Arturo O'Farrill
Pianist/composer/bandleader/educator Arturo O'Farrill's latest recording, Legacies celebrates his many inspirations, including his father, Chico O'Farrill. In Downbeat Magazine's review of Legacies, they say, Arturo O'Farrill is one of our greatest living pianists, a review that surprises and delights this six-time Grammy winner, as making a jazz piano recording at this stage of his career was not something he anticipated. Arturo is the least jaded musician I know and the most positive. He consciously works at making the world a better place and bringing people together through his music.

Zev Feldman
Archival record producer, Zev Feldman has been called the "Indiana Jones of Jazz" referring to his tireless pursuit to find previously unissued, or never officially released, recordings to share with the rest of us. His passion for these musical gems is matched only by his excitement in presenting it with beautiful packaging and extensive, informative liner notes which brings us further into the music. Treasures is Zev Feldman's latest CD, a collection of previously unreleased Bill Evans solo, trio and orchestra recordings made in Denmark from 1965 to 1969. Interviews with Bill's sidemen give insight into the music, what it was like to play with Bill and the time when each was recorded.

Paolo Alderighi & Stephanie Trick
The piano duo of Stephanie Trick and Paolo Alderighi specialize in ragtime, stride, boogie and swing arrangements of the classics from the Great American Songbook. Both have busy performing schedules individually, but it's their four-hands/one piano concerts and recordings that are unusual in the jazz world and are internationally celebrated. There were very few pianists focusing on the early jazz piano styles when I started my career as a ragtime and stride pianist, so I was especially delighted to discover Paolo and Stephanie, two pianists who not only carry on this tradition beautifully with their playing but also educate and evangelize about it through their outreach programs in America and abroad.

Freda Payne
Vocalist Freda Payne is best known for her 1970s R&B hit, "Band of Gold,"" but it's her jazz roots she celebrates on her new CD "Let There Be Love", a collection of duets with Kurt Elling, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Johnny Mathis and Kenny Lattimore. Payne studied acting, dancing and voice throughout her young life and started performing professionally as a teen, going on to work with Pearl Baily, Quincy Jones, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton and many other jazz greats. Motown producer Barry Gordy came calling but Freda's protective and business-savvy mother thought Freda's career would be better served elsewhere, after questioning Gordy and realizing the control and money Freda would give up by signing with him. Freda has toured with Broadway shows, done film and television and while she loves it all, it's jazz that has the deepest place in her heart.

Roseanna Vitro
Vocalist Roseanna Vitro has enjoyed a long career collaborating with some of the icons of the jazz world, Kenny Barron, Fred Hersch, Clare Fischer and many others. Vitro grew up with a Sinatra-loving father who ran a Flamingo nightclub and a mother who sang country and gospel. While she has a deep love for those styles, she is a solid bebop fan and on her new CD, Sing a Song of Bird, she celebrates one of her favorite bebop musicians -Charlie Parker- with three of her favorite vocalists -Marion Cowings, Sheila Jordan and Bob Dorough. Each has inspired, influenced, and formed who she is as a musician and person. Sing a Song of Bird, brings these three together in solo and duo performances featuring new compositions celebrating their mutual admiration for each other and for Charlie Parker.

Mexican's Confronting racism: Aztec myths to modern stereotypes
There's an idea in Mexico that racism doesn't exist, that all Mexicans are "mestizo" - a homogenous blend of Spanish and indigenous. But cultural worker Jose Antonio Aguilar says racism is lived by Black and brown Mexicans in many ways. He founded Racismo MX, an organization which seeks to dismantle racism, after coming to terms with his own racial reality as a "prieto" - a brown man. We also hear from anthropologist Ismael Rivera and Aztec expert Camilla Townsend as they unravel lies the Spanish colonizers told about ancient Aztecs that still feed racist tropes today.

An exciting radio program that delves into the heart of women's experiences with a perfect blend of information and entertainment!

Lawyer and veteran journalist Lori Gray, candidly discusses the everyday challenges, triumphs, and stories that shape the lives of women. Stories from career insights to personal growth, relationships to self-care, Sisters and Friends’ mission is to empower, inspire, and connect.

Get ready for enlightening conversations, expert guests, and sometimes laughter. Don't miss out on the sisterhood.

