In 1963, he recorded The Sidewinder for the struggling label, producing a lucrative pop chart hit with the funky title track. By the 1970s, the album was a jazz phenomenon.

Thelonious Monk, one of the most important figures in jazz history, wrote most of his most popular songs between 1947-1952. The two-CD set, Genius of Modern Music, tracks the legendary pianist during this critical time. The album has alternate takes of many of his best-known works.

This two-CD set is actually two distinctive albums: Rip, Rig & Panic, and Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith. The tracks, covering everything from blues to avant-garde electronica music, provide a comprehensive introduction to Kirk, who could play three reed instruments simultaneously.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews The Callas Conversations on DVD and Maria Callas: Legend, a CD and DVD.

Just in time for Fat Tuesday, critic Michelle Mercer has a review of the four-CD set Big Ol' Box of New Orleans. It features a number of different musical styles popular in the Big Easy throughout the years.

We remember Consuelo Velazquez, whose song "Besame Mucho" became a standard in many languages and styles of music. Velazquez died Saturday in Mexico City at the age of 84. "Besame Mucho" became a big band hit during World War II and was later recorded by many artists over the years, including the Beatles and Nat King Cole.