Jazz at 100 Today!
Because we have virtually instant access to 100 years of recorded jazz, documenting broad sweeps of creativity and innovation, it can be difficult for today’s working musicians to be heard. A successor to the celebrated Jazz at 100 series, Jazz at 100 Today! gives voice to the current jazz scene and celebrates the incredible music of the living treasures who keep pushing boundaries while standing on the shoulders of giants.
To listen to the first series, 100 years of recorded Jazz, visit: Jazz at 100.
Program List
01 The Renewal of AACM: Nicole Mitchell, Mike Reed, Tomeka Reid, Matana Roberts
02 Jazz and Poetry: Benjamin Boone, Laurence Hobgood, Jane Ira Bloom, Matt Wilson, David Murray
03 Tenor Sax Trios: JD Allen, Charles Owens, Mark Turner
04 Bird at 100: Rudresh Mahanthappa, Joe Lovano, Vincent Herring, Gary Bartz, Bobby Watson
05 Presenting Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
07 Great Young Singers – Cécile McLorin Salvant, Charenee Wade, Jazzmeia Horn, Veronica Swift
08 Pulitzer and Polar Prizes – Henry Threadgill, Wadada Leo Smith, Wayne Shorter
12 Big Band Suites – Maria Schneider, Jim McNeely, Rufus Reid, Darcy James Argue, Brian Krock
13 West Coast Get Down – Kamasi Washington, Cameron Graves, Throttle Elevator Music
14 The Diverse Musical Settings of Vijay Iyer – Solo, Duo, Trio & Sextet
15 The Rhythm Bombers of Manassas High – Charles Lloyd, George Coleman, Harold Mabern
18 Commanding Singers Gregory Porter and Kurt Elling
20 Legacy Saxophone from Joshua Redman and Ravi Coltrane
21 Chick Corea & Keith Jarrett in Small Groups
23 The Legacy of Wayne Shorter
24 Tenor Titans – The Many Sides of Chris Potter
25 Tenor Titans – Mark Turner Now
27 Tenor Titans – More Fabulous Playing From Joe Lovano
28 Tenor Titans – Branford Marsalis
31 Women in Jazz … and Only Women
32 Women in Jazz – Fabulous Singing, Part 1
33 Women in Jazz – Fabulous Singing, Part 2
34 Women in Jazz – In Tribute to Billie
35 Women in Jazz – Woodwind Players
36 Women in Jazz – Pianists / Composers
37 Ellington Today – Always Hip
38 Tomorrow’s Warriors, the Sound of London, Part 1
39 Tomorrow’s Warriors, the Sound of London, Part 2
40 Remembering Gil Scott-Heron
41 Trumpet Master Tom Harrell – Mainstream Melodocist
42 Trumpet Master Jeremy Pelt – Hard Bop and More
43 Happy Birthday, Cole Porter
44 Trumpet Master Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – Looking Forward
45 Trumpet Master Ambrose Akinmusire – Broad Vision
46 Charles Owens Trio – “10 Years” Track by Track
48 Sounds of Home and Heroes – Rudresh Mahanthappa
49 Sounds of Home and Heroes – Miguel Zenón
01 The Renewal of AACM: Nicole Mitchell, Mike Reed, Tomeka Reid, Matana Roberts
In 1965, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians was founded with the motto, “Great Black Music, Ancient to the Future”. In 2015, AACM celebrated its fiftieth anniversary and with recent strong outings from Nicole Mitchell, Mike Reed, Tomeka Reid and Matana Roberts, has been having a compelling renewal. Recent music from the storied AACM in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 01 The Renewal of AACM: Nicole Mitchell, Mike Reed, Tomeka Reid, Matana Roberts
02 Jazz and Poetry: Benjamin Boone, Laurence Hobgood, Jane Ira Bloom, Matt Wilson, David Murray
Since the Charles Mingus – Langston Hughes collaborations in the 1950s, there has always been a durable under-current of Jazz / Poetry projects. Recently Poet Laureates Robert Pinsky and Philip Levine have recorded with pianist Laurence Hobgood and alto-saxophonist Benjamin Boone. Bassist Steve Swallow and poet Robert Creeley collaborated on several projects as have tenor player David Murray and Amiri Baraka. In 2017, two projects used the poetry of American masters as the inspiration for jazz suites. Drummer Matt Wilson recorded a project with the poetry of Carl Sandburg and soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom celebrated the writings of Emily Dickenson. Jazz and Poetry in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 02 Jazz and Poetry: Benjamin Boone, Laurence Hobgood, Jane Ira Bloom, Matt Wilson, David Murray
03 Tenor Sax Trios: JD Allen, Charles Owens, Mark Turner
Since Sonny Rollins’ landmark recordings in 1957 and 1958 (Way Out West, A Night at the Village Vanguard, Freedom Suite), tenor sax plus bass and drums has been an attractive format for many tenor players. As Michael J. West wrote in Jazz Times “…when jazz artists … began experimenting with chordless ensembles in the 1950s, the sax trio became a daring extension of those experiments, and eventually a staple of small-group jazz. The lack of a piano or any other chordal instrument gives the band’s sound an openness, a devil-may-care freedom (even outside of free jazz) that suggests anything can happen at any moment.” Several current tenor players keep returning to this format as a preferred ensemble form. In this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!, tenor trios of JD Allen, Charles Owens and Mark Turner.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 03 Tenor Sax Trios: JD Allen, Charles Owens, Mark Turner
