Chris Thile

In this episode: Nickel Creek wowed audiences when they burst onto the scene in the early '90s. A trio of precocious child prodigies -- Chris Thile on mandolin and banjo, Sara Watkins on fiddle, and her brother Sean Watkins on guitar -- Nickel Creek boasted adventurous songs that melded elements of progressive bluegrass and country, classical and jazz, traditional roots and rock, performed with ecstatic virtuosity and youthful liveliness. After eight years apart, the group recently reunited; we hear some of their new songs. 

Plus: Caffè Lena is one of the most influential folk music venues you've never heard of. Lena Spencer opened the cafè in 1960 and the Saratoga stage has been hosting some of the best folk musicians around ever since -- from Hedy West and Arlo Guthrie to Don McLean and Bob Dylan. In an interview with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Jocelyn Arem -- the director of the Caffè Lena History Project -- talks about the new book and album about the venue and its history.

This is an encore episode of Soundcheck.

In this episode: In his new book, The Bee Gees: The Biography, writer David N. Meyer looks back at the music and legacy of The Bee Gees and its trademark soaring falsetto. 

Actress and soprano Audra McDonald recently starred in Broadway's revival of Porgy and Bess. Now, she's back with her first solo album in seven years, Go Back Home, featuring songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein and Stephen Sondheim, among others. McDonald performs songs from that album in the studio.

And mandolin extraordinaire Chris Thile performs the sonatas of Bach.

In this episode: We hear about the “New Hot Jazz” movement: young musicians and singers playing the jazz of New Orleans and the 1920s.

Plus: Mandolin player Chris Thile goes back to Bach on his new album. He plays live.

And: There’s a new trend in country music: the remix. We listen to some of the results when traditional country adds a dancefloor beat.