Latest Jazz from NPR Music

Duke Ellington: Highlights Of His Twilight

David Brent Johnson — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:38:00 +0000

When Duke Ellington received the news that Billy Strayhorn, his songwriting and arranging partner of 28 years, had died, Ellington reportedly cried and told a friend, "No, I'm not all right! Nothing is going to be all right now."

The cancer-stricken Strayhorn passed away on May 31, 1967, and Ellington himself would follow seven years later, dying on May 24, 1974, at the age of 75.

Chris Potter Quartet On JazzSet

editor — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:06:00 +0000

Now in his early 40s, Chris Potter is "the most commandingly skilled saxophonist of his generation," according to New York Times jazz writer Nate Chinen.

Potter and JazzSet host Dee Dee Bridgewater have just come off three months with the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour, traveling the country by

Sarah Vaughan: A New Box Set Revels In Glorious Imperfections

Kevin Whitehead — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:49:00 +0000

Singer Sarah Vaughan came up in the 1940s alongside bebop lions Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, starting out in Earl Hines' big band. Hines had hired her as his singer and deputy pianist, while Gillespie praised her fine ear for chords as she grasped the arcane refinements of bebop harmony.

Rudresh Mahanthappa On Piano Jazz

editor — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:00:00 +0000

Rudresh Mahanthappa creates an explosive blend of South Indian classical music and progressive jazz. A Guggenheim Fellow who's been named the Jazz Journalists Association's "Alto Saxophonist of the Year" for four years running, Mahanthappa makes innovative music that reflects his experience as a second-generation Indian-American. He shares his fascinating style and story on this episode of Piano Jazz.

Mahanthappa was born in Boulder, Colo.

Woody Herman At 100: 'A Blues Player From His Heart'

Alan Greenblatt — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:19:00 +0000

Woody Herman was one of the premier bandleaders in jazz, saxophonist Joe Lovano says.

"He didn't have the same chops and virtuosic approach like Benny Goodman or Artie Shaw, but he told a deep story," says Lovano, who played with Herman early in his career. "He was a blues player from his heart, and really had a beautiful voice on alto saxophone."

Born in 1913, Herman would have turned 100 on Thursday.

Edmar Castañeda And Friends On JazzSet

editor — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:50:00 +0000

As a child in Bogotá, Edmar Castañeda and his sister took folk dance classes. Their mother made sure of that. Castañeda liked the dancing, but he really liked the live harp accompaniment. In Spanish, the harp is called the llanero. It's Colombian, not a classical harp.

When the family moved to Queens, Castañeda studied trumpet and discovered jazz, especially improvisation.

Gregory Porter: A Lion In The Subway

Patrick Jarenwattananon — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:37:00 +0000

Subway entertainers are a mixed bag, but in the arts mecca of New York City, they're often overqualified — so much so that bands and other musical acts need to audition to even set up underground. And those are just the "official" performers.

Gregory Porter has the frame of a football linebacker — maybe because he once was one, for a Division I college — and the rich, booming voice you might expect from a guy with such lungs.

Balancing Influences: Saxophonist Mahanthappa Blends Styles

editor — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:49:00 +0000

When a single review compares an artist's work to both Mahavishnu Orchestra and The Stooges, hardcore rock music fans sit up and take notice.

That's the high praise the Los Angeles Times bestowed upon saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa.

You'll find the Indian-American's work filed under jazz, but it's hard to find a style he doesn't touch.

Jane Monheit On Piano Jazz

Grant Jackson — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:26:00 +0000

Vocalist Jane Monheit visits Piano Jazz, as host Marian McPartland accompanies her on a hour of first-rate music from the Gershwins, Duke Ellington, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and more.

Monheit grew up on Long Island.

Donny McCaslin On Piano Jazz

editor — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:56:00 +0000

Tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin got his start at age 12, when he began playing in his vibraphonist father's band in Santa Cruz, Calif. That group played the Monterey Jazz Festival for three years.