Recent VOA programs on music

Liyana is a remarkable band of seven disabled Zimbabwean musicians who capture audiences with their inspired, and inspiring performances. Listen to Lonny Shavelson's moving radio report from Palo Alto, California, and see videos demopnstrating the group's extraordinary spirit and musicianship. (You can hear further examples of their music on their Website.)

Faiza Elmasry has done a fascinating radio feature on "The Soloist", a new film starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., and based on the true story of the discovery by Los Angeles Times newspaper columnist Steve Lopez of Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless African-American street musician who had developed schizophrenia when he was studying at the prestigious Julliard School in New York.

And finally, you can hear Doug Levine's story on prominent blues singer and composer Taj Mahal, who celebrates his 40th anniversary as an award-winning recording artist with the release "Maestro, a new CD in which he performs with some well-known collaborators in a mix of American roots, blues and world music.