NPR Music

Singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky makes her 10th appearance on Mountain Stage at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, W.V. Recorded live on the eve of Hurricane Sandy, Kaplansky's performance exudes a sense of urgency and energy, as she was no doubt concerned about beating the storm back to her home and family in New York City.

One of the most popular Twin Cities funk and soul groups of the late 1960s and early '70s, The Valdons eventually split up, but the band's members never dropped their passion for music, continuing to perform in other configurations. So Minnesotans and the rest of the world are getting a rare treat here: the modern-day reincarnation of The Valdons, courtesy of Secret Stash Records.

On a new box set from mail-order house Mosaic Records, Charles Mingus, The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964-65, the jazz legend's bands usually number between five and eight players. The bassist often made those bands sound bigger. He'd been using midsize ensembles since the '50s, but his new ones were more flexible than ever, light on their feet but able to fill in backgrounds like a large group.