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Throughout the month of February, WRTI is proud to bring you a very special classical and jazz celebration of Black History Month.

Pianist Avery Gagliano has quite the busy schedule these days. She participated in the International Fryderyk Chopin Competition in Warsaw in mid October, released her Steinway recording debut Reflections on November 5th, and made her Carnegie Hall recital debut on November 30th—all while pursuing her Bachelor’s at Curtis.

On Giving Tuesday 2021, we have 24 hours to turn an ordinary Tuesday into something extraordinary! How? For every dollar donated to WRTI, a dollar will be donated to the PYO Music Institute from an anonymous donor up to $25,000. So double your impact and help us make Giving Tuesday a huge success!

We continue our tribute to Sondheim by listening back to a 2010 interview in which he shared the stories behind some of his most famous songs and gave his take on other great lyricists.

Jazz historian Frank Driggs has amassed a collection of some 100,000 photographs and mementoes over the years. The materials, worth an estimated $1.5 million, trace jazz from its beginnings with 1920s road bands to meccas of bop such as Birdland in the 1950s.

Just in time for Mardi Gras, NPR's Cheryl Devall chats with New Orleans jazz trumpeter Kermit Ruffins about his latest CD Putumayo Presents: Kermit Ruffins, on which he pays homage to the legend he's most often compared to, Louis Armstrong.

Music journalist Ashley Kahn talks about Smokin' at the Half Note, a reissued CD that spotlights the music of famed jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery in his prime.

Award-winning keyboardist, composer and producer George Duke has worked with many of the biggest stars in popular music and jazz. He releases his 30th solo album this week, entitled Duke.

Thelonious Monk proves the theory that great innovators often take a while to catch on. Monk's unusual sound repelled some listeners when he broke on the jazz scene in the 1940s. By 1964, he was on the cover of Time magazine and considered a legend. This 1959 album captures one of the few moments when Monk recorded with a large ensemble.

Many critics consider Duke Ellington to be the most important composer in the history of jazz. Along with his jazz compositions, he wrote film scores and stage musicals. The Duke at His Best has more than an hour of Ellington's most revered works, including "Take the 'A Train," "Caravan," and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore."