NPR Music

The North Alabama rock band Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit makes its second appearance on Mountain Stage here. As a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, Isbell was responsible for some of the band's most memorable work, including "Never Gonna Change" and "Outfit." Out on his own since 2007, Isbell has released three studio albums with his band The 400 Unit, the most recent being Here We Rest.

The L.A. band Beachwood Sparks took a decade-long hiatus before releasing a fantastic new album, Tarnished Gold, earlier this year. A standout on a set of easygoing alt-country, the title track is sure to appeal to fans of The Grateful Dead and especially cosmic-country hero Gram Parsons.

Last week, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz announced the 12 semi-finalists for its annual competition for young musicians, often seen as the most prestigious in jazz today.

Conductor, pianist and peace advocate Daniel Barenboim first recorded all five of Beethoven's piano concertos in 1967. Barenboim, a brash and fantastically smart 24-year-old, was paired with an elder statesman, conductor Otto Klemperer. There was real magic in that collaboration, yielding recordings that still set a benchmark.