AN INCONSPICUOUS RED light and a bouncer are the only outside markings of My Little Secret, a speakeasy-style restaurant and lounge that recently opened in Little Italy. more

ON THE COVER of its latest CD Eager To Please, the three members of Portland, Maine-based The Leftovers (Kurt Baker, Andrew Rice and Adam Woronoff) look both dazed and stoned, which maybe reflects on the strain of the long tours that have taken the guys around the country and abroad. “The whole process of putting out the record took a long time,” explains Woronoff, the drummer. “We had a photo shoot in Malibu at a beach, and it was just the picture we landed on.We definitely didn’t want to have a cheesy cover with us jumping in the air or anything, but looking back I suppose we could have chosen a livelier photo.” more

WHEN LISTENING TO electroacoustic folk duo Drug Rug, somehow it sounds as if one’s revisiting the bygone (and honestly, too-much fussed over) era of Woodstock.The exception is that, instead of listening to reheated covers from the likes of Bob Dylan,The Mamas and The Papas or late-1960s Beach Boys, what you hear are completely original songs. The elements from that time, however, are all there: a bass guitar connected to an antique-sounding fuzz box, trippy keyboards, weirdly timed percussion and, of course, acid-tinged lyrics and vocals. more

Rapper-turned-acoustic troubadour Lorenzo Chrerubini (best known as Jovanotti) might be a giant star who fills stadiums back in his native Italy, but here in the U.S. he is following an indie musician more

The Latin Alternative Music Conference—the annual showcase for Latin artists who don't play salsa—is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with concerts at venues like Central Park S more

For as long as I can remember, the Lower East Side has always been a hotbed for creative minds, even during the dark (some would say glorious, but that is debatable) days of squats and heroin addicts. more

In the spring of 1994, a jazz aficionado named Mitch Borden started the West Villagebased Smalls Jazz Club, an after-hours basement where musicians and fans came together to celebrate the music they loved. more

The four days of debauchery of Carnaval might be well behind us, but there is really no specific time to enjoy samba, Brazil’s best-known musical beat. A genre in constant reinvention, it has influenced and inspired generations of songwriters and interpreters around the world: The list includes Ary Barroso, Ella Fitzgerald, Antonio Carlos Jobim, guitarist Charlie Byrd, saxophonist Joe Henderson and countless others. more

During his lifetome, until his untimely death from Lou Gehrig’s disease in 1979, Charles Mingus was a well-respected bassist, bandleader, activist and prolific composer who released several albums of original work ovr a short period of time. In 1959 alone, he made three albums (Mingus Ah Um, Mingus Dynasty and Blues and Roots) that are today regarded as the most important of his career. more

On her self-titled major-label debut, Esperanza Spalding demonstrates that she is an artist who keeps an open mind, avoiding the trappings of niche genres. She skillfully takes on a diverse array of styles ranging from samba, Latin, hard-driving jazz and R&B. more