"The winner of five Grammy Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Music, John Adams is one of America's greatest and most performed living composers," BBC Radio 4's This Cultural Life host John Wilson says of his guest. They talk about Adams' life, work, and the influence of Leonard Bernstein, Duke Ellington, Steve Reich, Charles Dickens, the state of California, and more. You can hear their conversation here.

"Their latest, Ohio Players, is a blast," NPR's World Cafe host Kallao says of his guests, The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, and their new album. You can hear their conversation and a live performance of three album tracks—"Beautiful People (Stay High)," "This Is Nowhere," and "On The Game"—from this year's SXSW here.