Search results for

Sara Gazarek's latest CD combines a singer-songwriter's mentality with jazz improvisation. It features arrangements of contemporary songs by Leonard Cohen, Paul McCartney and Gillian Welch among originals. Hear an interview and performance.

Diane Schuur really belts out the jazz standard "September in the Rain." She takes that old chestnut about "leaves of brown" that tumble down and she heats it up, adding just the right hint of rue. Her backup, a pianist whose touch is both light and lush, is surely a George Shearing disciple.

Hugh Masekela devoted the prime of his life to the struggle of his lifetime –- ending apartheid in South Africa. Short in stature but great in presence, Masekela has that spark that continues to engage us. Masekela's band performs a concert at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival.

While many musicians love the Crescent City, few choose to stay after they become successful. The New Orleans-raised Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews comes from a long line of brass-band greats, but is quickly coming into his own with a jazz-funk group — and plans to stay.

When trumpeter Charles Tolliver talks about his high-octane big band, he uses phrases like, "The key is in the ignition; we're ready to go!" It's a perfect connection to the theme behind his performance at the Detroit International Jazz Festival: "Music on All Cylinders."

In 1966, Mark Weinstein played trombone on Cuban Roots, an obscure but important fusion of Afro-Cuban folkloric music and jazz. Many years, many albums, and one Ph.D. in philosophy later, Weinstein's new album finds him playing the jazz flute.

Eliane Elias grew up listening to the music of jazz pianist Bill Evans in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Now an accomplished pianist and singer in her own right, she shares a small selection of her favorite trio, duet, and solo recordings.

Celebrated soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom — a pioneer, among other things, in the use of electronics in live jazz — has an inventively formatted new recording. Fresh Air's jazz critic has a listen.

Southern singer Lizz Wright crafts a distinct mixture of jazz, folk, gospel, and R&B, but she's been most widely celebrated as a rising star in the jazz world. Hear Wright perform a concert from WXPN and World Café Live in Philadelphia.

Roomful of Blues has been around for 40 years, with a rotating cast of nearly 50 musicians. Trombonist Rich Lataille and guitarist Chris Vachon talk about playing for the people on the dance floor, writing songs and schooling the next generation.