The Jazz and Justice Church
Dr. Robert Franklin welcomes guest Rev. Marjorie W. Matthews, Pastor of Plymouth United Church of Christ in Oakland, CA

Episode 1
Features educator, jazz vocalist, and Bay Area legend Dr. Margie Baker, Rudy Ramirez, Professor of Ethnic Studies at the College of San Mateo, and Chuy Varela's interview with new Executive Artistic Director of SF Jazz, Terence Blanchard.

Doo-Tone Records
Take a look at another Black-owned, independent, LA-based record label that contributed greatly to the birth of Rock n' Roll and the popularity of R&B Vocal Groups during the 1950s. This week, the "Juke In The Back" puts Dootsie Williams' little label, DooTone Records into the spotlight for a solid hour of stunning Rhythm & Blues from the '40s and '50s. We'll dig on Dootsie's first label Blue Records, which was born out of the Musicians Union Strike of '48. Dootsie, a big band trumpeter had been in the business since 1930 and saw there was a profit to be made of lewd party records as well as Blues and R&B. He expanded his enterprise in 1951 by starting DooTone Records and began releasing records from LA's emerging vocal group scene. The Medallions, Don Julian & The Meadowlarks and DooTone's only huge national hit, The Penguins' "Earth Angel" were issued by the end of 1954. He continued into '55 and '56 with The Dootones, The Pipes, The Cuff-Links, The Calvanes and a slew of great Los Angeles R&B, before deciding that the independent record business wasn't going to get any better. This week, we take a snap-shot of a regional sound being discovered by a nation who's musical tastes were changing as young people were buying records and Rock n' Roll was emerging.

Swingtime Records
In the fall of 1949, Down Beat Records owner Jack Lauderdale had a problem. Down Beat Magazine was threatening to sue him over the use of the name. Unsure of a new name, Lauderdale decide to use Swing as a placeholder along with Swing Beat Records before finally settling on Swing Time Records in March of 1950. Besides the name, not much changed at the company. Lauderdale continued to release material he had bought up from labels going out of business, such as Supreme Records, Exclusive, Excelsior and Gilt-Edge, while also scoring hits with Lowell Fulson, Ray Charles and his newcomer A&R man, Lloyd Glenn. Fulson and Glenn scored #1 records for Swing Time in 1950 and '51, respectively, but without fostering new talent, Lauderdale's sales were flat and Swing Time went out of business in 1954. This week, Matt The Cat tells the story of Swing Time Records, a label that may have only lasted for a short time, but is still talked about today. So grab some nickels and prepare to drop a stack of shellac on the Swing Time Label.

Charles Brown
Charles Brown was the "King of Smoky Blues" for over 50 years. Growing up in Texas City, TX, he studied classical piano while focusing his interests on science, becoming a chemistry teacher for a short time. A move to Los Angeles in 1943, hooked him up with Johnny Moore, who hired him to sing and play piano with The Three Blazers. Right out of the gate, they scored a huge, #2 R&B record in 1946 with "Driftin' Blues" and would go on to hit the top ten no less than 10 times over the next 2 years. This week's "Juke In The Back" focuses on Charles Brown's career after he left Johnny Moore's Three Blazers in 1948. As a solo artist, Brown kept the hits coming, racking up 5 top 10 records in 1949 alone. He scored 2 #1s with "Trouble Blues" in '49 and "Black Night" in '51, 2 of the best-selling records in their respective years of release. Brown's star began to fade as Rock n' Roll entered the mainstream during the mid-'50s, but he would have a giant comeback in the 1980s and '90s, finally getting inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame in '99.

Johnny Moore's Three Blazers
This show is dedicated to one of the true unsung heroes of 1940s and '50s rhythm & blues, Johnny Moore's Three Blazers. The group is mostly remembered as the springboard for vocalist/pianist Charles Brown and today they are generally only recognized for their 1946 smash, "Driftin' Blues." However, back in the late 1940s, The Three Blazers scored R&B hit after hit. Between Johnny Moore's influential guitar licks and Charles Brown's tasty piano, The Three Blazers were at the top of their genre. However, their sound fell out of favor as soon as the blues shouters and jump blues combos took over, setting the stage for the coming rock n' roll explosion. Their first records were made for the tiny Atlas label in 1944 and featured an uncredited Frankie Laine on vocals. They then backed up Ivory Joe Hunter in 1945, before Johnny Moore's Three Blazers hit the bigtime in 1946. Matt The Cat will cover Johnny Moore's years with Charles Brown as well as those following Brown's departure.

