Dee Dee Bridgewater performs a Tiny Desk Concert on August 11, 2017. (Claire Harbage/NPR) Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

Dee Dee Bridgewater, Memphis. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Dee Dee Bridgewater. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Dee Dee Bridgewater performs at Jazz At Lincoln Center. Frank Stewart/Jazz At Lincoln Center hide caption

The Fred Hersch Trio performs at Blue Note Beijing on Oct. 28, 2016. Zhang Dongdong hide caption

Dee Dee Bridgewater's new album, Dee Dee's Feathers, mines the rich history of New Orleans music. Greg Miles/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Dee Dee Bridgewater. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

"It was part of a beautiful, long story," Dee Dee Bridgewater says of hosting JazzSet. "It has been a highlight of my career." Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Christian McBride in rehearsal at the Kennedy Center. Jeffrey Kliman/Courtesy of the Kennedy Center. hide caption

Dee Dee Bridgewater (right) smiles big with pianist Edsel Gomez. Richard Conde hide caption

Backstage at the Kennedy Center tribute concert to Abbey Lincoln, left to right: Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terri Lyne Carrington, Cassandra Wilson, Dianne Reeves. Becca Pulliam/WBGO hide caption

In a conversation aired on WBGO, Jessye Norman credits the study of jazz with her understanding of song interpretation. Carol Friedman/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Dee Dee Bridgewater. Mark Higashino hide caption

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard presents Aaron Diehl with the 2011 Cole Porter Fellowship. Mark Sheldon/American Pianists Association hide caption

Ella Fitzgerald performs with the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band in 1947. That's Gillespie to her right, in complete awe. William Gottlieb/Library of Congress via Flickr hide caption