Little Willie Littlefield
There are many great pianists in the history of boogie woogie that helped push its evolution. Out of the great Pete Johnson and Champion Jack Dupree, pianists Charles Brown and Amos Milburn brought boogie woogie into the R&B combo. But it was Little Willie Littlefield who popularized the triplet style of playing (basically playing 3 notes inside of one beat), which in turn inspired Fats Domino and eventually led to the birth of rock n' roll.

Elvis Presley's R&B Influences
Much has been written about Elvis’ enormous impact and popularity over the years, but it's almost impossible to overstate the cultural shift that took place as he rose to fame in 1956. Elvis was a musical sponge. He absorbed all the music that moved him and those around him, from Country and Hillbilly to Gospel, Pop, R&B and Blues. The focuse this week is solely on the rhythm & blues that motivated Elvis' early career.

Sun Records R&B Story Part 1
This week, we salute the most influential and important record label of all-time, Sun Records. Sam Phillips started the legendary label in Memphis, TN in March, 1952 after successfully recording the debut sides from B.B. King, Ike Turner, Phineas Newborn and Howlin' Wolf and selling the masters to RPM Records in LA and Chess Records in Chicago. This is part one of a two-part feature, leading up to Phillips' groundbreaking, pop culture shifting discovery of Elvis Presley in July, 1954.

Sun Records R&B Story Part 2
On Part 2 of "Juke In The Back"'s 2 part series on Sun Records' early R&B releases, Matt The Cat spotlights 1954 and '55. This was the most important year and a half in Sun's history. In July, 1954, a young former truck driver named Elvis Presley entered 706 Union Avenue in Memphis and laid down the a song that would lead to the rock n' roll explosion of the mid-1950s. This is the thrilling conclusion to the "Juke In The Back" tribute to the most important and influential label in the history of rock n' roll.

Most Recorded Songs in Jazz
(originally aired 7/17/16)

Cosmic Travels
(originally aired 9/11/16)

Bird Away from Recording Studios
(originally aired 6/24/18)

Jazz and Charlie Parker Come of Age
(originally aired 5/15/05)

Actor and Musician Jeff Goldblum

Singer and songwriter Kurt Elling (Part 1)

Singer and songwriter Kurt Elling (Part 2)

Rhoda Scott: an American in Paris
Jazz Night in America shines a light on an American organist who moved to Europe on a whim and became a jazz superstar. Tune in to hear the remarkable story of Rhoda Scott. We bring you a rare performance from her Rhoda Lady Quartet recorded at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Cape May's Exit Zero Jazz Festival (ENCORE)
We take you to the Exit Zero Jazz Festival. Three sets from: the piano prodigy, Matthew Whitaker; the New Orleans vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa, and the master conguero, Pedrito Martinez.

A Mambo Expedition in the Valley of the Sun (ENCORE)
Jazz Night stops by the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ. Hear a recap of a tour - the museum hosts more than 370 exhibits - and a performance by mambo big band Orquesta Orquesta Akokan.

Emmet Cohen and Houston Person
Live music went dark during the pandemic, but Emmet Cohen found light with his innovative livestreams. The pianist revives a century-old Harlem tradition: the rent party, with "Emmet's Place". We bring you a swinging performance of the Emmet Cohen Trio feat. veteran saxophonist Houston Person, recorded at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Crate Digging: Mulgrew Miller (ENCORE)
Christian McBride uncovers a concert from his big brother, figuratively speaking: the underrated piano innovator Mulgrew Miller.

Norman Granz
Norman Granz was both the most famous and the most significant impresario in jazz. Not only did he found and run five record labels (including Clef, Norgran, Verve, and Pablo), for over 40 years, but for that same length of time he also ran the Jazz at the Philharmonic tours, which presented worldwide the top echelon of jazz musicans: Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson, Coleman Hawkins, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, --; the list is endless.

But neither of these was his greatest contribution. That was his fight for equality and against any form of discrimination. Whether in the recording studio or at the concert venue, musicians, black and white alike, were paid the same and treated the same: they all entered through the front door, they all rode in the same elevators, and they all ate in the same restaurants. Further, audiences in attendance were not segregated, else the show did not go on.

Until his death, aged 83, at home in his adopted Switzerland, Norman Granz stuck to those principles whatever the risk to his pocket book or even to his life. He was always loyal to his musicians, and in return they were loyal to him.

This episode of “Just Jazz” presents music from Jazz at the Philharmonic, as well as performances by all of the following: Lester Young and Nat Cole; Oscar Peterson; Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk; Art Tatum; Ella Fitzgerald; Billie Holiday; Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster; Joe Pass; and Count Basie, Ray Brown and Louie Bellson.