Music - Page 23

AP - Mstislav "Slava" Rostropovich, the ailing giant of the cello who turned 80 this past week, has had a deep impact on music. His charismatic personality and impassioned playing have inspired audiences, composers and fellow musicians for decades.

AP - R.E.M. plans to give fans a taste of tracks from their upcoming album during a series of gigs in Dublin this summer.

Reuters - After enduring one of the bloodiest weeks in Iraq's sectarian conflict, Iraqis on Saturday were united in celebrating the win of an Iraqi woman in the hit pan-Arab television talent show Star Academy. More Info...  

AP - Jazz musician Tony Scott, a clarinetist, composer and arranger who worked with such greats as Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker, has died, the House of Jazz said Saturday. He was 85. More Info...  

AP - Japanese musicians overcame fatigue and a major earthquake to set the record for the world's longest concert on Saturday, playing 184 hours non-stop in a program that ranged from The Beatles' classics to Japanese traditional harp music.

Reuters - Sitting at a corner table at one of her favorite Nashville eateries and sipping a Diet Coke, Miranda Lambert doesn't come across as the gun-toting, cheating boyfriend-hunting, arson-starting character she portrays in songs like "Kerosene" and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." More Info...  

Reuters - Shadows Fall may be the latest hard rock band to jump from the indie world into the major label system, but breaking out of the metal genre and winning a mainstream fan base won't be easy. More Info...  

Reuters - Since winning the traditional world music Grammy for its second album "Blessed" in February, the 26-strong Soweto Gospel Choir has been in global demand. More Info...  

Reuters - The U.K.-based "sisters" who last year spruced up favorites from the '70s and '80s with a whiff of '40s glamour are now bringing their retro-pop to the United States. More Info...  

Reuters - It's apropos that soulful songstress Angie Stone is recording her debut for Concord Music Group's reactivated Stax Records imprint at the stomping grounds of another soul soldier: Marvin Gaye. More Info...  

Reuters - For then 15-year-old Travis McCoy, high school gym class was nothing more than an excuse to chat about music with buddy Matt McGinley. McCoy, who was an aspiring rapper, was the frontman for a local band, and McGinley played drums for another in their native Geneva, N.Y. More Info...  

Reuters - Modest Mouse's ascension to the top of the current Billboard 200 albums chart provides a reminder that in a challenging environment that prompts labels to blaze new marketing trails, a familiar route still works.

Reuters - R.E.M. will unveil material intended for its 14th studio album during a five-night run of live dates in Dublin this summer.

Music News

Reuters - Popular R&B singer Usher, whose hit songs include 2004's "Yeah," is engaged to marry his longtime girlfriend, wardrobe stylist Tameka Foster, the singer's representative said on Friday.

AP - Sean Lennon is accustomed to people recognizing him because of his famous parents, but one incident really caught him off-guard.

AP - Usher is engaged to his longtime girlfriend, stylist Tameka Foster, the R&B singer's spokeswoman said Friday.

E! Online - Maybe Chris Sligh's rhythm wasn't off.

AP - Ricky Martin defended the right of pop stars to come out of the closet, saying he felt solidarity with Christian Chavez of Mexican band RBD, who recently said publicly that he is gay.

E! Online - Alex P. Keaton should have focused less on Reaganomics and a little more on common sense when teaching his little brother about the ways of the world.

AP - Being different is a key trait if you want to make yourself stand out in the musical arena.