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![George Benson says that at the height of his commercial success in the 1970s, he faced a backlash from the jazz community. "[If] it appealed to too many people ... something's got to be wrong with it."](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/649f73d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5973x3360+0+560/resize/480x270!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnpr.brightspotcdn.com%2Fdims3%2Fdefault%2Fstrip%2Ffalse%2Fcrop%2F5973x4480%20373%200%2Fresize%2F5973x4480%21%2F%3Furl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2F0a%2Fc6e8ec6c40c0aa3164d397f2346f%2Fgeorge-benson-2024-0392-photo-credit-matt-furman-rhino-wmg-copy.jpg)
Matt Furman © Rhino-WMG/Courtesy of the artistVocalist, guitarist and jazz icon George Benson joins Christian McBride for a conversation about his early years on the jazz scene, fame and his new “lost” album. -
Cheriss May/NPRFor its 20th anniversary, the DC Jazz Festival featured performances throughout the Washington, D.C., area culminating in a weekend jam-packed with performances stretched across several venues at The Wharf in Southwest Washington.
![George Benson says that at the height of his commercial success in the 1970s, he faced a backlash from the jazz community. "[If] it appealed to too many people ... something's got to be wrong with it."](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/edadc69/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5973x3360+0+560/resize/960x540!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnpr.brightspotcdn.com%2Fdims3%2Fdefault%2Fstrip%2Ffalse%2Fcrop%2F5973x4480%20373%200%2Fresize%2F5973x4480%21%2F%3Furl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2F0a%2Fc6e8ec6c40c0aa3164d397f2346f%2Fgeorge-benson-2024-0392-photo-credit-matt-furman-rhino-wmg-copy.jpg)
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What happened when the Cuban pianist Omar Sosa met with a Santería high priest? He found his life calling. -
Jazz Night shines a light on the artistry and activism of pianist and singer Hazel Scott, and the efforts to recover her legacy. -
As a young singer, Mary Stallings shared the stage with legends. Though her career hasn't been a straight line, she's still swinging at 84, as she proves in a performance with the Emmet Cohen Trio. -
At a time when jazz was not widely seen in higher education, the alto saxophonist brought the wisdom learned on the bandstand to the classroom. -
Meet a steel pan artist that will knock you out of your shoes. Jonathan Scales provides new angles to hear and appreciate his enigmatic instrument. -
This year, Jazz Night celebrates the lives of the artists we lost with a djembe tribute by Weedie Braimah. -
She's among the last living beboppers, one of the first singers on Blue Note and a pioneer of voice and bass. The legendary Sheila Jordan joins Christian McBride for a career-spanning conversation. -
The three brass artists featured in our Youngbloods series — trumpeters Giveton Gelin and Summer Camargo, along with trombonist Kalia Vandever — infuse new energy into today's jazz scene. -
Youngbloods 2023: Joel Ross, Simon Moullier, Sasha Berliner -
Five young pianists compete for the American Pianists Association Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz.
