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NPR's 'Jazz Profiles'

Recent NPR's 'Jazz Profiles'

Bessie Smith, shown here ca. 1935, remained an active performer until her sudden death at age 43.

May 7, 2008 The singer's feverish growls and impassioned delivery informed nearly all African American music.

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The legendary bandleader and composer Duke Ellington produced more than one thousand lasting works.

November 19, 2008 The legendary bandleader and composer produced more than a thousand lasting works.

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Duke Ellington's compositions present a timeless contribution to American music's legacy.

November 26, 2008 The bandleader's compositions present an indelible contribution to American music's legacy.

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Willie "The Lion" Smith was a major influence on Duke Ellington, who wrote several compositions dedicated to him.

June 11, 2008 The flamboyant pianist was a leading purveyor of the ragtime-based style called Harlem Stride.

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Bud Powell was the first, and arguably the greatest pianist to create a bebop-based improvisational style for the piano.

April 9, 2008 The pianist redrew the course of modern jazz piano by pioneering bebop improvisation at keyboard.

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Abbey Lincoln was the powerful voice of Max Roach's political piece, We Insist! Freedom Now Suite.

August 17, 2010 Few singers have the emotional depth and versatility of Abbey Lincoln, who died Saturday.

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Melba Liston performs on Art Ford's Jazz Party, a television program broadcast from Newark, N.J., in 1958.

July 9, 2008 She was a gifted trombonist, a crack arranger, and, against the odds, a woman in jazz.

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Artie Shaw's ideas were often deemed too modern, and his temperament was ill-suited to the role of star.

October 9, 2008 The clarinetist's ideas were often too modern, and his temperament ill-suited to the role of star.

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Ella Fitzgerald, circa 1973.

June 13, 2007 With Fitzgerald, you don't just recognize her voice; the sound of it makes you feel good.

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Nat Adderley recorded many albums under his own name while working with his brother's group.

August 20, 2008 The trumpeter spent many years writing, managing and playing for his brother's celebrated band.

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