The sound salvation.

NPR's been posting some sweet music-related interviews and stories of late:

--Terry Gross had pianist Dave Burrell on earlier this week; listen here. He plays some mean ragtime, and Gross clearly did her homework. Last year Burrell released a trio album, Expansion; it's his first recorded work as bandleader, for a US label, since 1965. High Two, a new label distributed by the glorious Aum Fidelity, released the thing. Burrell has called the disk his greatest recorded work, and he doesn't come across as someone filled with empty enthusiasm, nor a born shiller.

--Violinist and Vietnam vet Billy Bang was interviewed a couple of weeks ago on the occasion of the release of Vietman: Reflections, just out from Justin Time. This album follows his '01 disk Vietnam: The Aftermath; both reflect Bang's effort to come to terms with the war, and his experience in it. Four other veterans appear --- trumpeter Ted Daniel, drummer Michael Carvin, percussionist Ron Brown, and conductor Butch Morris --- along with two Vietnamese musicians. The level of sensitivity on display is rare, but typical of Bang.

--On Monday, Oliver Wang reviewed MIA's Arular. His own post re the review also points to this scene-setting piece by Jon Caramanica that ran a while ago at Slate.