Piano Jazz: Rising Stars
Discover 13 legends in the making who are taking jazz into the 21st century.
!["Jaki [Byard] gives me an avenue to travel if I want to go into Earl Hines territory. When I play a Jaki piece, it's not only in honor of Jaki, but it's in honor of the people then who also gave it to him," Jason Moran says of his mentor.](http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/01/23/jasonmoran-color.jpg?t=1333071915&s=2 "\"Jaki [Byard] gives me an avenue to travel if I want to go into Earl Hines territory. When I play a Jaki piece, it's not only in honor of Jaki, but it's in honor of the people then who also gave it to him,\" Jason Moran says of his mentor.")
"Jaki [Byard] gives me an avenue to travel if I want to go into Earl Hines territory. When I play a Jaki piece, it's not only in honor of Jaki, but it's in honor of the people then who also gave it to him," Jason Moran says of his mentor.
Hear the talked-about pianist and composer perform a broad set of 21st-century jazz piano tunes.
Coming Soon
March 30: Jason Moran
Recent Piano Jazz: Rising Stars
March 23, 2012 Harris showcases his fiery work on the vibes through a polished set of standards and originals.
March 16, 2012 Whitney James performs with an unscripted quality, always "discovering things about the song."
March 9, 2012 Farinacci's versatile trumpet ranges from the soft and seductive to the rough and bluesy.
March 2, 2012 Hiromi plays stride piano with blinding speed and deadly accuracy in a session with host Jon Weber.
![Chris Dingman's song "Manhattan Bridge" was inspired by his daily commute to and from work: "[There's] this moment of beauty when you emerge on the Manhattan Bridge and you see the whole city before you, and there's this feeling of hope."](http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/01/20/chrisdingman-color_sq.jpg?t=1330114267&s=1 "Chris Dingman's song \"Manhattan Bridge\" was inspired by his daily commute to and from work: \"[There's] this moment of beauty when you emerge on the Manhattan Bridge and you see the whole city before you, and there's this feeling of hope.\"")
February 24, 2012 Inspired by his daily commute, the vibraphonist performs the quietly hopeful "Manhattan Bridge."
February 16, 2012 Hear Diehl's modern take on the music of the time-honored masters of stride and swing.
February 9, 2012 McCann's extensive vocal background crosses genres, as she uses operatic melodies to scat.
February 10, 2012 Right now, no one sounds like the young singer, who swings on standards and originals in a session.
![Kris Bowers opens this session with a soulful, prepared-piano version of Juan Tizol's "Caravan": "It's important to remember that [the piano] is a percussive instrument."](http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/01/20/kris-bowers-color_sq.jpg?t=1328647948&s=1 "Kris Bowers opens this session with a soulful, prepared-piano version of Juan Tizol's \"Caravan\": \"It's important to remember that [the piano] is a percussive instrument.\"")
February 9, 2012 From prepared piano to quiet ballads, the pianist keeps a wide sonic palette in orbit.
February 9, 2012 Lage has soulful and serious conversations with his guitar, and with Piano Jazz host Jon Weber.
February 9, 2012 The young pianist inaugurates a new program highlighting the jazz legends of tomorrow.
February 9, 2012 The alto-saxophone phenom duets with host Jon Weber in "The Way You Look Tonight" and more.
