Live In Concert from NPR's All Songs Considered Folgen

Colin Stetson is coveted as a sideman for countless big names: The Montreal bass saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist is a touring member of Arcade Fire and Bell Orchestre, and has performed guest work with Tom Waits, TV on the Radio, The National, David Byrne, Bon Iver and countless others. ?As a solo artist kicking off NPR Music's SXSW day party at The Parish in Austin, Texas, Stetson crafts vivid, enveloping, seemingly freeform soundscapes that sprawl and convulse. Hear Stetson perform live at NPR Music's SXSW day party from The Parish in Austin, Texas, on March 17, 2011.

The NPR Music crew gather on a street corner in Austin Texas for their first SXSW 2011 nightly wrap up. Bob Boilen, Robin Hilton Stephen Thompson and Ann Powers talk about the music they loved on this first day of the festival.

For all its irresistibly soulful energy, what really jumps out about Raphael Saadiq's music is the smooth precision with which it falls into place. A perfectly tailored showman, with perhaps the whitest teeth in show business, the producer and former member of Tony! Toni! Ton?! plays the part of the in-control frontman to perfection. But don't mistake his impeccably presented persona with sterility: This set from Stubb's in Austin, Texas -- recorded live as part of the South by Southwest music festival — is a full-blown soul revue, complete with choreographed backup singers and buckets of sweat. When a guy this cool exerts this much effort, it's a joy to behold. Hear Saadiq perform live at SXSW from Stubb's in Austin, Texas, on March 16, 2011.