04 Bird at 100: Rudresh Mahanthappa, Joe Lovano, Vincent Herring, Gary Bartz, Bobby Watson
Charlie Parker was born 100 years ago on August 29, 1920. Although he died at 34 years old in 1955, his legacy is so powerful that jazz would be a very different music if not for his contributions. In the intervening 65 years, Bird’s music has continued to influence and inspire, now, several generations of players and fans. In the past decade, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Joe Lovano and the alto trio of Vincent Herring, Gary Bartz and Bobby Watson have dedicated projects to his music. Moreover, countless players have continued to record and perform his music. The musical legacy of Charlie “Yardbird” Parker in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 04 Bird at 100: Rudresh Mahanthappa, Joe Lovano, Vincent Herring, Gary Bartz, Bobby Watson
05 Presenting Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
To many, Wynton Marsalis’s big band, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, founded in 1987, is the face of jazz. With an international touring schedule, they have kept alive the tradition of big band jazz while recording an admirable series of discs. Yes, they record their share of classic jazz, but more than a museum of antique music, Jazz at Lincoln Center also commissions inspiring new repertoire for large jazz ensembles. And it can be thrilling to hear music of heroes like Ellington performed as it was composed – for large ensembles of total pros.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 05 Presenting Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
06 The Legacy of Leonard Bernstein: Joe Policastro, Bobby Sanabria, Ted Nash, Jason Moran, Jane Ira Bloom
In 2018, Leonard Bernstein would have been 100 years old, generating renewed interest in his work. His compositions, especially those from West Side Story continue to inspire many fine jazz performances with their beautiful melodies, compelling rhythms, and unique harmony. 100th birthday tributes by Bobby Sanabria & the Multiverse Big Band and, on the other end of the spectrum, Joe Policastro and Ted Nash in trio settings plus more jazz responses to the Maestro – in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 06 The Legacy of Leonard Bernstein: Joe Policastro, Bobby Sanabria, Ted Nash, Jason Moran, Jane Ira Bloom
07 Great Young Singers – Cécile McLorin Salvant, Charenee Wade, Jazzmeia Horn, Veronica Swift
In 1987, the first Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition was held. Among the winners were Marcus Roberts and Joey DeFrancesco. On a roughly annual basis, the competition is held, now focussing on a different instrument each year and renamed in 2019 the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition. The competitions in 2010 and 2015 celebrated vocalists and the juries which included Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Al Jarreau, Dianne Reeves and Luciana Souza recognized Cécile McLorin Salvant and Charenee Wade in 2010 and Jazzmeia Horn and Veronica Swift in 2015 – all of whom are well on their way to making significant contributions to the music. The Classes of 2010 and 2015 in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 07 Great Young Singers – Cécile McLorin Salvant, Charenee Wade, Jazzmeia Horn, Veronica Swift
08 Pulitzer and Polar Prizes – Henry Threadgill, Wadada Leo Smith, Wayne Shorter
Much of Jazz at 100 Today! so far has focussed on younger musicians who are making their mark on the music. In this hour, we look at the late career honors for Henry Threadgill and Wadada Leo Smith who have been honored by the Pulitzer Prize Committee and Wayne Shorter, the recipient of the 2017 Polar Prize.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 08 Pulitzer and Polar Prizes – Henry Threadgill, Wadada Leo Smith, Wayne Shorter
09 Modern Big Bands – Marshal Gilkes, Gerald Wilson, Brian Lynch, Electric Squeezebox, Ed Palermo, Christian McBride
Since the early days of jazz, composers, arrangers, and players have sought out large ensembles for their potential for rich expression and vibrant musical color. Even in the heyday of small-group dominated bebop, Dizzy Gillespie formed a big band as soon as he was able. To this day, while few bands can hold together as touring units, some find regular work in public radio, especially in Europe, some hold weekly residencies in a few major cities and, more frequently, a number reassemble periodically for purposes of recording. Big Band charts from Marshall Gilkes, Gerald Wilson, Brian Lynch, Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, Ed Palermo, and Christian McBride in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 09 Modern Big Bands – Marshal Gilkes, Gerald Wilson, Brian Lynch, Electric Squeezebox, Ed Palermo, Christian McBride
