Wynonie Harris, Part 1
The Juke In The Back is overflowing with records by one of R&B's greatest blues shouters and entertainers: Wynonie "Mr. Blues" Harris. Part 1 of this 2 part series focuses on Wynonie's early recordings from 1944-1948. Matt The Cat digs deep in his "juke" archives to pull out many of Harris' early records that often get ignored. So get ready to shout "Hoy! Hoy!" as Mr. Blues is coming to town this week.

Wynonie Harris, Part 2
t's part 2 on Wynonie "Mr. Blues" Harris, one of the greatest blues shouters of all time. This week, Matt the Cat focuses on Harris' hit-making years of 1948-1952, when he ruled the rhythm & blues charts. Grandma Plays the Numbers, All She Wants to Do Is Rock, Bloodshot Eyes, Lovin' Machine and many more Wynonie Harris classics spun in high numbers on the jukeboxes, so drop a nickel in the Juke cause "Mr. Blues" is going to ROCK!

Jimmy Witherspoon, Part 1 - 1945-1950
Jimmy Witherspoon is one of most influential blues shouters to emerge after WWII and yet he remains just a footnote in the evolution of Rhythm & Blues and Rock n' Roll. Witherspoon is best remembered for his 1949 chart-topper, Ain't Nobody's Business, which was recorded at the end of '47 and released in mid-'48. His career spanned over 50 years and this week we’ll look at 'Spoon's early records from 1945-50 in part 1 of 2 on this talented and important figure in early Rhythm & Blues.

Jimmy Witherspoon, Part 2 - 1950-1956
Part 2 picks up in 1950, while Jimmy Witherspoon was still recording for LA's Modern Records. He would score his last hit, The Wind Is Blowin' for that label in 1952. Then he jumps over to Federal Records, where A&R man Ralph Bass tries a few new things, like pairing Spoon with the R&B vocal group, The Lamplighters. These records must be heard in order to appreciate the depth of styles and influence on Rock n' Roll Music that Spoon had.

Zoot! Part 1
(originally aired 11/06/16)

Zoot! Part 2
(originally aired 11/13/16)

Harry Carney Without Duke Ellington
(originally aired 11/20/22)

1945 A Big Year for Red Norvo!
(originally aired 12/20/15)

Eric Goldberg, Part 1
Animator/voice actor/director, Eric Goldberg is celebrated and greatly admired by his fellow animators as a specialist in animating musical characters, as he did with Robin Williams’s Genie in Aladdin. Eric is a fascinating historian of animation as well, so his conversation with Judy covered not only his own work but that of the great animators who inspired him, from Richard Williams of Who Framed Roger Rabbit fame, to his favorite work of the great Carl Stalling.

Eric Goldberg, Part 2
This week features part 2 with American animator, voice actor and film director Eric Goldberg known for his work at both Walt Disney Animation Studios and Warner Brothers.

Blossom Dearie
Judy Carmichael goes into the archive for a conversation with the late jazz singer and pianist Blossom Dearie whose instantly recognizable voice has been a staple in jazz for decades while also being featured on numerous soundtracks, films and television shows.

Kitty Margolis
In this episode of Jazz on the Bay, Irish jazz singer Melanie O'Reilly meets vocalist Kitty Margolis a native of San Francisco whose imaginative improvisations, dynamism, and inventive scat have redefined the art of jazz vocals. In this program Kitty shares her diverse influences, love of musical exploration and fusion, her many recordings, and her exposure to the jazz greats at an early age which inspired her. (Originally broadcast on RTE Radio 1, Ireland's National Broadcasting station).

Crate Digging with Christian McBride: Shirley Horm [ENCORE]
Shirley Horn's mastery lies in her use of her voice in perfect tandem with the piano, similar to giants like Nat King Cole and Fats Waller. Her expression is in the pure art of anticipation, pause, and release - all sublimely exhibited in a 1991 gem uncovered from Jazz at Lincoln Center's archives, which also features special guests Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, and Toots Thielemans.

