Jazz Stories

The world-renowned trumpeter leads the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in the music of Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver on New Year's Eve.

It's an hour and a half of New Orleans Ragtime jazz!--From NPR Music
Listen to the Concert Here

A New Year's Jazz Celebration from New York City! Enjoy...

In jazz, to be a bassist usually means playing in someone else's band. The bassist-as-bandleader is a fairly rare thing, with the torch being passed over the years from Charles Mingus to Ron Carter...and now to Philadelphia-born Christian McBride.

Not yet 40, McBride has become one of the most prolific performers in jazz. He's just released two new albums, each representing completely different takes on the form.--from NPR

Join Maureen Malloy from 6 to 8 pm for the second installment of the Jazz Up Close series from the Kimmel Center, celebrating "Killer Joe" himself, Benny Golson. Philadelphia-born Golson is known worldwide as a true jazz innovator - as a sax player and as a composer. He's also the only living artist to create eight jazz standards.

Join WRTI as we celebrate 91 years of Dave Brubeck! The birthday festivities kick off at 6 pm with Bob Perkins as he plays some of Brubeck's true classics, and some lesser-known (yet still magnificent) works. At 9 pm, Maureen Malloy will bring you Brubeck's live recordings, selections from performances with his sons, and other music from his sons' band, The Brubeck Brothers. The music of this groundbreaking pianist/composer will continue until 6 am.

The voice of jazz singer Stacey Kent has been compared to the taste of vermouth and the compositions of Erik Satie. Described as an irrepressible gamine, she's an American from New Jersey who now splits her time between Colorado and London. Kent's latest album springs from yet another national backdrop: France, where she's enjoyed particular fame and success. She sings the songs on Raconte-Moi entirely in French, trading between standards and a few new ones written just for her.--from NPR

Even if you're not into the trick-or-treat bag and have permanently had your fill of candy corn, you might dig the grave sounds of some wickedly good music. Here are five sides to help you light your jazz-o'-lantern with an otherworldly glow.--from NPR

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Mel Torme: The Best of the Concord Years

There's an old saying that pays tribute to multi-talented people by suggesting that such people are larger than the sum of their parts. Read on and determine if this artist earns such credit.

As a child of four years, Torme made his debut as an entertainer when he performed an impromptu rendition of "You're Driving Me Crazy," at Chicago's famed Blackhawk restaurant. From that time on, his career - which saw him as a singer, drummer, pianist songwriter and actor - spanned 65 years.