Chicago's Jazz Age Melting Pot: Hot Jazz, Boogie Woogie & the BluesNovember 19, 2009In the Twenties, Chicago’s South Side "bright-light" district "The Stroll" was the heart of the jazz scene. Peppered with nightclubs, pool halls, tattoo parlors, and vaudeville houses, it was home to the city’s 100,000 African Americans. During the day, the city was segregated, but at night differences between black and white became somewhat blurred. Chicago nightlife knew no boundaries, and the sound of jazz seemed to seep up out of the sidewalks.Riverwalk Jazz
Fats, Hoagy & W.C.: 20 Years of Riverwalk JazzOctober 29, 2009Celebrating 20 years on public radio from San Antonio's Pearl Stable, Vernel Bagneris, Topsy Chapman and Shelly Berg join The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and delve into the legacy of three jazz ‘superheroes’ whose work has inspired us—Fats Waller, Hoagy Carmichael—and the blues-driven melodies of W.C. Handy.Riverwalk Jazz
'Diga Diga Do': Jazz Standards of Jimmy McHughOctober 15, 2009A cocky go-getter from Irish Boston, Jimmy McHugh had the gift of gab and the charm to go with it. A top 'song-plugger' in the 1920s’ sheet music industry, McHugh would go on to compose some of the most enduring hits of the 20th century—"I Can't Give You Anything but Love," "Don't Blame Me," and more.Riverwalk Jazz
Stephanie Nilles: Classical Pianist Brings Training to Jazz/Folk CareerOctober 7, 2009This year marks From the Top's tenth anniversary in public broadcasting; in celebration, the show is catching up with interesting alumni from past seasons. Emerging jazz/folk artist Stephanie Nilles is this week's alumni profile.From The Top
I Wish I Were Twins: The Fats Waller Bluebird SessionsOctober 1, 2009Introduced in the middle of the Depression, records on RCA Victor's ‘Bluebird’ label were priced at an affordable 35 cents apiece. Fats Waller's blend of hot, rhythmic piano playing and hi-jinx tomfoolery on hundreds of 78 rpm 'Bluebirds' clicked with the public, and sold in the millions. Fats Waller and his Rhythm was the studio band for his Bluebird Sessions. Waller's genius and wit helped carry the band, enabling them to record as many as ten sides in a single day. Rarely did band members know in advance which tunes they'd be recording. The chaos was all part of the fun-loving spontaneity characterizing the Rhythm's Bluebird recordings.Riverwalk Jazz
The Rise and Fall of Joe 'King' OliverSeptember 24, 2009King Oliver's contribution to jazz is his leadership of the greatest band to ever play in the New Orleans tradition of the improvised jazz ensemble. "The music itself is really simple folk music," says Jim Cullum. "It was what King Oliver did with it that was remarkable. Louis Armstrong described it as 'fire.' He said, 'no one else had the fire of Joe Oliver.'"Riverwalk Jazz
Jazz in the spotlightSeptember 22, 2009Bill Frisell's creativity on full display, African jazz, Andy Sheppard's long-awaited solo project, and a stunning Art Pepper compilation. The Christian Science Monitor
'Melancholy Blues': Clarinetist Johnny DoddsSeptember 10, 2009A first generation jazzman, clarinet pioneer Johnny Dodds settled in Chicago but never strayed from his New Orleans roots. Dodds' clarinet sound, with its moving low register vibrato and piercing upper register, was a cornerstone of landmark recordings by King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong.Riverwalk Jazz
Bill Frisell Scores With Buster KeatonSeptember 14, 2009Silent film scores by jazz guitarist Bill Frisell and his trio - Kermit Driscoll and Joey Baron - for three of Buster Keaton’s moviesPaste
A Night at Nick's: Hot Jazz in the Big AppleSeptember 3, 2009Nickąs Steakhouse was revered as ‘the place’ in Greenwich Village to hear hot jazz. Crammed into the smoky room, novelist John Steinbeck and baseball legend Joe DiMaggio sat next to celebrity bank-robber Willie Sutton and 'The Honeymooners' Jackie Gleason listening to Muggsy Spanier, Eddie Condon, Jack Teagarden, and more.
