Jazz

Randy Weston is a jazz pianist and composer. He travels and performs extensively in Africa, and African influences infuse his music. He is playing a rare American concert in Philadelphia.

Vernel Bagneris is a playwright, actor, and dancer. He wrote, directed, and acts in the musical "One Mo' Time," now playing in Philadelphia. The musical is set in 1920s' New Orleans and draws heavily on the jazz from that time and place. It centers around a touring group of vaudevillians performing at the segregated Lyric Theater. Bagneris describes it as a "piece on Black theater history." He joins the show to discuss the musical, the black vaudeville circuit, black face, and the benefits of live performance.

Philadelphian pianists, Peter Scheiner, Uri Caine, and Dave Posmontier have been playing in the area for years. They discuss the Philadelphia jazz scene and the life of working musicians. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)

Philadelphia pianist and "friend of Fresh Air" Bruce Mills joins the show to discuss his career as a blind jazz pianist and to perform an in-studio concert at Fresh Air's new studio.

Vernel Bagneris is a playwright, actor, and dancer. He wrote, directed, and acts in the musical "One Mo' Time," now playing in Philadelphia. The musical is set in 1920s' New Orleans and draws heavily on the jazz from that time and place. It centers around a touring group of vaudevillians performing at the segregated Lyric Theater. Bagneris describes it as a "piece on Black theater history." Bagneris and pianist Morten Larsen give an in-studio concert sharing music from the show's time period.

Dave Brubeck's quartet released the groundbreaking record Time Out, which introduced odd-time signature jazz music to a mainstream audience. He was recently commissioned to compose a Catholic mass.

Ruth, June, and Anita Pointer, who sing together as the The Pointer Sisters, used to sing mostly big band tunes with complicated harmonies. They join the show to discuss their influences and new musical direction. Their new album is "Special Things."

Bill Evans, jazz pianist, died yesterday at the age of 51. Contributor and jazz critic Francis Davis, host of Fresh Air's "interval," a segment on out-of-print jazz, joins the show to pay tribute to Evans.

Composer and pianist Ray Bryant is currently performing in Philadelphia. A native of the city, he got his start at the Blue Note club. He joins the show to discuss his career in jazz.

Writer Josef Skvorecky joins the show to describe his fiction, jazz, and growing up in Czechoslovakia.

Mercer Ellington is a trumpeter, composer, and band leader. He is also the son of jazz legend Duke Ellington. Mercer Ellington is the conductor for the musical based on Duke Ellington's work, "Sophisticated Ladies." Mercer Ellington joins the show to discuss the musical and his father.

Trumpeter and cornet player Nat Adderley is the son of a jazz musician and the brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. Adderley joins the show to discuss his musical journey, career, and the current state of jazz.

Critic John Szwed reviews a new collection of old Lennie Tristano recordings, "Lennie Tristano, Requiem." Lennie Tristano is a jazz pianist. (PARTIAL AUDIO)

Sheila Jordan is a jazz singer. Rather than make music she doesn't agree with, Jordan has kept her "day job" as a typist for her entire career. That might be changing as more people become aware of her work. She joins the show to discuss her life and career.

Oliver Lake is a jazz and funk saxophonist and composer. He is in town to play a concert with his newest band Jump. Lake joins the show to discuss his career and audience, the music industry, and what it means to be considered an avant-garde musician. (Interview by Danny Miller)

Michael Hashim is the alto-saxophonist for the Widespread Depression Orchestra, known for the arrangements of 1930s and 1940s jazz. He joins the show to discuss his influences and the music and inner-workings of the Orchestra. The band will be changing its name to The Widespread Jazz Orchestra.

Fresh Air broadcasts a program produced by Newark, New Jersey based-station WBGO which features performances from the renown jazz festival, along with interviews with notable musicians.

The Village Voice writer has a new anthology of his music writing called Riding on a Blue Note. His tastes have expanded from jazz to pop vocals, including Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. Giddins also finds much to love about contemporary European and avant-garde jazz.

The accomplished musician shares his approach to improvisation and teaching. He considers the changing approach and education of younger musicians is affecting the future of jazz.

The accomplished musician is known for singing along with his playing. He demonstrates his unique approach to the instrument, considers the evolving role of the bass in music, and his career in jazz.