Jazz : NPR

Andra Day On Portraying BilIie Holiday And The Enduring Strength Of 'Strange Fruit'

Grammy-nominated singer Andra Day, in a still from The United States Vs. Billie Holiday. Takashi Seida/Courtesy of Paramount Pictures Corporation hide caption

toggle caption

Takashi Seida/Courtesy of Paramount Pictures Corporation

Music Interviews

Andra Day On Portraying BilIie Holiday And The Enduring Strength Of 'Strange Fruit'

March 5, 2021 • The song "Strange Fruit" is the powerful and thematically horrifying centerpiece of the new film The United States Vs. Billie Holiday, which positions music as a powerful force for change.

Andra Day On Portraying BilIie Holiday And The Enduring Strength Of 'Strange Fruit'

Listen · 7:56 7:56

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/974123011/974173585" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Pianist Helen Sung: From Classical Outsider To The Jazz Inner Circle

Helen Sung Ayano Hisa/Jazz at Lincoln Center hide caption

toggle caption

Ayano Hisa/Jazz at Lincoln Center

Jazz Night In America: The Radio Program

Pianist Helen Sung: From Classical Outsider To The Jazz Inner Circle

WBGO and Jazz At Lincoln Center

March 4, 2021 • Sung reflects on how, as a young classical pianist, she stuck to her jazz dreams. More recently, she's translated her emotions on social justice into a thematic composition for her quartet.

Pianist Helen Sung: From Classical Outsider To The Jazz Inner Circle

56:02

Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/973404805/973716531" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Ralph Peterson Jr., Drummer Who Re-Enlivened Hard Bop, Dead At 58

Ralph Peterson Jr., performing in 2012 at Symphony Space in New York. Dave Kaufman hide caption

toggle caption

Dave Kaufman

Obituaries

Ralph Peterson Jr., Drummer Who Re-Enlivened Hard Bop, Dead At 58

WBGO

March 1, 2021 • With Art Blakey as both mentor and north star, Peterson emerged in the '80s as one of that decade's most striking jazz artists.

Vijay Iyer And A New Trio Reflect On The 'Uneasy' Past And Present

From left: Tyshawn Sorey, Vijay Iyer and Linda May Han Oh. The trio, Iyer's newest, collaborated on the album Uneasy. Craig Marsden/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption

Craig Marsden/Courtesy of the artist

Music Interviews

Vijay Iyer And A New Trio Reflect On The 'Uneasy' Past And Present

WBGO

February 26, 2021 • The composer and pianist joined with drummer Tyshawn Sorey and bassist Linda May Han Oh in late 2019 to record Uneasy, which now functions as a welcome reminder.

Chick Corea, Jazz Fusion Pioneer, Has Died Of Cancer At 79

Chick Corea, seen here performing in Turin, Italy, in 2018, died Feb. 9. Giorgio Perottino/Getty Images for OGR hide caption

toggle caption

Giorgio Perottino/Getty Images for OGR

Obituaries

Chick Corea, Jazz Fusion Pioneer, Has Died Of Cancer At 79

February 11, 2021 • The wide-ranging keyboardist, composer and bandleader died Feb. 9 of cancer. He was one of the fathers of jazz fusion, with his work spanning from acoustic jazz to his own interpretations of Mozart.

Chick Corea, Jazz Fusion Pioneer, Has Died Of Cancer At 79

Listen · 3:44 3:44

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/967082282/967152280" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Ayano Hisa/Jazz at Lincoln Center

Jazz Night In America: The Radio Program

A Fine Romance: Jazz & Valentine's Day

WBGO and Jazz At Lincoln Center

February 11, 2021 • Celebrate Valentine's Day with classic songs of love from a 2018 Jazz at Lincoln Center concert, featuring vocalists Brianna Thomas, Vuyo Sotashe and an all-star big band.

A Fine Romance: Jazz & Valentine's Day

55:00

Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/966324310/966940326" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">