10 Israeli Ex-Patriots in New York – Omer Avital, Anat Cohen, Avishai Cohen, Yonathan Avishai, Gilad Hekselman and Idan Morim
Fueled by the arrival of Israeli ex-patriot guitarist Roni Ben-Hur in 1985 and bassists Omer Avital and Avishai Cohen in late nineties, a network of Israeli musicians have steadily filtered into New York over the past twenty years. Several have risen to the highest levels of acclaim.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 10 Israeli Ex-Patriots in New York – Omer Avital, Anat Cohen, Avishai Cohen, Yonathan Avishai, Gilad Hekselman and Idan Morim
11 Hard Bop Still Cookin’ – Terell Stafford, The Cookers, Aaron Diehl, Chano Dominguez, Pancho Sanchez
Since the 1950s, there have consistently been players who found in Hard Bop a comfortable place to return to even as the focus of the music ebbed and flowed. Perhaps this is because so many heroes of modern jazz created the music that defined the term – players like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Clifford Brown, Horace Silver, Art Blakey and Lee Morgan. Or perhaps the infectious groove is fun to play and brings great pleasure to audiences. For whatever reason Hard Bop cannot really have a revival, because it has never gone away. In this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!, we will listen to recent examples of the lasting power of Hard Bop in the jazz world.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 11 Hard Bop Still Cookin’ – Terell Stafford, The Cookers, Aaron Diehl, Chano Dominguez, Pancho Sanchez
12 Big Band Suites – Maria Schneider, Jim McNeely, Rufus Reid, Darcy James Argue, Brian Krock
Duke Ellington envisioned long-form jazz compositions before the technology was created to support them. Initially limited to around six minutes on two sides of a 78 RPM disc, the advent of the 12’ Long-Playing record liberated Ellington and other jazz composers to conceive and record extended compositions. Several contemporary composers are continuing to explore the format with enthusiasm. Recent suites from Maria Schneider, Jim McNeely, Rufus Reed, Darcy James Argue and Brian Krock in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 12 Big Band Suites – Maria Schneider, Jim McNeely, Rufus Reid, Darcy James Argue, Brian Krock
13 West Coast Get Down – Kamasi Washington, Cameron Graves, Throttle Elevator Music
In the past several years, a suite of players have emerged from Los Angeles, many of whom grew up together, loosely connected by the name West Coast Get Down. The most visible player in this scene is Kamasi Washington from a jazz perspective, but Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner and Miles Mosely have made significant records in a pop and R’n’B vein. Composer and pianist Cameron Graves anchors Washington’s releases and has become known as a significant artist through his own release. Music from the West Coast Get Down in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 13 West Coast Get Down – Kamasi Washington, Cameron Graves, Throttle Elevator Music
14 The Diverse Musical Settings of Vijay Iyer – Solo, Duo, Trio & Sextet
The last decade was one of immense consequence and productivity for pianist/composer Vijay Iyer. In 2012 alone, in the DownBeat International Jazz Critics Poll he was voted Artist of the Year, Pianist of the Year, Small Group of the Year (the Vijay Iyer Trio), Album of the Year (Accelerando), and Rising Star Composer of the Year. Then in 2013, he received the McArthur Fellowship, often called the McArthur Genius Grant. He started the decade recording for Munich based ACT Music and in mid-decade moved across town to ECM. His releases uniformly received critical acclaim as he recorded with a South-Asian trio, then several times with a conventional piano trio, with side trips to solo recordings, string quartets, sublime duos and a surprising three-horn sextet.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 14 The Diverse Musical Settings of Vijay Iyer – Solo, Duo, Trio & Sextet
15 The Rhythm Bombers of Manassas High – Charles Lloyd, George Coleman, Harold Mabern
On September 20, 2019, tenor giant Charles Lloyd wrote, “I am quite at a loss to express the acute pain I feel learning about the departure of my brother and long time friend, Harold Mabern. This hits very close to home – we go back to the early 1950s when we were both members of the Rhythm Bombers at Manassas High in Memphis – along with Frank Strozier, [and] Booker Little.… Matthew Garrett (Dee Dee Bridgewater’s father) was our music director. Jimmie Lunceford started the music program at Manassas and it had a very rich tradition. George Coleman and Hank Crawford had gone there just before us.”
