The New Jazz Archive

A celebration of the life and music of the incomparable Frank Zappa, how his early life growing up as a kid in the California desert shaped him as a man and musician, and stories from a prim and proper British secretary who became Zappa’s unlikely personal assistant. We’ll talk with Zappa biographer Kevin Courier about some of the things that made the Zappa sound what it was, chat with Pauline But...

The jazz roots of rhythm and blues with music from r&b pioneers, the forgotten great jazz musicians of Motown, and the unlikely pairing of Latin jazz and r&b that created boogaloo music. We’ll talk with writer and producer Allan Slutsky about his 20 year long quest to give Motown’s studio band its due, chat with our resident jazz historian Lewis Porter about how boogie woogie led to r&...

We explore the more than century old tradition of Jewish contributions to jazz and see that Jews melding jazz with traditional music is hardly new. We’ll revisit the music from the Jewish composers of Tin Pan Alley and the big band era, hear the story of the Jewish family that helped Louis Armstrong score his first trumpet, and the important roles Jewish Americans have played as jazz promoters and...

A celebration of the life and music of swing anti-hero Artie Shaw from his reluctant rise to stardom through his Shakespearean exit from the music business. We’ll dissect Artie’s much publicized rivalry with Benny Goodman with biographer Tom Nolan, get a glimpse into the glamorous and tumultuous life of a big band star, and explore what made Artie Shaw one of the most innovative and complex voices...

We celebrate the start of a new school year with music for the kid jazzer in all of us and some of the stories behind jazz’s past and present child prodigies. We’ll listen to tons of kid friendly jazz from Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett, get to know the piano jazz legend that made Mister Rogers Neighborhood a more swingin’ place, and talk about some of the great parent-child relationships in jaz...

A look at jazz’s legendary songwriting teams who stand behind some of the most popular standards of our day, and a look at that special duo who created one of the most unique big band sounds of the era. We’ll talk with Billy Strayhorn biographer David Hajdu about Ellington and Strayhorn’s deep personal and musical relationship, take a look at what made the Gershwin Brothers tick, and explore why j...

A celebration of the life and music of multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, his eccentric stage persona, and Rahsaan’s widow Dorthaan Kirk talks about his heroic return to the stage after suffering a stroke. We’ll also chat with biographer John Kruth about Kirk’s life and art from his unequaled ability to make music on many instruments at once, to his politically-charged performances, and ex...

Our salute to jazz Americana with jazz’s history on the Broadway stage, explore the role jazz musicians played in shaping the glory years of the USO, and hear how musicians have strived to capture that distinctive “American” sound. We’ll talk with Irving Berlin biographer Laurence Bergreen about the rags to riches story of one of America’s greatest songwriters, a look at the American musical that...

We continue our tour of America’s “Great Jazz Cities” with the history of Local 274’s influence on jazz in the city,  music from Hammond B3 organ pioneer Jimmy Smith, and the brilliant and tragic story of Philadelphia favorite son Clifford Brown. We’ll also get to know the Philadelphia guitar-violin duo that beat Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli to the punch, and our chat with historian Dia...

A laid back look at the world of cool jazz, the people who shaped it, and how their revolution helped spark a mid-century East coast/West Coast rivalry in jazz. We’ll talk with our jazz historian Lewis Porter about the birth of the “cool” aesthetic in jazz, listen to some of the champions of the cool sound, and get to know the cool, quirky and often unsung saxophonist who shaped the sound of the l...

A musical feast dedicated to some of the best food themed jazz with stories and sounds from the kitchen at one of New York’s hottest clubs, and the favorite dishes of some of the biggest icons in jazz. We’ll listen to music from the undisputed king of food jazz, talk with John Colbert who owned the oldest continually operating jazz club in the world, and hear from Lorraine Gordon whose office is t...

A celebration of the life and music of the legendary and prolific composer Duke Ellington, whose six decade long career created some of the most iconic music in American history. We'll explore the stories and songs behind his politically charged musicals, hear how international tours pushed him to infuse his music with Latin rhythms to Middle Eastern melodies, and learn more about Ellington’s unex...

A celebration of the brilliant and tumultuous life of Chet Baker from his unlikely breakthrough as one of the most popular trumpeters of the 1950s to the drug addiction which nearly unraveled his career. We’ll chat with Baker biographer James Gavin about Chet’s life and music, explore Chet’s surprising work as a jazz vocalist, and trace his role in bringing new life to one of jazz’s most treasured...

