KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts

KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

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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.

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.

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.

Frank Sinatra (Sunday 9.22.13)

Sinatra was responsible for the popularity of the male singer in big band movement. He was able to merge his arts of music and acting. Sinatra has one of the most enduring voices in music, jazz or otherwise.

Cannonball Adderley (Sunday 9.15.13)

Hard bop was popularized by Cannonball Adderely in the 1950s and 1960s. Adderely reinvigorated jazz in the 1970s after a successful career playing with many of the jazz greats.

Sonny Rollins (Sunday 9.8.13)

Sonny Rollins pioneered a bass drum rhythm section with no piano so his saxophone playing would stand out as well as be a rhythm instrument itself. Rollins joined the Miles Davis Quintet in 1955.

Art Pepper (Sunday 9.1.13)

Alto saxophone player Art Pepper redefined himself repeatedly, and each time gained greater respect and popularity.

Max Roach (Sunday 8.11.13)

A pioneer of the drums, Max Roach revolutionized the concept of musical time. Max’s playing and interpretation of time inspired generations of jazz musicians and drummers.

Herb Ellis (Sunday 8.4.13)

Herb Ellis gave us a different way of looking at the different ways of coping with the events of the 1950s and 1960s. He incorporated the blues and twang into a bee bop sound with his jazz guitar playing. He’s most well-known for joining the Oscar Peterson Trio in the 1950s.

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