Booker Little died at 23 years old. Great hard-bop altoist Frank Strozier left the music scene thirty years ago. Charles Lloyd, tenor player George Coleman and pianist Harold Mabern recorded some of the best music in their careers in the past decade. While Mabern passed in 2019, Lloyd and Coleman are still active players. Recent work from the Rhythm Bombers of Manassas High in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 15 The Rhythm Bombers of Manassas High – Charles Lloyd, George Coleman, Harold Mabern
16 New Organ Combos – Dr. Lonnie Smith, Organissimo, Deep Blue Organ Trio, William Parker, Swallow Quintet, Joey DeFrancesco
In 1956, Jimmy Smith created the organ trio of organ, guitar and drums. Soon thereafter, his quartets with Lou Donaldson and Stanley Turrentine defined the organ – saxophone quartet sound. Today, these traditions live on and, although the instrumentation may vary slightly, the debt to Jimmy Smith’s pioneering soul jazz trios and quartets is persistent.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 16 New Organ Combos – Dr. Lonnie Smith, Organissimo, Deep Blue Organ Trio, William Parker, Swallow Quintet, Joey DeFrancesco
17 Little Big Bands – Cory Weeds, Dave Holland, Todd Marcus, Jamie Baum, Steve Coleman, Charlie Haden, Anat Cohen
Between the standard small jazz ensembles of quartets, quintets and sextets and the powerhouse big bands is a world of ensembles with eight, nine, ten or eleven players. Famously, The 1949 Birth of the Cool sessions were from a nonet assembled by Miles Davis, with arrangements by Gerry Mulligan, Gil Evans and John Lewis. Bands of this size are a nimble playground for creative arrangers. Little Big Bands in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 17 Little Big Bands – Cory Weeds, Dave Holland, Todd Marcus, Jamie Baum, Steve Coleman, Charlie Haden, Anat Cohen
18 Commanding Singers Gregory Porter and Kurt Elling
Between the standard small jazz ensembles of quartets, quintets and sextets and the powerhouse big bands is a world of ensembles with eight, nine, ten or eleven players. Famously, The 1949 Birth of the Cool sessions were from a nonet assembled by Miles Davis, with arrangements by Gerry Mulligan, Gil Evans and John Lewis. Bands of this size are a nimble playground for creative arrangers. Little Big Bands in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 18 Commanding Singers Gregory Porter and Kurt Elling
19 Today’s Latin Big Bands – Dafnis Prietos, Arturo O’Farrill, Miguel Zenon, David Murray, Antonio Adolpho and Bobby Sanabria
Cuban influences have been heard in jazz since the 1940s. The 1960s brought significant Brazilian sounds into the music. Today, musicians from throughout Latin America are shaping the music, never more vibrantly than in large Latin ensembles. Latin Big Bands lead by Dafnis Prietos, Arturo O’Farrill, Miguel Zenon, David Murray, Antonio Adolpho and Bobby Sanabria in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 19 Today’s Latin Big Bands – Dafnis Prietos, Arturo O’Farrill, Miguel Zenon, David Murray, Antonio Adolpho and Bobby Sanabria
20 Legacy Saxophone from Joshua Redman and Ravi Coltrane
Dewey Redman (1931 – 2006) and John Coltrane (1926 – 1967) are giants in jazz history. Their sons Joshua Redman (born 1969) and Ravi Coltrane (born 1965) are among the most prominent players playing today. Has there ever been another time in jazz history when two of the most admired players are children of jazz masters? And it is even more extraordinary that both sets of fathers and sons all are great tenor players. Joshua Redman and Ravi Coltrane in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 20 Legacy Saxophone from Joshua Redman and Ravi Coltrane
21 Chick Corea & Keith Jarrett in Small Groups
Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea emerged from the 60s among the best pianists of their generation. Recording steadily over the next five decades, they are iconic masters in many musical formats, particularly notable for their small ensemble work. As time has gone on, Jarrett has focussed on solo recordings and recordings in a trio with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, mostly live. While Corea records in a rich variety of settings, his best work is arguably in the intimate settings of duos and trios. Recent projects from piano titans Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 21 Chick Corea & Keith Jarrett in Small Groups
22 Guitar Trios – Julian Lage, Lionel Loueke, Charlie Ballantine, Jakob Bro, Gilad Hekselman, Anthony Pirog, Steve Tibbetts
Guitar, bass and drum trios appear sporadically throughout jazz history, but do not see much frequency as a format until the 1970s, when guitarists like John Abercrombie and Pat Metheny adopt the small ensemble more frequently associated with rock power trios. In the last decade, a growing number of guitarists have settled on the trio as their preferred template. Guitar trios from Julian Lage, Lionel Loueke, Charlie Ballantine, Jakob Bro, Gilad Hekselman, Anthony Pirog and Steve Tibbetts in this hour of Jazz at 100 today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 22 Guitar Trios – Julian Lage, Lionel Loueke, Charlie Ballantine, Jakob Bro, Gilad Hekselman, Anthony Pirog, Steve Tibbetts
