jazz

The Art of Resolution (12.29.13)

As we turn to the new year, what will be different? Look to jazz for the innovation and inspiration, for discovery and improvisation. It’s the core of what jazz represents. It can also be applied to the lives that we live and the dreams that we have in order to make things matter.

The Art of Tradition (12.22.13)

Tradition compresses time and brings us into the moment of timelessness when things are safe. In jazz, the art of tradition is to recreate sounds and lives, to bring the listener back home, especially during the holidays. The tradition of jazz is the expectation of improvisation and requiring the artist to be on top of their game.

Charlie Parker (12.15.13)

American jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker crafted the sound that was eventually called bebop. This deeply soulful music gave him and other musicians a way to express themselves in original ways. Parker’s addiction to heroine unfortunately cut his life short at just 34 years old. He died in the hotel room of his friend Nica.

V&B: Jazz Legend Leonard Bernstein

The life, legend and music of the great Leonard Bernstein. Rabbi, jazz historian and musician Neil Blumofe joins KUT’s Rebecca McInroy along with a live jazz ensemble to talk about his legacy.

Leonard Bernstein said, “The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another… and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world.” So who is this great artist? What does his life and legacy continue to teach us? And what is his legacy in jazz history?

Chico Hamilton (12.8.13)

Drummer Chico Hamilton is considered a voice of West Coast Jazz. He found success in movie soundtracks and eventually formed his own ensemble. In the late ’50s and into the 1960s he performed with many jazz greats like Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, Charles Mingus and others.

Leonard Bernstein (11.24.13)

Composer, conductor and pianist Leonard Bernstein had a lengthy storied career. His music speaks of the “can-do-ism” of Americans. It crossed through jazz, classical, musicals, television and movies. Bernstein is an iconic figure in our musical heritage.

V&B: Chet Baker, His Life and Music

Jazz historian and musician Rabbi Neil Blumofe joins KUT’s Rebecca McInroy along with a live jazz ensemble to talk about the haunting music and life of trumpeter Chet Baker.

Nica (11.10.13)

Kathleen Annie Pannonica Rothschild, nicknamed Nica, was referred to as the jazz baroness. She was more than just a patron of jazz. She provided support and encouragement to many of the great artists during the ’40s and ’50s. In the early sixties she compiled a book called “The jazz musicians and their three wishes” which was published in 2006.

Rudy Van Gelder (11.3.13)

Recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder helped shape the sound of jazz for Blue Note Records. It became known as the Van Gelder sound, but like it or not, it left an enduring impression on jazz for years.

Ellington and Strayhorn (10.27.13)

The collaboration of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn led to a collection of music that has spanned generations. Their music and compositions are seemingly effortlessly entwined.

Jelly Roll Morton (Sunday 10.20.13)

Jelly Roll Morton, born Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, claimed to be a founder of what became known jazz as both a musician and composer.

Coleman Hawkins (Sunday 10.13.13)

Coleman Hawkins was at the head of the line in forging a path for the saxophone as an instrument and for the countless saxophonists that would follow him. Hawkins began his successful career in the early 1920s.

Anita O’Day (Sunday 10.6.13)

O’Day transcended what was socially acceptable as a girl singer in the late 1930s to become an accomplished jazz singer throughout the following decades. Anita O’Day Sings Jazz, her first album, was recorded in 1952. O’Day performed with Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk, and many others during her career.

V&B: Frank Sinatra and The Art of Image

Frank Sinatra said, “I would like to be remembered as a man who had a wonderful time living life, a man who had good friends, fine family – and I don’t think I could ask for anything more than that.” Did he get his wish? Who was Frank Sinatra? What can his legacy teach us? Listen back to KUT’s Rebecca McInroy in conversation with Rabbi, Jazz Historian, Musician Neil Blumofe, and a live jazz ensemble as they present, Views and Brews: Frank Sinatra and The Art of Image.