Step Inside Nick's in Greenwich Village - Music, stories and photos at www.riverwalkjazz.org
Riverwalk Jazz
Hank Jones On Piano Jazz With Bill CharlapAugust 6, 2009In celebration of Piano Jazz's 30th anniversary, Marian McPartland asked a few of her favorite musicians to sit in as guest hosts. NPR
Lil' Ed And The Blues Imperials On Mountain StageAugust 13, 2009The nephew of slide-guitar legend J.B. Hutto, Lil' Ed Williams's booming voice and signature slide-guitar sound have become staples on the Chicago-area blues sceneNPR
Turk & Lu: West Coast Classic Jazz in ConcertJuly 23, 2009They called their music 'The Truth'—real, righteous Traditional Jazz. Its champions were the powerful brassmen, Turk Murphy and Lu Watters. In the 40s, West Coast 'true believers' in Traditional Jazz preached their gospel at the Dawn Club on San Francisco’s Annie Street, a little alleyway near the old Palace Hotel. They held forth at Hambone Kelly’s across the Bay and later at the Hangover Club and Earthquake McGoon’s.
More Photos and Music at www.riverwalkjazz.org
Riverwalk Jazz
'At the Jazz Band Ball:' Jazz Classics Live from Stanford Jazz WorkshopJuly 16, 2009Early jazz was dance music. Crowded, noisy, and smoky dance halls, large and small in New Orleans, Chicago and San Francisco's Barbary Coast served as venues where jazz first found its voice in the years after World War I. ‘Jazz’ was coined to describe the insistent, relentlessly peppy quality of this seemingly ragtime-based music out of New Orleans.Riverwalk Jazz
Rhapsody In Blue: Gershwin At His GreatestJuly 3, 2009Leonard Bernstein does full justice to the still racy and spontaneous score of Rhapsody In Blue in this 1959 recording. As both conductor and pianist, he brings a smoky, sultry jazziness to the piece.NPR
'Come Rain or Come Shine': Johnny Mercer 100 Years - 1000 SongsJune 25, 2009Johnny Mercer sometimes seemed to compose his lyrics to the sound of crickets humming on a summer evening or to the rhythm of a distant train. At other moments he'd pick just the right slangy phrase that made his songs popular with jazz artists from Billie Holiday to Duke Ellington. It's a 100th birthday bash for Johnny Mercer.Riverwalk Jazz
Branford Marsalis: On Jazz Fathers And SonsJune 19, 2009Saxophonist Branford Marsalis has jazz in his genes. His father is pianist Ellis Marsalis, and all three of his brothers — trumpeter Wynton among them — are jazz musicians. On Fresh Air, he recalls growing up surrounded by music.NPR
Jazz Daddies: A Father's Day CelebrationJune 18, 2009Like father, like son—or daughter for that matter. With a nod to Father's Day, Riverwalk Jazz lifts a toast to 'Jazz Daddies,' as jazz artists tell us what it means to follow in the footsteps of their music-playing fathers. And The Jim Cullum Jazz Band performs tunes written by jazz-musician fathers for their kids.Riverwalk Jazz
Lonnie Brooks Sings The BluesJune 8, 2009Legendary Chicago blues man Lonnie Brooks, along with his son Wayne Brooks, performs a few numbers and talks about the evolution of blues music and what it's like to still perform at age 75. Hear the Brooks play hit tunes, including "Feeling Good Doing Bad," "Sweet Home Chicago," and "Inflation."NPR
Blues Queen Koko Taylor Dies At 80June 4, 2009Her name is synonymous with Chicago blues, and her voice was growling, thunderous and full of soul. Grammy Award-winning blues singer Koko Taylor died in a Chicago hospital Wednesday.NPR