23 The Legacy of Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter began composing for the Jazz Messengers in 1959 and over the past 60 years has amassed perhaps the most significant catalog of jazz compositions of his time. Many of his, roughly, one hundred compositions are standards of the current repertoire. In this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!, we’ll explore recent renditions of his classic tunes by today’s working artists.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 23 The Legacy of Wayne Shorter
24 Tenor Titans – The Many Sides of Chris Potter
Chris Potter came on the scene in the early 1990s and proceeded to collaborate with a “Who’s Who” of modern jazz including Paul Motian, Patricia Barber, Renee Rosnes, Billy Hart, Dave Douglas, Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler, and Pat Metheny. While his work as a leader is highly celebrated earning him standing among the best saxophone players and band leaders of his generation, his continuing contributions to the projects of long-standing partners like Holland, Motian and Rosnes add an almost unparalleled richness to his discography. This is first of four programs dedicated to today’s Tenor Titans – recent work illustrating the diversity of Chris Potter’s musical efforts in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 24 Tenor Titans – The Many Sides of Chris Potter
25 Tenor Titans – Mark Turner Now
Tenor player Mark Turner is one of the few prominent players who identify tenor player Warne Marsh as an influence. Marsh was a student of pianist/composer Lennie Tristano, whose compositional influence can also be heard in Turner’s work. Over the past 25 years, Turner has released a relatively small set of discs as a leader, with the preponderance of his work represented by his extensive sideman activities and the work of Fly, his trio with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard, whose music was presented in an previous program in this series. This mix seems to be changing as German label ECM is providing Turner with more opportunities to present his work on his own releases. The second of four programs featuring today’s Tenor Titans – recent work from Mark Turner in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 25 Tenor Titans – Mark Turner Now
26 Saluting Harold Arlen
Born Hyman Arluck on February 15, 1905, Harold Arlen was one of the most important composers of the Great American songbook. Arlen’s first collaboration with lyricist Ted Koehler, Get Happy, became his first hit in 1930 and ever since his tunes have been covered by jazz artists. In 2000, his collaboration with Yip Harburg, Over the Rainbow, from The Wizard of Oz, was deemed the Number One Song of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts. Instrumental artists and vocalists still find Arlen’s songbook compelling and there are many current examples of inspired performances. A birthday salute to Harold Arlen in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 26 Saluting Harold Arlen
27 Tenor Titans – More Fabulous Playing From Joe Lovano
For almost forty years, as Joe Lovano has been growing as an artist, he has produced a series of discs as a leader in a wide range of formats from duos and trios to nonets, dectets and large ensembles. Always in demand, his guest appearances on other leaders’ dates have produced some of his best work. This is the third of four programs featuring today’s Tenor Titans – highlights of Joe Lovano’s diverse work in the past decade in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 27 Tenor Titans – More Fabulous Playing From Joe Lovano
28 Tenor Titans – Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis, tenor and soprano saxophone maestro and member of the important musical clan, emerged forty years ago in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and as a sideman in his brother Wynton’s early endeavors. For thirty years, the primary vehicle for his own releases has been predominantly the sax – piano – bass – drums quartet but recently he has produced work in a duo with long-time collaborator, pianist Joey Calderazzo. He continues to also flourish in outside projects with other jazz leaders. The final of four programs featuring today’s Tenor Titans – recent music from Branford Marsalis in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 28 Tenor Titans – Branford Marsalis
29 Tributes to Monk, Part 1
Although he has been gone now 39 years, and it has been much longer since he stopped writing, no composer of modern jazz has garnered more attention from his fellow musicians than Thelonious Monk, whose work is the subject of a continuous stream of tribute recordings. Groups as diverse as the Bobby Broom Trio, the Microscopic Septet and John Beasley and MONK’estra have assembled releases from their favorite compositions, but Miles Okazaki, in a solo set, and the Frank Kimbrough Quartet have gone all in with releases of every known Monk composition – the ultimate homage. Tributes to the composer Thelonious Monk in this hour and the next of Jazz at 100 Today