Damien Sneed [ENCORE]
Jazz Night goes to church. Leading us in services this week is gospel pianist and vocalist Damien Sneed. We hear him live at Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center with his trio plus special guest vocalist Anitra McKinney. We take a tour of the legendary Abyssinian church in Harlem and learn about Sneed's upbringing in Augusta, GA to working with the legendary Aretha Franklin.

BADBADNOTGOOD
Get to know the Canadian instrumental quartet BADBADNOTGOOD. More than a decade after their viral debut upsetting the "jazz police" and carving their own niche playing covers within the intersection of hip-hop and jazz, the band takes the stage in Brooklyn with a wild psychedelic set.

Billy Hart [ENCORE]
Drummer Billy Hart is one of most prolific living sidemen in history of jazz. But this episode, we give the 2022 NEA Jazz Master his shine as a leader. We hear original music from his quartet live at Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, plus words from Hart, his pianist Ethan Iverson and former student, drummer Kassa Overall.

Jason Marshall
Jason Marshall is one of the most sought after baritone saxophonists on the scene today. Gaining wide recognition early in his career as a member of several ensembles led by trumpet star Roy Hargrove, he's played with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Arturo O'Farrill, the Charlie Mingus Big Band Beyonce, Kenny Latimore, The Roots, Kevin Mahogany, Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, the Isley Brothers, and the Temptations. Jason can also be found performing weekly with the iconic NYC hip hop band, Nickle & Dime Ops and with his own, The Jason Marshall Organ Trio. He is Pete's guest in the Doodlin' Lounge.

Carl Sigman
The spotlight in this episode of Just Jazz shines on songwriter Carl Sigman.

Most songwriters write either melodies or lyrics, but only occasionally both. In the last category fall Cole Porter, Irving Berlin (post-WW I), and Frank Loesser (post-WW II). Sigman was another, but was encouraged by his friend Johnny Mercer to concentrate on writing lyrics. (True to his word, Mercer took his own advice for his own career.)

Tune in to hear a baker's dozen performances of Sigman's songs-mostly his lyrics, but including some for which he did write the melody.

Sam Jones
This episode of Just Jazz shines the spotlight on bassist Sam Jones.

The first high spot of Sam Jones's all-too-short career was as a member of the Quintet and then Sextet led by his fellow Floridian Cannonball Adderley beginning in 1959. By the time of the formation of that permanent quintet Sam had already recorded several times with the Adderleys, beginning at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival and later on a number of sessions by temporary Adderley quintets.

But Sam had made his way to New York City independently of Cannonball and Nat: he was the bassist on Bill Evans's second album as a leader. Notably, he was a member of an excellent but sadly short-lived quartet led by Thelonious Monk in 1959.

Tune in to hear Sam as a leader in his own right at both the start and end of his career, as well as with the Adderleys, in small groups with vibist Victor Feldman and with pianist Bill Evans, as part of that Thelonious Monk quartet, and as a member of Cedar Walton's original Eastern Rebellion.

Vincent Herring
The spotlight in Just Jazz this week shines on multi-instrumentalist Vincent Herring. We usually hear him playing alto saxophone, but he's equally adept on the soprano and the tenor, and also the flute.

Tune in to hear some of Vincent's early recordings (including a track from his first session as a leader) as well as some from the Cannonball Adderley-oriented bands of Louis Hayes and Cannon's brother Nat, with the Mingus Big Band, and others, too--not forgetting, of course, something from his years of playing with Cedar Walton.

Oscar Pettiford
The centenary of the birth of the great jazz bassist Oscar Pettiford fell at the end of September. Between his birth in Oklahoma in 2022 and his all-too-soon death in Copenhagen in 1960 aged only 37, he played with all the giants of the era; he was also a pioneer in jazz on the cello.

Tune in to Just Jazz and hear Pettiford with some of those giants, including Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Bud Powell, and Thelonious Monk, as well as a couple of tracks from his own recordings as a leader.