Bassist Justin Hellman with Mal Sharpe

Guitarist John Abercrombie with Clifford Brown, Jr.

Composer/Arranger/Bandleader Bob Florence with Chris Cortez

Vocalist Freddy Cole with Alisa Clancy

In the Footsteps of Giants: Trumpet Dynamo Bria Skonberg
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band is joined by trumpet ace Bria Skonberg, a brilliant young musician from Canada, dedicated to revitalizing American classic jazz, who has taken New York by storm. Citing Louis Armstrong as a key influence, Skonberg radiates exuberance in her dynamic performances.

Sidney Bechet: Jazz Immortal
A passionate and consummate artist, Sidney Bechet was a master of both clarinet and soprano sax on the early New Orleans jazz scene. Actor Vernel Bagneris offers first person accounts of Bechet’s life and featured soloists, clarinetist Evan Christopher and soprano saxist Bob Wilber (who studied with Bechet), join The Jim Cullum Jazz Band.

Django’s Gypsy Swing with the Hot Club of San Francisco
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band is joined by special guest, guitarist Paul Mehling and his Hot Club of San Francisco as they explore the infectious jazz of Django Reinhardt, the Romany guitar legend and icon of the jazz scene in 1930s’ Paris.

It Ain’t Over ‘Til the Fat Man Swings: Dick Hyman Plays Fats Waller
Beneath the zany and comedic personality his fans loved, stride pianist Fats Waller was a prolific composer and inventive stylist. This special encore presentation of the first Riverwalk Jazz national broadcast in 1989 features The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and piano master Dick Hyman.

The Sheldon Brown Quintet
The Sheldon Brown Quintet plays the music of Herbie Nichols, recorded November 19th, 2011, at the Hillside Club, in Berkeley. With Darren Johnston, Matt Clark, John Schifflett and Jason Lewis.

Lynne Arriale's Trio
Pianist Lynne Arriale's Trio, recorded at Yoshi's in San Francisco, on March 10th, 2012. With Omer Avital and Anthony Pinciotti.

Art Lande, Bruce Williamson and Paul McCandless
An intimate chamber jazz performance, recorded January 15th, 2012, featuring Art Lande, Bruce Williamson and Paul McCandless.

The Young Lionesses
The Young Lionesses recorded March 10th, 2012 at the First Annual Women's Jazz Festival produced by Ellen Seeling and Jean Fineberg. Featuring Kasey Knudsen, Ariel Vento, Mariel Austin, Erika Oba and Camille Dyhr.

Independence Hall Jazz Band, Rex Stewart, Count Basie

The River Boat Five, Ace Harris, Tommy Dorsey, Varsity Eight

Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Bennie Goodman, Cleo Brown, Benny Carter, Chicago Jazz Summit

Bill Challis, Jess Stacy, Bennet's Swamplanders, Marty Grosz, Ken Poplowski, Jon-Erik Kellso, Vince Giordana

Charlie Parker, Part 2
The concluding half of this trip focuses on Bird's influence on other musicians, his celebrated return to New York, his superstar acceptance in Europe, his experimentations with strings, and his premature, tragic death. Interviewees include Jackie McLean and Mitch Miller.

Mel Torme
Like Ella Fitzgerald, Torme's tender treatment of a ballad was offset with a powerful sense of swing. An accomplished drummer and pianist, he also sang songs much like jazz instrumentalists would play them. With help from friends and colleagues, we'll examine one of the most fascinating careers in jazz.

Erroll Garner
Erroll Garner was one of the most original, intuitive, and purely exciting pianists to emerge during the modern jazz era. Although he is perhaps best known as the composer of "Misty," Garner's significance as a jazz innovator easily rivals his status as a successful songwriter. His approaches to melody, harmony, and especially rhythm are as fresh and inventive today as when he first introduced them in the mid '40s. Interviewees include Steve Allen, Linton Garner, Martha Glaser, John Levy, Marian McPartland, and Dr. Billy Taylor.

Al Grey
He was described as a "sterling trombonist whose humorous inflection and skill with the plunger have been balanced by his excellent facility and overall technique." Grey performed to the end of his life with appearances at Basie Band reunions and sessions, as well as teaching young musicians the techniques he developed throughout the years. This program follows Grey's prolific career as a trombonist in bands ranging from Count Basie's to Lionel Hampton's.

American Icons: Dave Brubeck and Ramsey Lewis
A smooth pairing as renowned pianists Dave Brubeck and Ramsey Lewis take the stage for two rousing sets. The 88-year old Brubeck shows he still is the master of the 88s on Take Five, On the Sunny Side of the Street, and Over the Rainbow. Lewis’ gospel and funk tinged sound will lift you out of your seat with The In Crowd, Wade in the Water and more.

The Music of Billy Strayhorn
Duke Ellington described him as "my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head." Composer Billy Strayhorn penned some of Duke's most enduring songs, but he himself remained in relative obscurity. Vocalist Jose James and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra interpret Strayhorn classics including Lush Life, Take the 'A' Train and Something to Live For.

Bird with Strings
In 1949, Charlie Parker envisioned an album that would link jazz to pop and influence artists to come. His legendary venture with strings has done just that. Parker with Strings set his searching solos against a lush string quartet. And on stage Bird lives – as we feature saxophonists Wess Anderson and Charles McPherson and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas.

