Tom Cole
Tom Cole is a senior editor on NPR's Arts Desk. He develops, edits, produces, and reports on stories about art, culture, music, film, and theater for NPR's news magazines Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, and All Things Considered. Cole has held these responsibilities since February 1990.
Prior to his work with the Arts Desk, Cole worked for three and a half years as an associate producer for NPR's daily classical music program Performance Today, and also for Morning Edition, where he coordinated, edited, and produced arts and culture stories.
From April 1979 to July 1986, Cole worked for NPR Member station WAMU-FM in Washington, DC. He was the production manager for the daily operation of studios, and also served as a reporter, writing and producing music features that were broadcast locally and nationally. In addition, from October 1985 to November 1986, Cole worked for Voice of America as a producer for VOA Europe.
Since 1977, Cole has been the host and producer of a weekly three-hour program of music and interviews broadcast on public radio station WPFW-FM in Washington.
Over the course of his career, Cole has produced or collaborated on a number of public radio projects. He co-edited the Peabody Award-winning NPR documentary, "I Must Keep Fightin': The Art of Paul Robeson." He was also an advisor, contributor, and co-editor of the Peabody Award-winning series, "The NPR 100," the top 100 songs of the 20th century.
A native of Washington, DC, Cole has studied classical guitar at The American University and privately. He also studied comparative literature at Catholic University in Washington, DC, and at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa.
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His precise technique and big ears made him the "Michael Jordan" of his instrument. These days, he doesn't tour any more, but he's still making albums for his own label. -
John Abercrombie helped define the sound of jazz guitar: from jazz-rock fusion to funky organ combos to the distinctive less-is-more sound he created on dozens of albums for the ECM label.
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Danilo Brito and his band brought their dextrous expression of choro music to the Tiny Desk, a long-established musical style that has its roots in the streets and backyards of Brito's native Brazil.
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Inspired by Toumani Diabate, the classically trained South African guitarist performs songs originally written for the kora.
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Shot outside an arena in suburban Maryland hosting a Judas Priest and Dokken double bill, the short documentary captured something vital about its moment in music history. -
The Belgian-American musician, also known for his guitar playing and whistling, performed with the stars of postwar jazz and was widely heard on film scores and commercial jingles. -
The guitarist's custom seven-string axe lets him create a deeply funky bass line and a Hendrix-like melody — at the same time. -
Over the course of his 40-year career, Davies has only released six full-length feature films. His latest, Sunset Song, follows a young Scottish woman in the years before World War I. -
The Colombian film "Embrace of the Serpent" tells the story of Amazon exploration not through European, but indigenous eyes. It's a contender for the Best Foreign Language Oscar.
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Paul Kantner co-founded the band Jefferson Airplane with Marty Balin in 1965. When that band broke up, he founded Jefferson Starship and led the band for more than 40 years. Kantner died in his native San Francisco Thursday after suffering a heart attack earlier in the week. He was 74 years old.