B.B. King
We pay our respects to a true musical icon, B.B. King. Riley B. King was raised on plantations as his mother was a sharecropper. He wanted to play guitar and sing on the radio like his mother's cousin, Bukka White. He moved from Mississippi to Memphis in the mid-'40s to pursue his dream and finally in 1948, Riley got his big break, filling in for blues harpist Sonny Boy Williamson on his radio program. Soon, Riley became the "Beale Street Blues Boy" and later just "Blues Boy" or "B.B" and scored his own radio show on WDIA. Matt The Cat focuses on B.B.'s first records for Nashville's Bullet Records and LA's RPM label. His early sides were cut in Memphis with Sam Phillips at the controls. After a few years of non-charting records, B.B. hit the big time with a smokin' #1 R&B hit, "Three O'Clock Blues" at the beginning of 1952. From there, he would score 3 more #1s. "Juke In The Back" features all of B.B. King's great R&B hits from 1949-1955. Many of these you never get to hear these days. B.B. had a life of accomplishments as a great ambassador for the blues. We know how great he became and on this week's program, we'll see just where he started from.

The Beginnings of The Annals of Jazz
(originally aired 08/08/2004)
In this episode Richard Hadlock surveys the first programs he presented at KJAZ radio in August of 1959. KJAZ was founded by Pat Henry and went on the air on August 1, 1959, in Berkeley, CA. as the first commercial all-jazz radio station in the United States. The Annals of Jazz was one of the first programs on the station and aired between 5pm-6pm daily and hit the airwaves August 3.

The Mills Blue Rhythm Band
(originally aired 11/13/2005)
Led by drummer Willie Lynch, The Mills Blue Rhythm Band recorded over 150 sides for numerous labels but were largely based at the Cotton Club in Harlem where their manager, Irving Mills, based them as substitutes for the Duke Ellington Orchestra when they went on the road. Richard Hadlock explains their mysterious evolution.

Louis Armstrong and his very special Partners
(originally aired 06/03/2007)
Rare recordings of Louis Armstrong with unlikely collaborators like the yodeling folk singer, Jimmie Rodgers, the father of country music, and others.

Coleman Hawkins, The Greatest Gladiator
(originally aired 10/12/2003)
Coleman Hawkins is the father of the tenor sax in jazz and known as a fierce competitor. Richard Hadlock outlines his career and many of his historic tenor battles.

Freddie Green away from Basie
(originally aired 06/21/2015)
Guitarist Freddie Green, the longtime rhythm guitarist for the Count Basie Orchestra, is profiled in musical settings outside the Basie band.

Youngbloods 2023: Vibes [NEW]
Jazz Night in America presents Youngbloods, a mini-series featuring new and rising jazz geniuses who are shaping the future of the genre. This episode, we put the spotlight on three vibraphonists to watch: Joel Ross, Simon Moullier, and Sasha Berliner.

Nate Smith + Kinfolk+ Strings [ENCORE]
Drummer Nate Smith, who is often celebrated for his groovy "pocket,"" finds a new a dimension to his craft as a string arranger. Hear the premiere of his groovy sextet Kinfolk, with a double string quartet featuring members of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. It's Nate Smith like you've never heard before.

Walk with the Wind [ENCORE]
Take a journey with us to one of the first free African American settlements in New York: Seneca Village. This historic spot in Central Park is marked with the "Walk with The Wind" concert series, featuring performances by tenor saxophonist Mark Turner; drummer Nasheet Waits; and more.

Mel Brown [ENCORE]
Portland drummer Mel Brown shares Motown stories from the 1970s and how he returned to his hometown to build up the scene. We hear a 2019 set from his organ group at the Montavilla Jazz Festival.

Youngbloods 2023: Brass [NEW]
Meet Jazz Night's Youngbloods, Class of 2023! This episode, we put the spotlight on three up-and-coming brass artists on the scene today: Giveton Gelin, Kalia Vandever, and Summer Camargo.