Pianist/Educator Ellen Hoffman with Melanie Berzon

Percussionist/Bandleader Pete Escovedo with Chris Cortez

Members of Times 4 with Lee Thomas

Multi-instrumentalist Roscoe Mitchell with Chris Cortez

Trumpeter Arturo Sandoval with Lee Thomas

Gentle Giants: The Beauty of the Jazz Ballad
Ask any jazz musician and they’ll tell you the real test of a player’s ability is the ballad.  Trumpeter Bob Barnard and The Jim Cullum Jazz Band explore the art of the jazz ballad.

Re-creating Black Vaudeville with Broadway’s Bernel Bagneris
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and Vernel Bagneris with comic bits and songs from the burlesque of rural tent shows to the sophistication of big city ‘black and tans.’

California Jammin’: The Jim Cullum Jazz Band & Special Guests
A concert of jazz classics featuring The Jim Cullum Jazz Band along with sax man Jim Galloway, cornetist Bob Schulz, and Clint Baker on banjo and guitar.

Slipping & Sliding: Jazz Trombone at its Best
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band is joined by contemporary masters of the jazz trombone Dan Barrett and Bob Havens with tunes from the playing of Kid Ory, Tommy Dorsey and others.

Our Huckleberry Friend: The Lyrics of Johnny Mercer
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and guest vocalist Rebecca Kilgore bring to life some of Johnny Mercer’s finest compositions.

Tom Scott
Renowned composer, arranger, producer, musical director and saxophonist, Tom Scott, celebrated his recent recorded tribute to Cannonball Adderley, known as “Cannon Reloaded,” with an appearance at Yoshi’s in Oakland, recorded for In The Moment on June 1, 2008. With Nat Adderley, Jr., piano and fender Rhodes; Hamilton Price, electric and acoustic bass; Greg Field, drums; Gilbert Castellanos, trumpet and Paulette McWilliams, vocals.

Dave Ellis
Saxophonist Dave Ellis is heard in a musical acknowledgment of Joe Henderson, recorded on April 13, 2008 as part of the legendary Masters tribute series at the Jazzschool in Berkeley. With Jeff Chambers, bass; Bill Bell, piano and Sly Randolph, drums. Commentary from legendary producer Orrin Keepnews.

Pianist Omar Sosa returns to In The Moment with a recording from Yoshi’s in Oakland on April 13, 2008, featuring his Afreecanos Quartet, with the Cuban born pianist and former Bay Area resident joined by Marque Gilmore (U.S.), drums; Childo Tomas (Mozambique), electric bass and m’bria; Mola Sylla (Senegal), vocals, m’bria, xalam and kongoman.

Jazz On Fourth Highlights
Highlights from this year’s Jazz On Fourth, the 12th Annual Benefit Music Festival for the Berkeley High School Jazz Program, recorded on 4th Street in Berkeley, on May 18, 2008, featuring E.C. Scott; the John Santos Quartet with flutist John Calloway; Khalil Shaheed’s Quintet with Faye Carol, and the Berkeley High Ensemble, Quartet and Quintet.

Pete Yellin All-Stars
The Pete Yellin All-Stars with special guest vocalist Sheila Jordan, recorded May 5, 2008 at Yoshi’s in Oakland. Alto saxophonist and educator Pete Yellin has recorded or performed with Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, Herbie Hancock, Lionel Hampton and Tito Puente. Legendary vocalist Sheila Jordan recently received the 2008 Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Award for Lifetime Of Service. Scott Yanow, in the All Music Guide, calls her “One of the most consistently creative of all jazz singers!” With Jon Mayer, piano; Akira Tana, drums; Dayna Stephens, tenor sax and Ron Belcher, bass.

Humphrey Lyttelton at Conway Hall
Louis Levy and his British Gaumont Dance Orchestra

Jimmie Lunceford “Swingin’ Uptown”
Ole Olsen Orchestra “Snag It”

Glenn Miller Chesterfield Radio Debut
Cootie Williams “West End Blues”

Mel Powell with “Shoeless John Jackson”
J. Neal Montgomery “Atlanta Low Down”
Bobby Hackett with Glen Gray Orchestra

Gene Krupa “In The Mood”
Barbara Dane-Don Ewell in Concert
Selected Short Subjects

Pianist Tommy Flanagan
Tommy Flanagan's soft-spoken manner reflected his quietly understated playing. Known for his style and technique, he was one of bebop's most important pianists. Born into the fertile Detroit jazz scene, he played with Milt Jackson, Kenny Burrell, and Thad and Elvin Jones. In 1956, Flanagan moved to New York and became a highly sought studio musician. He worked regularly with Oscar Peterson, J.J. Johnson, Sweets Edison, Coleman Hawkins, and was Ella Fitzgerald's regular accompanist for over a decade. His devotion as an accompanist resulted in his being somewhat underrated as a soloist, though he was honored with Denmark's prestigious Jazz prize.