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 29 Tributes to Monk, Part 1
30 Tributes to Monk, Part 2
Around the 100th anniversary of Thelonious Monk’s birth in 2017, there were so many excellent collections of his music released that the previous hour of programming couldn’t contain them all. More Monk Tributes from John Beasley and MONK’estra, the Microscopic Septet and Wadada Leo Smith in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 30 Tributes to Monk, Part 2
31 Women in Jazz … and Only Women
In 2020, for the first time, woman musicians won half of the instrumental categories in the Jazz Journalists Association’s annual awards program. To celebrate Women’s History Month, we are going to turn over the next several programs to women artists, whose numbers are steadily growing within the jazz ranks, making the music stronger. This hour of Jazz at 100 Today! will explore the music of All-Women groups – Terri Lyne Carrington & The Mosaic Project, Monika Herzig’s Sheroes, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, The Tiptons Sax Quartet and Artemis. Jazz Women in the next hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 31 Women in Jazz … and Only Women
32 Women in Jazz – Fabulous Singing, Part 1
The past decade has been a great one for lovers of jazz singing with most of the exciting music coming from women singers. In this hour and the next of Jazz at 100 Today! we’ll survey 20 releases from 15 female vocalists who range from the rediscovered vintage jazz of Catherine Russell to the powerful hybrid music of newcomer Zara McFarlane. We are celebrating Women’s History Month on Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 32 Women in Jazz – Fabulous Singing, Part 1
33 Women in Jazz – Fabulous Singing, Part 2
The past decade has been a great one for lovers of jazz singing with most of the exciting music coming from women singers. In this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!, we will complete our survey, begun in the last program, of 20 releases of 15 female vocalists performing songs from the Great American Songbook, contemporary pop tunes and their own compositions. We are celebrating Women’s History Month on Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 33 Women in Jazz – Fabulous Singing, Part 2
34 Women in Jazz – In Tribute to Billie
In 2015, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Billie Holiday’s birth. In 2020, the documentary Billie was released and now the flawed biopic The United States vs. Billie Holiday has come out. In the last several years, there have been significant tribute records by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Cassandra Wilson and José James. In addition, songs from Billie’s repertoire have earned a permanent place in jazz performance, being represented on many recent releases. Interest in Billie Holiday has never been higher. As we continue to celebrate Women’s History Month, a tribute to Billie Holiday in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 34 Women in Jazz – In Tribute to Billie
35 Women in Jazz – Woodwind Players
Never have there been more prominent women clarinetists, saxophonists, and flutists in jazz that there are today and that trend has been increasing steadily for years. In the 25th annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards alto player Lakecia Benjamin was the Up and Coming Musician of the Year, Lauren Sevian was the Baritone Saxophonist of the Year, Jane Ira Bloom was the Soprano Saxophonist of the Year, Nicole Mitchell the Flutist of the Year, and Anat Cohen the Clarinetist of the Year. In addition, young tenor saxophonists Roxy Coss and Melissa Aldana have become well-known for their playing and composing. The new world of women jazz woodwind players in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 35 Women in Jazz – Woodwind Players
36 Women in Jazz – Pianists / Composers
Until recently women in jazz were predominantly singers and pianists. While women have expanded their contributions, women players still excel in both roles and there are an amazing group of women pianists enriching the music today, many of whom are top-flight composers. In our final program dedicated to women in jazz, celebrating an extended Women’s History Month, we’ll hear from some great pianist / composers.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 36 Women in Jazz – Pianists / Composers
37 Ellington Today – Always Hip
Every year dozens of top-flight musicians cover tunes from the biggest book in jazz – the Duke Ellington Songbook – with some 1100 entires. In this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!, we’ll listen to a few of the diverse responses to this body of work ranging from pianists Frank Kimbrough, Ahmad Jamal, Fred Hersch and Norah Jones to guitarists Dave Stryker and Mary Halverson, and trumpeter Terell Stafford.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 37 Ellington Today – Always Hip
