The New Jazz Archive

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...

Stories and sounds from jazz’s history overseas from the U.S. State Department using jazz as a weapon in the Cold War, the music’s extensive history in other countries, and learn how Israel is producing some of the best modern jazz musicians. We’ll talk with Israeli jazzer Anat Cohen about why Israel is becoming a hotbed for new jazz talent, take a look at the nearly hundred-year-old history of ja...

A celebration of the life and legend of the great Les Paul by talking with rock icon Steve Miller about his memories of his legendary godfather, and how the many famous inventions of the Wizard of Waukesha transformed 20th-century music. We’ll find out how Les Paul shaped Miller’s own life as a man and musician, talk with Sue Baker of the Les Paul Foundation about Les’s life and legacy, and how Le...

When the two separate paths of jazz and country cross, we get some of the most fascinating fusions in American music, from Hank Garland jazzing up the early Nashville country scene, to the development of Western Swing, and contemporary jazz takes on country classics. We’ll talk with music historian Cary Ginell about forgotten Nashville session man Hank Garland, look at the thriving Nashville jazz...

A celebration of the life and musical genius of the great Billie Holiday, traveling the hard road she took on her way to becoming one of jazz’s most beloved voices, and talk with curators and authors who continue to expose young people to Lady Day’s talents. We’ll talk with biographer Robert O’Meally about Billie’s musical genius, chat with Jazz at Lincoln Center curator Phil Schaap about the grea...

Believe it or not, harmonica, accordion, flute, banjo, and even the bagpipes have all made their impact on the jazz tradition thanks to the tireless efforts of pioneers of the music making these “weird instruments” a little more mainstream. We’ll sit down for a conversation with jazz tuba pioneer Howard Johnson, explore how banjo shaped the sound of early jazz, chat with Nancy Stagnitta about how...

A celebration of the life and music of the great Dave Brubeck from his early days as a legendary experimental jazz musician to composing religious music, and how he defied the odds to become a jazz celebrity in the early rock and roll era and continuing to perform with his son, Chris Brubeck. We’ll talk with Dave’s son about his memories of his legendary father, take a tour of the experimental sid...

We continue our tour of America’s great jazz cities with Kansas City and the storied and sordid roots of the famed Kansas City sound, as well as a look at adopted hometown hero Count Basie and one of jazz’s most underappreciated legends: Mary Lou Williams. We’ll talk with local boy and jazz historian Chuck Haddix about the the corrupt Kansas City political boss who defied Prohibition and helped sp...

A celebration of the best of jazz’s great comeback stories including Duke Ellington’s legendary 1956 Newport Jazz Festival performance, and an exclusive interview with guitarist Pat Martino who survived a brain aneurysm and retook his place as one of the music’s great voices on jazz guitar. We’ll talk with jazz historian Phil Schaap about the epic saxophone solo that single-handedly propelled Duke...