This week, Andre 3000 released an instrumental album featuring the flute instead of an expected rap album. Scott Simon asks LA Times' August Brown about the flute's decades-long role in pop music.

When we think of powerful pop and rock ‘n’ roll, we typically imagine an instrument that can make a lot of noise: guitars, bass, drums, even a growling saxophone if you’re in the right mood (or decade ...

Last week, the news that André 3000 would be releasing an album of instrumental flute jams was greeted with enough head-scratching to draw blood. But don’t tell that to Jake Fridkis, who plays ...