海角大神

Beautiful pairing

No pairing of disparate musical styles with the brave and eclectic Kronos Quartet is ever too far off the reservation. They鈥檝e been making unfettered music, sans borders, for more than four decades, and their latest collaboration, with Malian singer Hawa Diabat茅 and her Trio Da Kali, titled , is a hypnotic and moving celebration of traditional West African music. 鈥淒a Kali鈥� means to keep a pledge, and the Kronos Quartet鈥檚 transparent and sympathetic role is touching, allowing the gifted trio鈥檚 natural luminosity to shine like the sun.

Hop on the 鈥榯rane鈥�

The documentary , directed by John Scheinfeld,chronicles the life of the legendary saxophonist and composer John Coltrane and his work with artists including Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis. Monitor film critic Peter Rainer calls the movie 鈥渢errific,鈥� noting that the film has 鈥渟tunning concert and music clips throughout.鈥� It鈥檚 available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Courtesy of Thomas Dambo

Unique birdhouses

We鈥檙e guessing you鈥檝e never seen birdhouses like these. Artist Thomas Dambo has created homes for our feathered friends across the globe, from birdhouses that in fact look like birds which were placed in trees in Horsens, Denmark, to red, white, and blue birdhouses that he put up in the doorway of a building in Copenhagen. Check out his 鈥淗appy City Birds鈥� project at .

Calendar guide

The will keep track of your busy schedule, allowing you to add recurring events, easily switch between time periods including day and week, and view the calendar off-line. The app is $6.99 for iOS.

Courtesy of David Attie

鈥橲un鈥� story

Many theater aficionados know the play 鈥淎 Raisin in the Sun鈥� but are probably less aware of the background of Lorraine Hansberry, the woman who penned the play. A new PBS program, , delves into Hansberry鈥檚 life story and how her play influenced theater in the United States. Ruby Dee and Sidney Poitier, among many others, offer tributes. It is now streaming on pbs.org and on PBS apps.