Sun Ra: 'Cosmic Swing'
Whenever he took the stage, audiences were guaranteed a musical spectacle. Half mystic, half visionary, the pianist and bandleader charted a relentlessly adventurous course through the jazz tradition.
Leftover Candy: Top 5 Jazz Halloween Songs
From the lighthearted and fancy to the haunting and grotesque, NPR station WDUQ highlights some spooky Halloween music you can listen to all year long. Hear jazz vocalists conjure different ghosts out of classic tunes, while horn players coax the demons out of their instruments.
Terence Blanchard: Musical Musings on 'God's Will'
The latest CD from New Orleans trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard is A Tale of God's Will, whose subtitle is "A Requiem for Katrina." Parts of the recording were heard in Spike Lee's HBO documentary When the Levees Broke.
Red Norvo: 'Mr. Swing'
He was a sideman with the early stars of jazz, led one of the most admired bands on the swing era, and catalyzed the careers of musicians like Charles Mingus. All the while, Red Norvo was bringing the mallet instruments to jazz.
Buddy Collette: 'Man of Many Parts'
Reedman Buddy Collette has spent most of his music career on the West Coast, out of the national spotlight. But it would be a mistake to overlook his distinguished career as a jazz educator, activist, composer and, of course, phenomenal multi-instrumentalist.
Digging Up Thelonious Monk's Southern Roots
The legendary jazz pianist and composer is best known for his time in New York City, where he developed his eccentric musical genius. But 90 years ago today, Thelonious Monk was born in the Southern city of Rocky Mount, N.C.
Thelonious Monk: 'Thelonious Himself'
Using dissonant chords, a keen sense of space and knotty, syncopated melodies, Monk created some of the most original and challenging American music of the 20th century. Now, 90 years after his birth, his legacy is as strong as ever.
Monterey in Minutes: An Audio Montage
The 50th Anniversary of the Monterey Jazz Festival proved to be a rousing success. 45,000 fans attended the historic event and all three days were sold out, a festival first. Hear some of the festival's greatest highlights in an audio montage produced by WBGO.
Cyrus Chestnut: Reinventing Elvis
Jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut and Elvis Presley aren't a likely pairing: Chestnut is one of the top pianists of a generation born many years after songs like "Love Me Tender" made Presley the king of rock 'n' roll. Hear an interview and performance from Studio 4A.
Mocean Worker: Quintessential Feel-Good Songs
Philadelphia native Adam Dorn, a.k.a. Mocean Worker, has assembled a collection of Manhattan's most revered underground soul, jazz and funk players to perform blissfully funky jazz rave-ups on his new album, Cinco de MoWo! Hear an interview and in-studio performance.
Billie Holiday: 'Lady Sings the Blues'
Few song stylists of any era are as immediately distinctive and arresting as "Lady Day." Her rhythmic instinct for melodies brought vocals to the forefront of jazz expression. And her voice itself remains an influential, inimitable and incredible sound.
A Moody, Sprawling Soundscape of Futuristic Jazz
In Floratone's "The Passenger," Bill Frisell's guitar sits front and center, teasing out references to gritty desert rock, Spaghetti Western soundtracks and even the slinky upstroke strums of dub and reggae. Inventive studio tricks add languid, ethereal atmosphere.
The Many Moods of Les Jazz Modes
In a mid-'50s jazz landscape increasingly dominated by bebop's aftermath, the largely forgotten band Les Jazz Modes stood apart. "Hoo-Tai" finds the group's chops integrating deftly with its orchestral experiments, and the sum is a finely sculpted, acutely appealing jazz tune.
Queen Latifah Tunes into 'Trav'lin' Light'
Queen Latifah has always followed her mother's simple advice: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Her success in music and film has allowed her to do some less- commercial things she loves, like singing old jazz and R&B tunes.
50th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival
The world's longest-running jazz festival celebrates its golden anniversary with a specially commissioned piece by Gerald Wilson and performances by many jazz luminaries. Hear NPR's coverage and a selection of concerts recorded by WBGO.
Survivors of Shanghai's Jazz Age Play Anew
Shanghai's hedonistic nightlife and jazz music scene were once renowned throughout Asia -- before the Communist Party took power and punished jazz as a crime. But today, a small group of musicians are re-creating the sounds of the city's golden days.
Legends Help Monterey Jazz Fest Turn 50
Jazz writer Ashley Kahn offers his observations of the three days of nonstop music that marked the 50th annual Monterey Jazz Festival in California. The giants of jazz came to play at Monterey, which featured performances by Gerald Wilson and Sonny Rollins, among others.
Next Generation Jazz Orchestra in Concert
Players from 17 high schools were chosen for the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. After studying to perform some of the most challenging big-band music available, the high-school all-stars perform alongside Terence Blanchard at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
Dave Brubeck: A Monterey Pioneer in Concert
Bay Area disc jockey Jimmy Lyons got Brubeck to play piano for the Monterey City Council more than 50 years ago to convince it to put on a festival. The Monterey Jazz Festival is in its 50th year, and Brubeck returns for his 14th appearance. Hear his complete concert.
Keely Smith: A Swingin' Icon of Early Vegas
It took many sleepless nights to perfect the Las Vegas lounge act. Singer Keely Smith and husband Louis Prima put in many hours on the Strip in the '50s to do just that. Smith recalls her time at the Sahara. A new collection of her work is out on CD.
Otis Taylor: 'Trance Blues' in Concert
Live from the Monterey Jazz Festival, Otis Taylor plays what he calls "trance blues" -- a blues sound drenched in Appalachian country music and moody, psychedelic rock. He discovered blues and folk music after hearing the work of Mississippi John Hurt. Hear a full concert.
Gerald Wilson Conducts 'Monterey Moods' Premiere
The legendary jazz trumpeter and composer premiered the seven-part Monterey Moods suite at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Hear his celebratory exploration of all the various forms of jazz that have come through Monterey in its 50 years.
Jaco Pastorius: 20 Years Later
In his short but brilliant career, he pioneered a new standard of rapid-fire virtuosity on the electric bass and helped bridge the jazz and pop music of his day. Close collaborators offer a retrospective on Jaco Pastorius.
Monterey Jazz Festival Celebrates 50th Year
Hear a preview of the 50th annual Monterey Jazz Festival, which includes Gerald Wilson's specially commissioned piece, Monterey Moods. Wilson and many other jazz luminaries, including Dave Brubeck, celebrate the festival's half-century mark this weekend.