It Ain't Over Til the Fat Man Swings: The Music of Fats WallerJune 4, 2009Memorial Day Weekend 1989, Riverwalk Jazz made its national debut. Celebrating twenty years on-the-air, we revisit our first broadcast with thrilling 4-handed, 2-piano arrangements of Fats Waller's great works "The Minor Drag," "A Handful of Keys" and "This Joint is Jumping," with piano legend Dick Hyman.Riverwalk Jazz
Benny Goodman: Forever The King Of SwingMay 30, 2009Born 100 years ago Saturday, clarinetist Benny Goodman made jazz a listening concern for folks who thought it was only for the clubs. He was not only an innovative musician, but a forward-thinking bandleader, the first to integrate black musicians on stage with a white band.NPR
How Benny Goodman Won Over AmericaMay 27, 2009By 1926, at age 16, Goodman was already a jazz virtuoso. But when he finally hit the big time, ushering in the swing era in the mid-1930s, his arrival converged with a burst of modernity throughout the U.S.NPR
Swinging the Band: The Pops Foster StoryMay 28, 2009Pops Foster often said, "I'm just another bass player trying to make a living." Yet over a seven-decade career, New Orleans jazzman George ‘Pops’ Foster witnessed a vast panorama of jazz history as his solid bass fiddle playing provided the beat for legends from 'King' Oliver to Charlie Parker.Riverwalk Jazz
Bach With A Twist Of Afro-Cuban JazzMay 25, 2009The new CD Bach in Havana, from the Miami-based Cuban group Tiempo Libre, blends Bach melodies, from pieces such as the Mass in B minor and the Well-Tempered Clavier, with infectious Cuban rhythms including the cha-cha-cha, the son and the danzon.NPR
Wrap Your Cares in Rhythm: A Concert of Recession-Proof TunesMay 21, 2009Hoping the economy perks up? Well, aren't we all. This week, The Jim Cullum Jazz Band "chases the blues away" with a concert of 'recession-proof' tunes tailor-made to lift spirits. Take a break from the Dow, at least for an hour, and "wrap your cares in rhythm and dance your troubles away."Riverwalk Jazz
Sheila Jordan: A Unique Voice At 80May 3, 2009This year marks the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records, whose historic roster once included jazz heavyweights Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey and Horace Silver. Singers were a rarity, but Sheila Jordan has outlasted them all. At 80, she still loves nothing better than singing for her fans.NPR
Remembering Ralph Sutton: Long Way from St. LouisApril 30, 2009With his knack for improvisation and a left hand that packed a wallop, stride piano genius Ralph Sutton built a career spanning half a century. He was a great ‘two-handed’ piano player, following in the footsteps of Harlem stride giants James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, and Willie ‘the Lion’ Smith.Riverwalk Jazz
Benny Goodman Swinging at 100: A Centenary CelabrationApril 23, 2009He would have turned 100 this year—the clarinet virtuoso from Chicago who became a central figure of the Swing Era, and popularized the jazz form with a worldwide audience. Honoring the Smithsonian Institution's Jazz Appreciation Month, a gathering of Riverwalk guests celebrate Benny Goodman.
Riverwalk Jazz
Deanna Witkowski: Liturgical JazzApril 12, 2009The pianist for the BMI/New York Jazz Composers Orchestra is also a singer and a former musical director at an Episcopal church. Her latest studio album elaborates on familiar jazz forms while embracing sacred texts, including a piece for Easter vespers.NPR
Marcus Roberts: 'Playing The History Of Jazz'April 7, 2009The pianist is a jazz instructor now, but he remains a lifelong student of the music. He visits NPR's performance studio to demonstrate his own approach to the classic tunes of jazz greats, as heard on his new album, New Orleans Meets Harlem, Vol. 1.NPR