38 Tomorrow’s Warriors, the Sound of London, Part 1
London has always been home to a thriving jazz scene. Several things distinguish that scene today – the gender and racial diversity of the players, their achievement at a young age and the wide range of musical influences from hip-hop, club sounds and the African and Caribbean diaspora. Much of this diversity has its roots in the innovative educational organization, Tomorrow’s Warriors, whose work over the past thirty years has produced a crescendo of young artists coming of age today.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 38 Tomorrow’s Warriors, the Sound of London, Part 1
39 Tomorrow’s Warriors, the Sound of London, Part 2
In the last hour, we began to explore the new London scene anchored by a broadly diverse set of players who share encouragement by the innovative educational group Tomorrow’s Warriors. We featured music by Nubya Garcia, one of three tenor stars who are breaking out of the scene and in this hour we’ll turn our attention to the other two, 37-year-old Shabaka Hutchings and 34-year-old Binker Golding – players, mentors, teachers and charismatic advocates for improvisational music.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 39 Tomorrow’s Warriors, the Sound of London, Part 2
40 Remembering Gil Scott-Heron
Gil Scott-Heron, musician and poet much loved in the jazz community, passed away 10 years ago on May 27, 2011. His recordings of the 70s and early 80s are critical touchpoints of that era, documenting African-American indignity and pride with a raw street passion. His final release, I’m New Here in 2010, his first in 16 years, was uncharacteristically preoccupied by family and loss. In the last decade, singers Giacomo Gates and Charenee Wade and beat artist Makaya McCraven have paid tribute in three excellent discs. Remembering Gil Scott-Heron in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 40 Remembering Gil Scott-Heron
41 Trumpet Master Tom Harrell – Mainstream Melodocist
Tom Harrell has been an active musician for over 50 years. After stints with a wide range of prominent bands including those of Horace Silver, Lee Konitz and George Russell, he came to maturity with the Phil Woods Quintet from 1983 – 1989. For the past three decades he has released a series of discs on roughly an annual basis that are consistently well-received. In 2018 he was the Jazz Journalists Association Trumpeter of the Year. In this next hour of Jazz at 100 Today!, we will begin our series on trumpet masters with Tom Harrell.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 41 Trumpet Master Tom Harrell – Mainstream Melodocist
42 Trumpet Master Jeremy Pelt – Hard Bop and More
Emerging as a recording artist in 2002, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt’s warm tone and thoughtful improvisation initially brought hard bop legends Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard to mind. After two decades, his mature post-bop work evidences a willingness to experiment with sound and ensemble make-up. Miles Davis’s Second Great Quintet and his electric period both emerge as influences from time-to-time interspersed with straight ahead acoustic dates. You can count on Jeremy Pelt for inventive improvisation, impeccable tone, nuanced performance and a deep sense of the history of the music. Most recently he has published a book of his interviews with jazz luminaries accompanied by a disc of compositions based on this accumulated wisdom. Trumpet Master Jeremy Pelt in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 42 Trumpet Master Jeremy Pelt – Hard Bop and More
43 Happy Birthday, Cole Porter
Born June 9, 1891, we are celebrating Cole Porter’s 130th birthday. This means that Porter was 27 years old, having already had shows produced on Broadway, when the first jazz recording was made in 1917. Early recordings by James P. Johnson, Jimmie Lunceford, Teddy Wilson and Django Reinhardt showed the adaptability of his compositions to the jazz world before Artie Shaw’s landmark recording of Begin the Beguine in 1938. Today his beautiful melodies, compelling harmonies and clever lyrics begin to explain his enduring appeal. This hour of Jazz at 100 Today! will present recent recordings from Porter’s songbook by today’s jazz stars.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 43 Happy Birthday, Cole Porter
44 Trumpet Master Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – Looking Forward