The Music of Fats Waller
A light-hearted entertainer and a very serious musician, Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller mastered the stride piano and wrote some of the jazz’s enduring, endearing tunes. Hear Honeysuckle Rose, Ain't Misbehavin and A Handful of Keys in the ‘hands’ of pianist Ehud Asherie, vocalist Allen Harris, and guitar master Doug Wamble under the direction of composer, arranger and reedman Andy Farber.

The Yellowjackets with Mike Stern
For over 25 years, The Yellowjackets – saxophonist Bob Mintzer, pianist Russell Ferrante, bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer Will Kennedy – have combined jazz, rock and electronic instruments. Now, the sensational and discerning guitarist Mike Stern, veteran of Miles and Michael Brecker bands, joins the group to lead Chromazone, I Wonder and Dreams Go. Bob Mintzer brings forth soulful sax and the true wonders of the EWI (ee-wee).

Rumer
Thirty-two-year old Rumer (Sarah Joyce) was raised in England and Pakistan, but her sound reveals a deep connection to the heyday of the early ’70s singer/songwriter era, along with shades of Broadway, ’30s jazz, and gospel. After years of unfailing effort, she is beginning to reap the rewards. Her debut album, Seasons of My Soul, reached No. 3 on the UK charts and was certified platinum. Rumer joins Michael Feinstein to talk about Judy Garland, Burt Bacharach, and old Hollywood, all of which inspire her to perform a few tunes from the Great American Songbook along with her own songs.

Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka is synonymous with popular music. For over 50 years, he has written, performed, and produced the soundtrack for America’s collective psyche. Sedaka had a string of early ‘60s pop hits, and his songs have been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Connie Francis, Elvis, and the Monkees, among others. On this episode Feinstein and his guest talk and play iconic pop and great standards, including one of his many hits, “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do.”

Liza Minnelli
Born into Hollywood royalty, Liza Minnelli has made her own name on the stage and screen. Her role in the 1972 film version of the Broadway musical Cabaret made her an international sensation and won her the Academy Award for Best Actress. She continues to wow audiences the world over with her delightful presence and powerful voice. Minnelli joins her good friend Feinstein for an enlightening discussion of her life and the evolution of her approach to song.

Cheyenne Jackson
Actor/singer Cheyenne Jackson is equally at home on Broadway and in front of the camera. He made his Broadway debut as the understudy for both male leads in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and his cabaret debut, a one man show titled Back to the Start, was a sold-out hit. Jackson has appeared on NBC’s 30 Rock and Fox’s Glee, and has recorded an album of duets with Feinstein, The Power of Two. The pair are reunited here on Song Travels to discuss Jackson’s journey from Idaho to the national stage, and to perform a few musical highlights from along the way.

David Hyde Pierce
Actor, singer and comedian David Hyde Pierce is best known for his Emmy Award winning role as Niles Crane on the long-running TV series Frasier. He’s also a Tony Award-winning actor for his role in Curtains. Pierce and Feinstein's discussion ranges from Beethoven to Spamalot, and Pierce sings a few of his favorite standards with Feinstein at the piano.

Toots Thielemans and Kenny Werner at the Kennedy Center
Jean Baptise Thielemans was born April 29, 1922. Over his long and colorful life, the harmonica man has lived in and played the music of Belgium, Paris and New York -- not to mention his most recent love, Brazil. In this concert, he chooses songs by Mancini and Miles, a quote from "La Marseillaise" and a piece by Jacques Brel, and a melding of "Bridges (Milton Nascimento)" and "God Bless America."

Josh Moshier: The Studs Terkel Project at the Jazz Showcase
Born in May, 1912, Terkel helped define an era in Chicago, writing about jazz, working, war, life, death. In his prose, young composer Josh Moshier finds a framework for "Touch and Go: The Studs Terkel Project for the Moshier-LeBrun Collective.
*"Touch and Go by Josh Moshier has been made possible with support from Chamber Music America's New Jazz Works Commissioning and Ensemble Development program, funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

20th Anniversary Special for the Gil Evans Centennial | Miles Davis/Gil Evans: Still Ahead at the 2011 Monterey Jazz Festival
Davis and Evans, trumpet and orchestrator, collaborated unforgettably on the albums Porgy and Bess and Sketches of Spain. For this occasion, Miles Evans (the son of Gil) provides the original charts for both. Terence Blanchard is the trumpet soloist, with the Vince Mendoza Orchestra from Los Angeles. "...[T]he entire performance [of Sketches of Spain] was impeccable," blogged Richard Scheinen of the San Jose Mercury News immediately after the show. "You could hear, with clarity, the astonishing detail of Evans's writing." We have some highlights!

Corea, Clarke and White: Return to Forever at the Monterey Jazz Festival
The trio won this year's Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Return to Forever, Chick Corea won an individual Grammy for Best Jazz Solo, and we have a magnificent live festival performance from their tour, in Surround Sound.

Alexis Cuadrado: A Lorca Soundscape at 92YTribeca
The bassist came to New York from Barcelona, earned his Master's in Jazz Performance at Queens College, and co-founded the Brooklyn Jazz Underground collective. "A Lorca Soundscape reflects on Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) of Granada, who visited the U.S. and wrote Poeta en Nueva York (A Poet in New York) about the time. Claudia Acuña and Miguel Zenón are performers.