The New Jazz Archive

From 1930s dance culture sparking the big band revolution, through the politics of race shaping the music, it’s the rise, fall, and legacy of the big bands. We’ll talk with music historian Jeffery Magee about the rich history of big bands, discover why the big band sound is still finding a home in communities across America well past the heyday of swing, and go in search of music from the more experimental side of the big band soun...

A celebration of the life and music of John Coltrane from his early roots growing up in rural North Carolina through his redemption and transformation from heroin addict to spiritual icon. We’ll talk with our jazz historian and renowned Coltrane scholar Lewis Porter about Trane’s early roots and get to know the softer side of John Coltrane the balladeer, retell John Coltrane’s redemption story, and sit down for a conversation with ...

Stories and sounds from jazz’s history overseas from the U.S. State Department using jazz as a weapon in the Cold War, the music’s extensive history in other countries, and learn how Israel is producing some of the best modern jazz musicians. We’ll talk with Israeli jazzer Anat Cohen about why Israel is becoming a hotbed for new jazz talent, take a look at the nearly hundred-year-old history of jazz in Japan, and explore Europe’s v...

A celebration of the life and legend of the great Les Paul by talking with rock icon Steve Miller about his memories of his legendary godfather, and how the many famous inventions of the Wizard of Waukesha transformed 20th-century music. We’ll find out how Les Paul shaped Miller’s own life as a man and musician, talk with Sue Baker of the Les Paul Foundation about Les’s life and legacy, and how Les Paul’s inventions are still havin...

When the two separate paths of jazz and country cross, we get some of the most fascinating fusions in American music, from Hank Garland jazzing up the early Nashville country scene, to the development of Western Swing, and contemporary jazz takes on country classics. We’ll talk with music historian Cary Ginell about forgotten Nashville session man Hank Garland, look at the thriving Nashville jazz scene with Maxx Myrick of the Tenne...

A celebration of the life and musical genius of the great Billie Holiday, traveling the hard road she took on her way to becoming one of jazz’s most beloved voices, and talk with curators and authors who continue to expose young people to Lady Day’s talents. We’ll talk with biographer Robert O’Meally about Billie’s musical genius, chat with Jazz at Lincoln Center curator Phil Schaap about the great Louis Armstrong’s role in shaping...

Believe it or not, harmonica, accordion, flute, banjo, and even the bagpipes have all made their impact on the jazz tradition thanks to the tireless efforts of pioneers of the music making these “weird instruments” a little more mainstream. We’ll sit down for a conversation with jazz tuba pioneer Howard Johnson, explore how banjo shaped the sound of early jazz, chat with Nancy Stagnitta about how flute worked its way from the jazz ...

A celebration of the life and music of the great Dave Brubeck from his early days as a legendary experimental jazz musician to composing religious music, and how he defied the odds to become a jazz celebrity in the early rock and roll era and continuing to perform with his son, Chris Brubeck. We’ll talk with Dave’s son about his memories of his legendary father, take a tour of the experimental side of Dave Brubeck with our jazz his...

We continue our tour of America’s great jazz cities with Kansas City and the storied and sordid roots of the famed Kansas City sound, as well as a look at adopted hometown hero Count Basie and one of jazz’s most underappreciated legends: Mary Lou Williams. We’ll talk with local boy and jazz historian Chuck Haddix about the the corrupt Kansas City political boss who defied Prohibition and helped spark the city’s early jazz scene, ta...

A celebration of the best of jazz’s great comeback stories including Duke Ellington’s legendary 1956 Newport Jazz Festival performance, and an exclusive interview with guitarist Pat Martino who survived a brain aneurysm and retook his place as one of the music’s great voices on jazz guitar. We’ll talk with jazz historian Phil Schaap about the epic saxophone solo that single-handedly propelled Duke Ellington back into jazz relevance...

We continue our tour of America’s great jazz cities with the sites and sounds of New Orleans jazz and its origins in the early twentieth century, the parade tradition known as Second Line, and explore how Hurricane Katrina has reshaped the New Orleans jazz scene. We’ll talk with jazz historian Bruce Raeburn about the birth of jazz in New Orleans, get to know the raucous New Orleans parade tradition that is Second Line, chat with Lo...

A celebration of the life and music of maestro Tito Puente, including the 1950s mambo craze that launched his meteoric rise to the top, and the many talents that made him the undisputed King of Latin Jazz. We’ll talk with Latin jazz historian Bobby Sanabria about why Tito still matters to the 20-somethings he’s teaching at the Manhattan School of Music, chat with Tito Puente’s friend and biographer Joe Conzo about Tito’s meteoric r...

A lot of people probably don’t think of jazz as something that’s all that funny, but there’s more than one way to get a laugh out of all things jazz that’s guaranteed to make you smile. We’ll talk with stand-up comic Jeff Cesario about how his former life as a jazz musician helps make him a better comedian, bring in our jazz historian Lewis Porter to talk about jazz’s vaudeville roots and how jazz lost its sense of humor in the 195...

A celebration of the life and extraordinary work of American folklorist Alan Lomax and how his calling to record the world changed the course of 20th century music with his legacy of over 10,000 recordings. We’ll talk with Lomax historian and archivist Don Fleming about Lomax’s groundbreaking work in the American South during the 1930s, trace Lomax’s path abroad and his efforts to record and capture the traditional music of countri...

We start our tour of America’s great jazz cities with the sites and sounds of Chicago by tracing the arrival of jazz and how it established the city's reign as America’s jazz capital during the 1920s, leading it to grow into one of the country’s richest avant garde jazz scenes. We’ll talk with the owner of the storied Green Mill Cocktail Lounge about his epic restoration of the club to its former speakeasy glory, hear how the Green...

The life and music of the great Nina Simone from her roots as a gospel and classical musician to her place as one of the fiercest voices for civil rights. We’ll talk with New York Magazine’s Joe Hagan about his look inside Nina Simone’s private diaries, chat with Simone biographer Nadine Cohodas about Nina’s life and music and her role as one of the fiercest voices for civil rights, and listen to some of Nina’s best from her more t...

You can’t listen to a painting or see a song, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t really interesting places where the worlds of jazz and art overlap. We’ll explore jazz’s connection to the arts with a look at the criss-crossing paths of jazz and the visual arts with Dr. Robert O’Meally, discussing how the worlds of art and music collided during the Harlem Renaissance, explore the life and art of the jazz painter Romare Bearden, and ...