Pianist Ahmad Jamal with Chris Cortez

Bassist Richie Goods with Alisa Clancy

Drummer Elvin Jones with Dick Conte

Trumpeter Eddie Gale with Jesse "Chuy" Varela

Saxophonist David Sanborn with Chris Cortez

Tete Montoliu
One of the consummate sidemen in Europe during the heyday of American expatriates, Catalan pianist Montoliu played with all of the major horn players who made a home across the waters, including Dexter Gordon and Don Byas.

Ellery Eskelin
A longtime mainstay of the progressive jazz scene in NYC, tenor saxophonist Eskelin has a broad and warm sound, which he combines with an idiosyncratic and slippery approach to the horn that keeps his diverse projects fresh and forward-leaning.

Alice Coltrane
Before Alice Coltrane (formerly Mcleod) rose to prominence playing in her husband John's late-period ensembles, she had established herself as a unique voice on the piano and harp. After his passing, she continued to record and perform a distinctive take on the spiritual free jazz of the 60's, and as a result has enjoyed a continuing appreciation from not only jazz diehards but hipsters, hippies, and everyone in between.

Art Lande
A distinctive pianist, drummer, and guru of creative music, Art Lande has been inspiring young players and recording since his debut on ECM records in 1973. His mentorship and education of young musicians has had a huge effect on the landscape of jazz, and his music is deeply melodic, intelligent, and full of left turns.

Ian Carey
A mainstay on the Bay Area scene, ace trumpet player Ian Carey has distinguished himself by leading bands, releasing records, and writing funny and incisive blogs about jazz. His compositions, especially for the sextet that he leads, are incredibly rich and complex pieces that breathe life into challenging harmony and creative forms.

Clarksdale Blues
On this episode of Jazz Night in America, we go to Clarksdale, Mississippi, where struggling musicians are finally beginning to reap the benefits of a recent wave of Blues tourism, to get a temperature reading, at ground level, of the Blues.

The Robert Glasper Experiment
The Robert Glasper Experiment performs live at Summerstage in New York City.

The GroundUP Festival
Jazz Night in America meets up with Bela Fleck, Joshua Redman and Snarky Puppy's Mike League at his new festival, GroundUp, in Miami Florida.

Benny Green and Sean Jones
The pianist and trumpeter perform at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and share their thoughts on the state of jazz and jazz education in conversation with Christian McBride.

Cyrille Aimee And Daymé Arocena Make Jazz Their Own
Vocalists Cyrille Aimee And Dayme Arocena, each a cultural ambassador as well as a cosmopolitan, with the elusive ability to bring any audience along for the ride, recorded live at the 2017 San Jose Jazz Summer Fest by KCSM Jazz 91.

Barbara Carroll
Pianist and vocalist Barbara Carroll (1925-2017) was described as a joyous and swinging jazz stylist. A dear friend of McPartland's, Carroll had a monumental career. When she was a guest on the program in 1979, she had just started her engagement at Bemelmans Bar in Manhattan, where she would perform for a remarkable 25 years.

Don Byron
Pulitzer Prize finalist and 2007 Guggenheim Fellow Don Byron is a prodigious multi-instrumentalist and composer. One of the most inventive and compelling musicians of his generation, he is credited for reviving interest in the jazz clarinet, his primary instrument. He has presented projects at major music festivals around the world and is known for playing in a wide variety of genres.

Renee Rosnes
Upon moving to New York from Vancouver, Canada, pianist and composer Renee Rosnes established a reputation as one of the premier jazz musicians on the scene. Over her 30-year career, Rosnes has collaborated with a diverse range of artists, from established masters such as Jack DeJohnette to younger giants such as Christian McBride and Melissa Aldana.

Tony Bennett
Ever-popular song stylist Tony Bennett was McPartland's guest for the first time in 1990. Bennett vocalizes American popular songs like nobody else can. When he was starting out, a voice teacher, Miriam Spier, famously told him: "Don't imitate singers, imitate musicians." So, Bennett decided to emulate Art Tatum. He also credits his relaxed delivery to the inspiration of Mildred Bailey.

Johnny Hartman
Vocalist Hartman followed in the wake of Billy Eckstine and Nat "King" Cole, two singers who personified the "black baritone movement" of the late '40s and '50s. Overshadowed by these two, Hartman never achieved the popularity he deserved. Through the release of the soundtrack to Clint Eastwood's Bridges Of Madison County and the re-release of a recording with John Coltrane, the public has rediscovered this wonderful balladeer.

Ahmad Jamal
This fine pianist is noted for his very melodic improvisations, lean style, use of space, and simple embellishments. His ensemble was one of the most popular and influential trios of the '50s and '60s. Jamal remains an important figure among mainstream pianists and their post-bop successors. A lyrical, gently swinging musician, Jamal's playing is a constant delight.

Lionel Hampton, Part 1
This show looks at vibraphonist Hampton's career, starting from his birthplace of Birmingham, Alabama, to his beginnings as a percussionist in the Chicago Defender Newspaperboy's Band. It also looks at his virtuosity, style, showmanship, and relentless energy that contributed to pioneering work with Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman. When his 1942 recording of "Flying Home" scored a major hit, the stage was set for jazz superstardom.

Lionel Hampton, Part 2
This show picks up with vibraphonist Hampton's career in the wake of "Flying Home." It looks at Hampton the bandleader, how his bands adapted to the bebop revolution and nurtured new talent such as Dexter Gordon, Betty Carter, Charles Mingus, and Quincy Jones. It examines how the band's affairs were ruled by the iron hand of Hampton's wife, Gladys; how they survived the jazz drought of the '60s by forming their own record company; how Hampton's political, social, and financial activities began to consume his seemingly limitless energy; and how the death of Gladys, strokes, and a disastrous fire tried Hampton's faith and determination.