Trumpeter Arturo Sandoval with Lee Thomas

Guitarist Larry Coryell with Chris Cortez

Drummer Art Blakey with Dick Conte

Vocalist Rhonda Benin with Jesse "Chuy" Varela

Instant Composers Pool Orchestra
One of the longest-running large groups in jazz history, and one of the best-kept secrets of European jazz, the ICP virtually invented their own style. Founded, directed, and sometimes derailed by the recently departed pianist Misha Mengleberg and drummer Han Bennink, the Amsterdam-based group has operated as a hub for inside/outside musicians from across continents and generations.

Dudu Pukwana
In another installment of our recurring series on great jazz musicians from the South African expatriate scene, we will focus on alto saxophonist Dudu Pukwana, whose searing tone and compositions made a vital link between his roots in Kwela music and the European free jazz community that embraced him.

Steve Davis
One of the more lyrical improvisers in modern jazz, trombonist Steve Davis has a 25-year run of great recordings in the hard bop idiom. His superb tone and melodic fluidity are on par with the greatest names in jazz trombone, and he has distinguished himself with the directness and craft of his own projects.

John Shifflett
The recent, sudden loss of John Shifflett was felt deeply across the Bay Area jazz community. As one of the great bass players on the west coast, Shifflett contributed his soulful, intelligent approach to a breathtaking array of records and bands. In this show, we’ll celebrate his life and work with some recorded highlights of his work in the local scene.

Three Miles Ahead
It was once said that Miles Davis to jazz is like Hemingway is to the American novel, like Picasso is to art. But he was more than just a jazz celebrity, he was an icon of style, of artistry, and of blackness. Jazz Night in America explores some iconic interpretations of Miles Davis-on the silver screen, the page, and on the bandstand with the actor Don Cheadle, writer Quincy Troupe and trumpeter, Keyon Harrold.

Gary Burton Retires
Gary Burton's final stop on his farewell tour was at the Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis, Indiana-Gary's home state. The master vibraphonist has retired from music on his own terms and in the comfort of playing duets with his pianist of three decades, Makoto Ozone. This episode Jazz Night in America features music recorded at The Jazz Kitchen, Burton in conversation with WBGO's Nate Chinen, and words from some his closest friends and colleagues.

Jazz + Harp
The harp may be one of the most ancient instruments but it isn't particularly prominent in jazz. Since the 1960s and the emergence of innovators Dorthy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, the instrument has remained on the fringe. This episode of Jazz Night in America splits the hour with two concerts with two takes on jazz-harp: Brandee Younger, the harpist exploring the textual modal defined by Ashby and Coltrane, and the Columbian-born folkloric virtuoso Edmar Castaneda.

Joshua Redman: New Dreams
Joshua Redman has embraced a vibrant career for more than 25 year. Since being launched into the public eye in 1991 after winning the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, Redman has paved his career with acrobatic hard-bop, groove-oriented funk and and sensitive ballads. For the first time the saxophonist confronting the music of his father, saxophonist Dewey Redman. In this episode of Jazz Night in America Josh Redman and a group featuring Ron Miles (cornet); Scot Colley (bass); and Brian Blade (drums) play homage to Old and New Dreams-a band from 1976 that lasted until 1987- that featured Dewey Redman and other contemporaries of Ornette Coleman.

Joyce DiCamillo
For more than thirty years, pianist and composer Joyce DiCamillo has led her own trio, which critics hail as "a compact unit that breathes almost as one." A dedicated educator, DiCamillo appears in high schools and universities around the country and is a model for women in jazz. On this Piano Jazz from 2000, she demonstrates her considerable keyboard talents on If I Should Lose You. DiCamillo and McPartland join forces for a rendition of What Is This Thing Called Love.

Nat Hentoff
A prolific author and jazz critic for more than half a century, Nat Hentoff (1925-January 7, 2017) wrote for publications including the Village Voice, Down Beat, The New Yorker, and the Washington Post. For his commitment to jazz and his unique contribution to the music, Hentoff was honored in 2005 by the NEA as a Jazz Master-the first such honor bestowed on a non-musician. On this 2006 Piano Jazz, McPartland honors her guest by performing a Portrait of Nat Hentoff.

LeeAnn Ledgerwood
Pianist LeeAnn Ledgerwood studied at the Berkley College of Music alongside fellow musicians Branford Marsalis and Terrence Blanchard. She became a protegee of Marian McPartland, who encouraged her to pursue a career in jazz. She was McPartland's guest on Piano Jazz in 1990. In this session Ledgerwood shows off her keen sense of style with I Want to Talk about You. McPartland joins in for a duo version of Broadway.

Eddie Gomez
A two-time Grammy Award winner, bassist Eddie Gomez has been on the cutting edge of music for over four decades. He has held down rhythm sections and set the groove for some of the heavyweights of jazz-from Bill Evans to Miles Davis to Chick Corea. His masterful touch and sense of swing shine through, whether he's grooving in the background or bringing the bass up front. On this 1993 Piano Jazz, he and McPartland dazzle with performances of Turn Out the Stars and Stella by Starlight.

Duke Jordan
This 2007 Piano Jazz remembers one of the great innovators of the bebop style-pianist Duke Jordan (1922-2006). He's perhaps best known for his innovative work with Charlie Parker's legendary 1947 quintet, and he played with a number of other legends including Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, and Sonny Stitt. Jordan joined McPartland in 1980 for a session including duets on Groovin' High and his original Jordu.

Gerry Mulligan
Saxophonist, composer, and arranger Gerry Mulligan, was a principal figure in the cool jazz movement of the '50s. He composed for and performed on the legendary "Birth of the Cool" sessions with Miles Davis. Arguably the most influential baritone saxophonist in jazz, Gerry Mulligan was also a commanding composer, arranger and bandleader, and played a pivotal role in developing the "cool jazz" sound and the West Coast jazz community. Mulligan extended his unwieldy instrument's vocabulary with his soft tone, rhythmic agility and harmonic brilliance, and established the "bari" sax as a solo instrument in small group settings.

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.

Betty Carter
For nearly 50 years, Betty Carter was an irrepressible and incomparable practitioner of jazz vocal tradition. She was a pure jazz singer whose strong musical style and instrument-like voice was keenly original and distinct. She was also a fiercely dedicated and demanding bandleader who helped hone the skills of gifted young musicians like Cyrus Chestnut and Jacky Terrasin. This program explores Carter's many sides and talents as a song stylist, composer, a bandleader, and teacher.

Paul Desmond
Alto saxophonist Paul Desmond's airy tone was just one aspect of his great artistry. He was a wholly original improviser whose unfailing lyricism, clear logic, and advanced harmonic sense produced some of the finest solos on record. Many of these solos were recorded during his long association with pianist Dave Brubeck. Their chemistry led to enormous success during the '50s and '60s, including one of the most popular jazz recordings of all-time-Desmond's Take Five.

Nat Adderley
Nat Adderly was a fine trumpet player. But he spent most of his career in the shadow of his older brother, Julian "Cannonball" Adderly. Nat ran the band business and wrote many of their hits. When Cannonball died, Nat carried on, not only with the band, but also with the family tradition of educating the next generation.