Trumpeter Harry “Sweets” Edison
Swinging and singing: both describe the unmistakable sound of Harry "Sweets" Edison (1919-1999), one of the most important stylists in the history of jazz trumpet. Sweets plays with a simplicity born of sophisticated artistry. It propelled him to the Count Basie Band, which he joined in 1937, thereafter becoming one of its most frequently featured soloists. This program, produced just before his death, celebrates Edison's spare style that blends subtle humor, impeccable timing, and the sweetly muted tone that gave him his nickname.

Saxophonist Jackie McLean
In five decades of jazz, Jackie McLean has lived the quintessential jazz survivor's life. A veteran of bebop, he emerged from the shadow of Charlie Parker and drugs to make a music bristling with passion and a Hemingway-esque direction. McLean debuted on Miles Davis' 1951 album Dig!, and from the late '50s to the present has led his own groups. These raw edged, taut units included Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Billy Higgens, Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan, Roy Haynes, and others. Many of them appeared on with McLean and his son on Destination Out, looking back on a musician whose career and music lived in the moment.

Jazz Impresario Norman Granz
Norman Granz has no equal as an impresario in jazz and popular music. He founded Verve and Pablo records. He created Jazz at the Philharmonic, a touring concert series that was helpful in promoting the careers of Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Roy Eldridge, Lester Young, and Art Tatum. As a jazz producer, he has probably done more than anyone to bring modern jazz to a wider audience. This show celebrates Granz's outstanding achievements while exploring the shrewdness and audacity of his producing style.

The Singers Command the Band
Be brash! Jump in and join us when Freddy Cole and Ernestine Anderson romp with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis through Chattanooga Choo-Choo, A Train and In The Mood. Guaranteed to cure the blues.

Singers Over Manhattan: Tierney Sutton/Loston Harris
From the new crop of crooners: vocals by Tierney Sutton envelope the room. Harris wraps his voice in the notes of his keyboard. Their double bill at Rose Hall portends a bright future for the art of the song.

Gershwin Rhapsody: Michael Feinstein, Patty Austin, Marcus Roberts
George and Ira are well remembered: Singers Michael Feinstein and Patti Austin dig into Nice Work, Embraceable You and Lady Be Good. Marcus Roberts re-imagines Rhapsody in Blue, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center and American Composers’ Orchestras unite in a Gershwin Rhapsody…

Speaking In Jazz: Oscar Brown Jr., Gil Scott Heron, Yusef Komunyakaa
Verse and verve, when word-struck musicians and Jazz-possessed poets share our stage. We feature one of the final performances of Oscar Brown, Jr., including his lyrical Round Midnight. Strong words from Gil Scott Heron and Pulitzer Prize-winner Yusef Komunyakaa, punctuated by the saxophone of Sonny Fortune, bass of Reggie Workman and drums of Rashied Ali.

Singer/Pianist Diana Krall
Singer/pianist Diana Krall is one of the true superstars in the music world today. The amazing performer has brought a new energy to the jazz scene and new fans to the music. Krall made her first appearance on Piano Jazz in 1995, just as her career was about to take off. Performances include Krall's versions of "I've Got the World on a String" and "I'm a Lucky So and So."

Singer/Composer/Lyricist/Drummer/Arranger/Producer/Actor Mel Torme
Mel Tormé was a man of many talents -- singer, composer, lyricist, drummer, arranger, producer and actor. Of course, it was his distinctive, mellow voice that earned him the nickname "the Velvet Fog." On this encore program, Tormé performs his own tunes "Stranger In Town" and "Born to Be Blue," and other favorites including "Dream Dancing" and "Time After Time."

Pianist/Composer Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock is one of the most influential players and composers on the modern jazz scene. A true innovator and ardent explorer, Hancock's musical ideas have pushed boundaries and transcended musical genres. In an encore program, Hancock solos on his own tune "Dolphin Dance," then joins McPartland for "That Old Black Magic."

Pianist/Vocalist Norah Jones
Norah Jones is one of the most popular musicians in the world today. Her soulful vocals and her love of jazz standards were on display when she joined McPartland at the 2003 Tanglewood Jazz Festival. The sold-out crowd enjoyed Jones' version of Ellington's "Meloncholia," for which she wrote new lyrics, as well as duets of "Walkin My Baby Back Home" and "Summertime."

Kennedy Center Trumpet Festival
From the Jazz Club at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, bassist Christian McBride plays Miles Davis' "NO Blues," and the Terell Stafford Quintet and Wallace Roney play Buster Williams' "Christina."

Hugh Masekela and Ladysmith Black Mambazo
This week's program features an impressive double bill. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the South African a cappella choir, sings at the Santa Fe Jazz and International Music Festival. Trumpeter and singer Hugh Masekela performs township music at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival.

Kate McGarry and Esperanza Spalding at Scullers in Boston
This week's program features the talents of breezy and daring improviser Kate McGarry and bassist/singer Esperanza Spalding. Thanks to WGBH Radio Boston.

Revisiting the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival
In the late 1990s, JazzSet visited Oregon's Mt. Hood Jazz Festival. This program presents highlights from that trip with sets from a variety of artists.