The Silk Express (1933) Ray Enright, Neil Hamilton, Sheila Terry, Arthur Byron

The symposium that was held in 2009 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, on the occasion of the exhibition "Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul," brought together an exceptional group of scholars responsible for the excavation and interpretation of the magnificent works on view in the show. The title of the exhibition, "Hidden Treasures," alludes to the bravery of our Afghan colleagues, who—upon witnessing the destruction of the National Museum and the subsequent attacks by the Taliban …

Ray Charles was the musician most responsible for developing soul music. Singers like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also did a great deal to pioneer the form, but Charles did even more to devise a new form of black pop by merging '50s R&B with gospel-powered vocals, adding plenty of flavor from contemporary jazz, blues, and (in the '60s) country. Then there was his singing; his style was among the most emotional and easily identifiable of any 20th century performer, up there with the likes of Elvis and Billie Holiday. He was also a superb keyboard player, arranger, and bandleader. The brilliance of his 1950s and '60s work, however, can't obscure the fact that he made few classic tracks after the mid-'60s, though he recorded often and performed until the year before his death.

Classic Albums: The Making Of Dark Side Of The Moon was originally released in 2003, and traces the creation of Pink Floyd’s iconic 1973 album…