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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.

Every time Andrew Hill takes a seat behind a piano, the jazz world takes note. "Time Lines" speaks to his brilliance at teetering between the worlds of the blues and the abstract. And it's one of the funkiest compositions in Hill's massive repertoire.

At the Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus — a gothic cathedral in Cleveland — classical guitarist Jason Vieaux recently chose a new guitar. It's a crash course in how a musician selects an instrument.

New York plans to offer $14,600 in housing subsidies to lure math, science and special-education teachers to the city. It's the latest tool that several public school districts -- in this case the nation's largest -- hope will attract good teachers to expensive housing markets.

Chris Isaak's more than two decade-long recording career proves that he is a man who sticks to his guns. His newest release, a greatest hits compilation titled The Best of Chris Isaak, is a carefully selected collection of Isaak's most popular fan favorites.

American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino is climbing up the R&B charts. One of her songs, "Baby Mama," is a tribute to young, single mothers. But as her popularity grows, critics worry the song is sending the wrong message.

When MTV first started in 1981, the network broadcast wall-to-wall music videos. Since then the network has grown increasingly corporate with less music and more commercialism. MTV's Movie Awards show, airing tonight, is sign of how far from those beginnings the channel has come.

Detroit-based musician Kem has hit the No. 1 spot on urban and R&B music sales charts with "I Can't Stop Loving You," a single song from his latest self-produced CD Album II. Ed Gordon talks to Kem about making jazz-influenced music on his own terms.

A new generation of huge telescopes has helped astronomers discover distant planets and galaxies. But they're just the start. Mirrors for what is to be the world's largest telescope are being cast in Arizona.

Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl offers some summer reading recommendations, with the proviso that they're not exactly literature. Hear Pearl and NPR's Steve Inskeep.