Jazz Music Interviews
Listen Charlie Haden: A Moment Of Clarity
January 15, 2012 – The venerable jazz bassist says there's nothing more illuminating than improvisation.
Listen Carolyn Wonderland: A Full 'Meal' Of Texas Blues
January 8, 2012 – The Austin musician learned guitar after getting thrown out of school at 17 and hanging out in bars.
Listen Barbara Lea: Remembering A Versatile Cabaret Singer
January 6, 2012 – Fresh Air remembers the late singer with excerpts from an interview and in-studio performance.
Listen A Jazz Pianist's Cinematic 'Fantasy'
December 25, 2011 – Harold O'Neal, whose new album is an homage to the music of silent films, performs live.
Listen Some Christmas Tunes From Rebecca Kilgore And Pals
December 23, 2011 – For the holidays, Fresh Air presents an in-studio concert from singer Rebecca Kilgore.
Listen Christian McBride: Tackling Two Sides Of Jazz At Once
December 10, 2011 – The jazz bassist just released two albums — a set of intimate duets and a splashy big-band affair.
Listen A Jazz Pianist Gets His Big Break — At Age 85
December 10, 2011 – Boyd Lee Dunlop was discovered in a Buffalo nursing home, wrestling music from a dilapidated piano.
Listen Fresh Air Remembers Jazz Drummer Paul Motian
December 2, 2011 – A look back at Motian, who died last week at the age of 80, with highlights from a 2006 interview.
Listen Keith Jarrett: Alone In Rio And Ready To Fail
November 14, 2011 – The pianist says his new, completely improvised solo recording is one of the best he's ever made.
Listen Vince Mendoza: A Song Doctor Gets Back To His Own Work
November 6, 2011 – The jazzman's new album comes after 13 years spent arranging and orchestrating for other musicians.
Listen Anthony Braxton: A Grand Thinker Of American Music
October 15, 2011 – The composer and saxophonist is often labeled "difficult." But in person, he's far from austere.
Read Between Sets: A Conversation with Pianist Bill Carrothers
September 19, 2011 – The jazzman, history buff and reputed recluse opens up about rural Michigan and being "overlooked."
Read 'Round Midnight: A Late-Night Conversation With Helen Sung
September 17, 2011 – After playing three sets, the pianist talks Tommy Flanagan, Houston and learning to like poetry.
Watch Hanni El Khatib: Hoop Dreams
September 17, 2011 – The singer's career got a bump when Nike featured one of his songs in a high-profile commercial.
Watch Jon Hendricks: The Father Of Vocalese At 90
September 16, 2011 – Hendricks puts words to jazz in insanely complex vocal arrangements of instrumental solos.
