Musicians in their own words

Series produced by David Schulman

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Image by: David Schulman 

David Schulman's award-winning series of first-person musician portraits

Yo-Yo Ma plucks his cello with a hotel room key ... Cecilia Bartoli remembers her past life as a flamenco dancer ... Cyro Baptista takes us to his percussion garage, scats a samba rhythm, and swings a vacuum-cleaner hose over his head.

Moments of surprise, moments of insight — that's the idea behind Musicians in their own words.

It's the public radio project that brings listeners inside the creative lives of lyric sopranos, bassists, congueros, concert violinists, and more ...

The project, launched with CPB support, has created dozens of pieces for the NPR newsmagazines and other national broadcasters, including APM's The Story, PRI, and Hearing Voices. Many pieces also are designed specifically for station use, and work especially well in a station context when used to preview a local performance.


48 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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Have cello, will travel: Yo-Yo Ma describes how he works his way inside the "DNA" of musical styles from all over the world, and finds joy in "the...

Bought by WABE, PRX Remix, KMHD, KNAU, WCVE and more


  • Added: Apr 20, 2004
  • Length: 03:24
  • Purchases: 6
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The young piano phenom describes how he first heard Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto -- was it a beer commercial? -- and describes his interpreta...

Bought by PRX Remix, KMHD, KNAU, and KUT


  • Added: Mar 23, 2004
  • Length: 04:11
  • Purchases: 4
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A dynamic jazz singer demonstrates how she used to imitate Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan -- and why she put imitation behind her as she found h...

Bought by KVNF, PRX Remix, KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, KMHD, WHQR and more


  • Added: Mar 09, 2004
  • Length: 03:52
  • Purchases: 7
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Vocalist Allan Harris describes his approach to the compositions of Duke Ellington's closest collaborator, Billy Strayhorn.

Bought by KCSM, PRX Remix, KMHD, WNCW, and KNAU


  • Added: Feb 17, 2004
  • Length: 04:51
  • Purchases: 5
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Partners in music, and in life, for somewhere around 50 years ...

Bought by PRX Remix, KGLT, and KGLT


  • Added: Jan 17, 2007
  • Length: 07:20
  • Purchases: 3
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A bebop matador, a baroque court, a Cuban lullaby ...

Bought by PRX Remix, The Story, KMHD, WAER Syracuse, NY, WYSO and more


  • Added: Dec 07, 2004
  • Length: 04:34
  • Purchases: 7
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Growing up with Bach, and getting four voices from a fiddle ...

Bought by KVNF, WABE, PRX Remix, The Story, WKMS and more


  • Added: Dec 02, 2004
  • Length: 02:50
  • Purchases: 9

  • Added: Dec 03, 2004
  • Length: 01:45
  • Purchases: 3
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The 2009 Grammy winner talks about finding her voice, with a little help from Miles Davis and musical parents who figured "you're going to get the ...

Bought by PRX Remix, WNCU, KGLT, KUCB, WMPG and more


  • Added: Feb 09, 2009
  • Length: 04:45
  • Purchases: 9
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Joseph Shabalala describes how the vision for Ladysmith Black Mambazo came to him in a dream -- in four-part harmony. Shabalala's voice takes on m...

Bought by Prairie Public, PRX Remix, KUOW, KMHD, KNAU and more


  • Added: Feb 09, 2009
  • Length: 05:17
  • Purchases: 9
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Today's leading jazz violinist talks about the experience of playing Paganini's violin, and about her passion for Latin rhythms.

Bought by PRX Remix, KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, KMHD, KZYX, KNAU and more


  • Added: Dec 21, 2003
  • Length: 02:46
  • Purchases: 9

  • Added: Dec 03, 2004
  • Length: 03:20
  • Purchases: 12
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A dinosaur nephew, El Greco, and blockbuster movies -- they're all in the mix for songwriter Dar Williams.

Bought by KMHD, KNAU, East Village Radio, and WNCW


  • Added: May 11, 2004
  • Length: 03:30
  • Purchases: 4
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Bluegrass veteran Del McCoury talks about the choreography of playing bluegrass — in front of just one or two mics.

Bought by PRX Remix


  • Added: Aug 30, 2012
  • Length: 03:48
  • Purchases: 1
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The first thing a songwriter needs is a good topic sentence. Or maybe not ...

Bought by KMHD, WNCW, and KNAU


  • Added: May 18, 2004
  • Length: 04:30
  • Purchases: 3
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Drinking sherry with the angels, and other tales from a Southern songwriter.

Bought by The Story, KBUT Crested Butte, Colo., KMHD, WTMD, WNCW and more


  • Added: May 25, 2004
  • Length: 03:30
  • Purchases: 7
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Sticking together as a family ... and as Junkies.

Bought by PRX Remix, The Story, Public Interactive, KMHD, KNAU and more


  • Added: Jun 22, 2004
  • Length: 04:23
  • Purchases: 6
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An eclectic country musician describes how he sent Ralph Stanley to the Dairy Queen, and a few other tricks of a songwriter's trade.

Bought by PRX Remix, KMHD, KNAU, East Village Radio, WVPE and more


  • Added: Mar 04, 2004
  • Length: 03:25
  • Purchases: 7
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A rich-voiced bluesman rediscovered by the Music Maker Relief Foundation remembers what it was like performing during the '50s and '60s in the inf...

Bought by The Story, KMHD, and KNAU


  • Added: Feb 24, 2004
  • Length: 06:18
  • Purchases: 3
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In the mind of a Jamaican jazz master, Bob Marley meets Roy Rogers ...

Bought by PRX Remix, KCUR, Musicians' Radio, KMHD, KNAU and more


  • Added: Sep 29, 2004
  • Length: 07:10
  • Purchases: 6