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Tenor Joshua Blue and soprano Raven McMillon from the cast of Rigoletto stopped by the WRTI Performance Studio to sing for us and share some insight about the popular opera. Opera Philadelphia presents a run of four performances at the Academy of Music starting April 29th.

He's the founder of the Newport Folk Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Newport Jazz Festival, which turns 50 this year. A new three-CD set, Happy Birthday Newport: 50 Swinging Years, celebrates the milestone. In the early 1950s, Wein founded the jazz clubs Storyville and Mahogany Hall in his hometown of Boston, where jazz giants Art Tatum, Sidney Bechet, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and Miles Davis played. In 1954 he launched the Newport Jazz Festival, where he presented Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Dave Brubeck and others. The other music greats he knew and worked with: Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Louis Armstrong. Last year, Wein published his autobiography, Myself Among Others: A Life In Music.

Day to Day remembers the life and memorable songs of musician Ray Charles, who died today at the age of 73 after a long battle with cancer.

Saxophone legend John Coltrane's 1964 recording A Love Supreme is one of the masterworks in the canon of jazz. A new edition includes the only live performance of the complete work. Writer Ashley Kahn, whose new book goes behind the scenes of the landmark album, has an essay on the project.

Deanna Witkowski draws on a variety of influences — from Chopin to Cole Porter to a relatively unknown Brazilian rhythm called baião. It's no wonder the pianist finds her music going in different directions — sometimes within the same song — as in her "Wide Open Window." Hear Liane Hansen's performance chat with Witkowski in NPR's Studio 4A.

Jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall's latest CD is called The Girl In The Other Room. The release is a departure from her past work, bypassing interpretations of jazz standards in favor of songs written by Krall and her husband, Elvis Costello. Tom Moon has a review of the album, released March 27 by Verve records.

Jim Fusilli reviews Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava's latest CD Easy Living, which he says blends elements of traditional American jazz with a unique Italian touch.

Day to Day music and lifestyle critic David Was talks about legendary independent jazz label Contemporary Records, and the label's new CD box set of jazz from California.

NPR's Tony Cox talks to jazz piano legend Chick Corea. (Re-broadcast from April 2004).

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new box set of Dave Brubeck's Time Out albums.