Since he began recording at nineteen, now thirty-eight year old Christian Scott ATunde Adjuah has been developing one of the most distinguishable trumpet sounds in jazz or as he prefers “creative improvised music.” A nephew of alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, Jr., he is graduate of the storied New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and then Berklee College of Music giving him one of the most distinguished set of credentials in the music. Through incorporating elements of hip hop, rock, ambient, funk, and Afrorock he has been celebrated as one of the players that are creating the future of jazz. The forward-looking sounds of Christian Scott ATunde Adjuah in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 44 Trumpet Master Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – Looking Forward
45 Trumpet Master Ambrose Akinmusire – Broad Vision
Known as a constantly searching and forward-looking musician, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire won the Thelonious Monk (now Herbie Hancock) International Jazz Competition in 2007 at 27 years old. His first disc, Prelude to Cora, announced a bright new talent willing to honor multiple strains of influences from hip-hop to classical with stops at post-bop, funk, and free jazz. His periodic highly-regarded solo efforts have been complemented by a string of excellent sideman collaborations. Recent work from exciting young trumpeter Ambrose Akimusire as we wrap up our four-part exploration of today’s trumpet masters in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 45 Trumpet Master Ambrose Akinmusire – Broad Vision
46 Charles Owens Trio – “10 Years” Track by Track
For a decade, tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator Charles Owens has been leading a trio with bassist Andrew Randazzo and drummer Devonne Harris. The Charles Owens Trio has celebrated this tenure with a new release, 10 Years. Chris Pearson in the Times of London wrote in his review, “The first thing you notice about Charles Owens is the tone. The American tenor saxophonist is a player of irresistible warmth.” Indeed. We visit with Charles Owens and hear selections from the trio’s new disc in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 46 Charles Owens Trio – “10 Years” Track by Track
47 Remembering Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson was likely the most important tenor saxophonist to come out of the 60s. Possessing a big distinctive tone, he brought gravitas to every setting in which he played. He also left a catalog of compelling compositions including several that have become standards, such as Inner Urge or Recorda-Me whose mastery is required for today’s improvising musicians. To illustrate the continuing power of these fine tunes, this hour of Jazz at 100 Today! will feature recent versions of Henderson’s memorable works featuring some of the greatest current players.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 47 Remembering Joe Henderson
48 Sounds of Home and Heroes – Rudresh Mahanthappa
In the 13 years since 2008, the alto saxophone award in the annual Jazz Journalists Association awards program has gone to either Rudresh Mahanthappa or Miguel Zenón 10 times. Despite having very different sounds and approaches to the saxophone, their creative paths have much in common. Both began recording around the turn of the century. Both have paid homage to major alto heroes – Mahantahappa to Charlie Parker and Zenón to Ornette Coleman. And both have explored the intersection of their cultural roots with jazz – Mahanthappa bringing South-Asian music into his work and Zenón celebrating his Puerto Rican roots – illustrating how jazz is becoming steadily more international. Over the next two programs, we will look at highlights of the last decade in the works of these commanding alto players, starting with Rudresh Mahanthapa in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 48 Sounds of Home and Heroes – Rudresh Mahanthappa
49 Sounds of Home and Heroes – Miguel Zenón
In the last hour, we heard from Rudresh Mahanthappa who, together with Miguel Zenón, has dominated the critics polls for alto players over the past decade Like Mahanthappa, Zenon brings his heritage into the mix featuring the music of Puerto Rico as not just an influence, but an inspiration. Also like Mahanthappa, he pays tribute to his alto hero in his most recent recording to honor Ornette Coleman. Recent music from Miguel Zenón in the next hour of Jazz at 100 Today!
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 49 Sounds of Home and Heroes – Miguel Zenón
50 Allison Miller and Friends
For over a decade, drummer Allison Miller has led and been the principal composer for the band Boom Tic Boom. The group was launched in 2010 as a quartet with Jenny Scheinman on violin, Myra Melford on piano, and Todd Sickafoose on bass, but was augmented to a sextet more recently with the addition of virtuosic clarinetist Ben Goldberg and cornetist Kirk Knuffke. Each of these strong players has produced powerful music outside the band, making this an under-recognized supergroup. In this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!, we’ll listen to several releases from Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom plus samples from Jenny Scheinman, Myra Melford and Ben Goldberg on their own projects.
Annotated Playlist and Resources available at: 50 Allison Miller and Friends