We delve into the shared history of jazz and spirituality with the spiritual side of sax titan John Coltrane, the gospel roots of jazz, and the sacred music of jazz icon Duke Ellington. We’ll also chat with a founding member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band about the unique New Orleans spiritual tradition that is the jazz funeral.   Episode Transcript   Host: Jeff Haas Guests: Leonard Brown, Emmett P...

A celebration of the complicated life and innovative music of Charles Mingus whose powerful voice for civil rights and hot temper earned him the reputation as “The Angry Man of Jazz.”   We’ll talk with his widow Sue Mingus about her husband's compositional genius, explore his music and virtuosic bass playing, hear the story behind his legendary collaboration with Joni Mitchell, and learn about the...

Jazz and r&b both have a long history of protest songs and artists who were also potent political activists not only in the USA, but across the globe. We’ll explore how some of jazz’s most important musical pioneers wrote both subversive instrumental suites and outright angry musical manifestos, hear how American swing music became the unlikely soundtrack to an underground youth movement in Na...

Music from the essential jazz recordings for building your jazz library with picks from jazz historians, jazz fans, and jazz insiders. We’ll listen to music from the best albums of jazz heavyweights, tune in to a few more obscure recordings, and give tips on how to complete your very own jazz library, whether you’re new to the music or one of its most hardcore listeners.    Episode Transcript   Ho...

A look at the shared frontiers of jazz and literature from the many ways jazz shaped the world of poetry and vice versa, and hear how jazz critics have shaped our understanding of the music for the last hundred years. We’ll talk with poet Sascha Feinstein and literature historian Michael Borshuk about how everyone from the Beat writers of the 1950s to the civil-rights minded poets of the 1960s fou...

A celebration of the life and legend of jazz great Thelonious Monk from his pioneering days as a bebop revolutionary, and hear how he was both a great mentor and family man from his son, T. S. We’ll talk with biographer Robin Kelley about Monk’s life and music, explore how Monk’s battle with mental illness shaped his life and career, and hear how Monk’s masterpiece “‘Round Midnight” became the mos...

We continue our tour of America’s great jazz cities with the long-lost jazz and blues traditions of St. Louis, from the turn-of-the-century Mississippi River riverboat economy to St. Louis’ favorite son Miles Davis growing up in the Gateway City. We’ll talk with historian Kevin Belford about St. Louis’ rich blues heritage that got written out of the jazz history books, explore how Father of the Bl...

Blue Note Records is the label synonymous with the best in jazz since 1939, and from its unique mystique around its sound and up and down history, we’ll learn how Blue Note is still relevant to jazz and non-jazz fans today. We’ll talk with veteran Blue Note man Michael Cuscuna about the label’s humble beginnings in a New York apartment, the rise of the so-called Blue Note sound in the 1950s, how c...

We celebrate Halloween by exploring jazz’s spooky side with plenty of the best scary music and mysterious legends surrounding some unlucky jazzers. We’ll talk with mystery writer Bill Moody about the real-life jazz mysteries that inspire his novels, visit the cemetery in the Bronx that’s become the final resting place for an A-list of bygone jazz legends, and hear the myth and truth behind bluesma...

The fascinating intersection of jazz and psychology with an insiders’ look at the world of music therapy, and examining how jazz in particular is well suited to helping non-musicians reach their real life recovery goals. We’ll talk with jazz pianist Kenny Werner about how his self-styled, self-help manifesto for musical breakthroughs became a must-read for musicians of all stripes, chat with psych...

From 1930s dance culture sparking the big band revolution, through the politics of race shaping the music, it’s the rise, fall, and legacy of the big bands. We’ll talk with music historian Jeffery Magee about the rich history of big bands, discover why the big band sound is still finding a home in communities across America well past the heyday of swing, and go in search of music from the more exp...

A celebration of the life and music of John Coltrane from his early roots growing up in rural North Carolina through his redemption and transformation from heroin addict to spiritual icon. We’ll talk with our jazz historian and renowned Coltrane scholar Lewis Porter about Trane’s early roots and get to know the softer side of John Coltrane the balladeer, retell John Coltrane’s redemption story, an...