Mocean Worker: Quintessential Feel-Good Songs

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:34:00 EDT
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'

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 10:00:00 EDT
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

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 10:48:00 EDT
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

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 10:34:00 EDT
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'

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:01:00 EDT
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

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:06:00 EDT
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

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:40:00 EDT
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

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 08:46:00 EDT
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

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:53:00 EDT
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

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:20:00 EDT
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.

School for the Blues

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 19:07:00 EDT
You might think children are too young to understand the grown-up struggles that are the basis of the blues. But in the Mississippi Delta -- the home of the "blues" -- grade school kids are putting their unique tradition to good use.

Keely Smith: A Swingin' Icon of Early Vegas

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 16:35:00 EDT
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

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 13:50:00 EDT
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

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 11:14:00 EDT
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.

Remembering Louis Armstrong's Little Rock Protest

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 08:00:00 EDT
In September 1957, Louis Armstrong canceled his tour of the Soviet Union to protest the injustices in Little Rock, Arkansas. Scott Simon talks with Larry Lubenow, the then-student journalist who broke the story 50 years ago.

Jaco Pastorius: 20 Years Later

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:30:00 EDT
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.

Norah Jones: Sultry, Jazzy and Real

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:36:00 EDT
Pianist and vocalist Norah Jones' latest album, Not Too Late, strips her music to the core. She forgoes jazz and pop standards for original compositions and a much subtler approach. Hear Jones give an interview and in-studio performance.

Monterey Jazz Festival Celebrates 50th Year

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 13:35:00 EDT
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.

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