Discover a unique instrument called the ondes Martenot, a precursor to the synthesizer named after its inventor, Maurice Martenot. This electronic piano-like instrument, once a musical sensation in the 1930's, quickly fell into disuse, but is experiencing a revival thanks to Christine Ott, a talented pianist who adopted this unusual instrument and has worked alongside such musical greats as Radiohead and Yann Tiersen.

The pianist Alexandre Tharaud plays Beethoven and Chopin in the beautiful surroundings of the Chambord castle. It's an outdoor concert, but the acoustics are so powerful that the performers can hear a pin drop from the audience!

The Lille Piano Festival is taking place in a subway station, where pianists bring music to the train commuters for their enjoyment and perhaps a gentle introduction to jazz and classical music.

The Marseille-based rap group IAM is back after a six-year hiatus with their new album, Arts Martiens (Martian Arts), which is already topping the charts in France. Check out a preview of their song "Notre Dame veille" (Our Lady Watches) in this video.

The musician Yacine Boularès talks to us about his large family, which spans two continents, and explains the origins of French influence in Tunisia.

Yacine Boularès, from the band Afro Groove Collective, talks about the different kinds of saxophones and gives a demonstration of each one. If you'd like to expand your saxophone knowledge even further, check out these Yabla videos from jazz musician Alex Terrier!

Yacine Boularès, a young French musician of Tunisian origin, demonstrates some of the differences between Western and Arabic music on his saxophone. If you like what you hear, check out Yacine's jazz band, Afro Groove Collective.

The teenage violist Valentin Tournet plays an excerpt from Marin Marais' "Folies d'Espagne" (Follies of Spain) in this interview. He talks about the folia, an early music theme from Spain, as well as the passion for music he developed at a very young age.

Overwhelmed by the amount of text messages and other technological annoyances in his life, singer-songwriter Benjamin Perrot uses this acoustic session on Le Mans TV as an opportunity to "disconnect." Don't let your phone distract you while watching this video!

In this nursing home in France's Pays de la Loire, musical therapy is used to stimulate the minds of residents suffering from Alzheimer's and other mental disorders. The directors of the program and the home explain the benefits of this still underdeveloped technique.

The young singer-songwriter Benjamin Perrot has some loud neighbors, and his walls made of cardboard aren't exactly soundproof. You'll see in the video why he wonders if his neighbors are actually "rabbits"....

At nightfall in Gstaad, the preeminent ski resort in the Alps, a privileged few among the stars and high society can listen to the most popular classical musicians in the world…

Alex explains the differences between the soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones. This is one of those situations where size definitely matters.

Alex gives a detailed description of the saxophone and all its different parts. Did you know that, despite its association with jazz music, the saxophone was actually invented in the 1840s for use in military bands?

Alex Terrier’s second project as a bandleader, Roundtrip, is a critically-acclaimed album in the vein of John Coltrane. Listen to it in full (and for free!) here.