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Jazz 'News & Notes' takes an in-depth look at the evolution, the sound, and the future of jazz music with profiles, feature reports and roundtable conversations.
Special Series

Jazz

Talented But Overlooked Jazz Artists

We've talked this month about the jazz greats, but what about the others? Many musicians have not won the recognition that they deserve — including Grammy-Award winning Billy Childs and singer Robert McCarther. They join Farai Chideya to help wrap up our series on jazz.

Talented But Overlooked Jazz Artists

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Jazz Singer Nnenna Freelon Shares Influences

Over the years, jazz songstress and six-time Grammy Award nominee, Nnenna Freelon, has earned a reputation as a fierce singer and captivating performer. NPR's Tony Cox talks with Freelon about her career and how female artists have affected the genre.

Jazz Singer Nnenna Freelon Shares Influences

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Understanding Women's Influence On Jazz

Usually when we think of women in jazz, we think of singers like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald. But female jazz players cannot be overlooked: Women have played almost every instrument, in every style, during every era of the music's history. For more, NPR's Tony Cox talks with jazz historian Linda Dahl.

Understanding Women's Influence On Jazz

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Exploring Jazz Music Overseas

As our series on jazz continues, we explore how the sound is developing in far-flung places. For more on the genre's reach abroad, NPR's Tony Cox talks with bass clarinetist and multireedist, Bennie Maupin; flautist and conductor, James Newton; and saxophonist David Murray.

Exploring Jazz Music Overseas

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Inside Jazz Hot Spots Around the Nation

As our series on jazz continues, Farai Chideya uncovers the remaining American jazz meccas and finds out how live venues have shaped the art of jazz. Joining in are Ron Sturm, owner of the Iridium Jazz Club; musician Dennis Winslett; and Peter Williams, artistic director of Yoshi's Jazz Club.

Inside Jazz Hot Spots Around the Nation

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A Jazz Journey From Its New Orleans Birthplace

We continue our jazz series with a look at the legacy of New Orleans jazz music. Farai Chideya talks with three notable Crescent City musicians: Irma Thomas, who is known as the queen of New Orleans soul; trumpeter and bandleader Irvin Mayfield; and Greg Davis, a member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

A Jazz Journey From Its New Orleans Birthplace

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The Intersection of Jazz and Social Protest

Jazz music was forged by social struggle. America's cultural cauldron produced music, which criticized segregation with candor, sadness, and humor. For more, Farai Chideya speaks with jazz expert Robert O'Mealy.

The Intersection of Jazz and Social Protest

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Inside the Culture of Jazz

We continue our series on jazz with a look at a new generation of players who love the music, even though it doesn't sell big. Jazz trumpter Nicholas Payton and drummer Kendrick Scott give us their take on why jazz is still a music of the people.

Inside the Culture of Jazz

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What Is Jazz?

There's no question that jazz is the foundation of black music. But understanding the art form can be a daunting challenge. This month, News & Notes is focusing on America's classical music — jazz. Today, we're taking a crash course with three renowned experts.

What Is Jazz?

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What Makes A Jazz Standard?

Saxophonist Coleman Hawkins and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie in concert with the Cannonball Adderley Quintet in November 1960. Express/Getty Images hide caption

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Express/Getty Images

Jazz Night In America

What Makes A Jazz Standard?

Christian McBride of Jazz Night in America joins NPR's Audie Cornish with a few criteria for what turns a regular composition into a canonized classic.

What Makes A Jazz Standard?

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Don Friedman On Piano Jazz

This 1996 episode of Piano Jazz features jazz pianist Don Friedman. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Don Friedman On Piano Jazz

The classically-trained jazz pianist enchanted audiences during his lifetime. In celebration of his 83rd birthday, hear his Piano Jazz performance from 1996.

Don Friedman On Piano Jazz

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All Songs +1: Alice Coltrane's Astonishing 'Ecstatic Music'

The late musician and spiritual leader Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda, in an undated photograph taken at her ashram in Agoura, Calif. Sri Hari Moss/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Sri Hari Moss/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

All Songs +1: Alice Coltrane's Astonishing 'Ecstatic Music'

Saxophonist, composer and bandleader Ravi Coltrane — son of John and Alice Coltrane — talks about the music his mother made after she withdrew from her professional career and founded an ashram.

Ralph Towner: An Old Hand With A 'Foolish Heart' (And An Unmatched Style)

Ralph Towner's latest album is My Foolish Heart, named for the Bill Evans tune that changed the way he looked at composition and his instrument. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Ralph Towner: An Old Hand With A 'Foolish Heart' (And An Unmatched Style)

The guitarist who composed "Icarus" — a tune so popular, astronauts took it to the moon — has a way of playing that seems to conjure melody, rhythm and harmony all at once.

Ralph Towner: An Old Hand With A 'Foolish Heart' (And An Unmatched Style)

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Dorothy Donegan On Piano Jazz

Dorothy Donegan, pictured here with the Camp Robert Smalls swing band, is featured on this episode of Piano Jazz. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration hide caption

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U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Dorothy Donegan On Piano Jazz

This week's episode remembers the flamboyant NEA Jazz Master with an early session from 1983.

Dorothy Donegan On Piano Jazz

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The NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert Transcends Its Fraught Political Moment

The 2017 NEA Jazz Masters on April 3, 2017 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (left to right): Representing Ira Gitler, Fitz Gitler; Dick Hyman; Dave Holland; Dr. Lonnie Smith; and Dee Dee Bridgewater Shannon Finney/Courtesy of The Kennedy Center hide caption

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Shannon Finney/Courtesy of The Kennedy Center

Jazz Night In America

The NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert Transcends Its Fraught Political Moment

WBGO

Monday night's presentation of the 2017 NEA Jazz Masters fellowships, coming under the shadow of a proposed presidential budget that would eliminate the NEA outright, mixed politics with grace.

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