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Louise previews shows from a jam packed marathon week of jazz and blues.

Johnny B. focuses on bandmates of Miles and Trane, what they recorded and how they moved on from playing with the two giants of jazz

Jazz legend Sonny Rollins famously retreated from the spotlight at the peak of his career to practice in isolation on the Williamsburg Bridge. He ended his hiatus in late 1961 and returned to recording with his famous 1962 comeback album titled The Bridge, directly honoring his time on the East River span. We honor the recently departed giant with a look at this pivotal time in his career.

In 1965 a New Orleans legend was born at Ivanhoes on Bourbon Street when The Meters took to the stage. They rapidly became the house band for Allan Toussaint's Sansu & DeeSu labels, going on to have hit instrumentals and playing on Wings, Dr John and Robert Palmer sessions into the 1970s. The Rum Cove takes a deep dive into the history of one the most well loved New Orleans bands. Let The Meters Funkify your life.

Sixty-one years after A Love Supreme, spiritual jazz lives on, and while no longer soaked in the Indian drones of the 70s, the music pulls from a variety of influences and yet leaves you transcendent, including artists such as Kamasi Washington, Shabaka, Alabaster DePlume, Dave Douglas, and Angel Bat Dawid.

Herbie Hancock, one of the most prominent surviving collaborators or Miles Davis, was told by his leader, “Don’t play the butter notes.” Shortly after the young Herbie was recruited by Miles to join his quintet in 1963, he launched his own solo career on Blue Note Records. Tune in to find out what the great Miles Davis told his protegee about avoiding churned dairy product and let DJ Lambchop milk your support for WTJU.

Not satisfied with their souls being weighed down by gravity, jazz giants such as John Coltrane, Sun Ra and Wayne Shorter transcended themselves and their art in an attempt to breach the farthest reaches of the final frontier. Let’s open our ears and our minds to the sounds of space as interpreted through our earthly avatars.

Guitarist Jeff Massanari has been an amazing addition to the Central VA jazz scene. A very accomplished player and fiery soloist, he has released a number of albums and played with an impressive roster of jazz heavy hitters. His Tuesday residency at Rapture has become must listening. For the live show he has a strong ensemble featuring Eric Franzen on keyboard, Karl Kimmel on bass and Pat Hayes on drums.

An alternate-history broadcast imagining that John Coltrane lived and reunited with Miles Davis just as Miles was going electric. Using only real recordings,we will contruct the concert or double album they might have made: Miles’ molten funk colliding with Trane’s spiritual and avant-garde trajectory. The program opens with a knowingly fictional period-style concert announcement, then unfolds in four “album sides.” Donors vote on the direction of the final side: deeper into the cosmos, further into the groove or toward an impossible encore.

This show will feature the music of saxophonist, singer and band leader Jimmy Castor. Reaching his peak popularity in 1972 with a top 5 hit about a groovy cave man, this native New Yorker blended funk, soul, & R&B, and often a healthy dose of humor to produce some of the most danceable music you’ve (n)ever heard.

One of only two bassist ever to receive the Downbeat Lifetime Achievement Award, Ray Brown broke in with Dizzy, recorded with Bird, Lady Day and Prez and spent four decades with Oscar Peterson, while amassing a substantial discography as a leader. 3-6am Cookin’, Relaxin’ Workin’, Steamin’ (The Miles Prestige Marathon) with Rus Perry Considered the greatest recording marathon in jazz history, over two day-long sessions, Miles and his First Great Quintet at its peak fulfilled their contractual obligations to Prestige Records by recording 26 tracks that became four LPs.

Considered the greatest recording marathon in jazz history, over two day-long sessions, Miles and his First Great Quintet at its peak fulfilled their contractual obligations to Prestige Records by recording 26 tracks that became four LPs.

Following up on last year's marathon show, two hours of classical music reimagined by geniuses of jazz, Miles and Trane included!

Women have led and are leading popular jazz bands all over the world! Most are masters at their instruments and /or singing and have a strong influence on the genres of the day, especially jazz. We will draw from the recent history of women band leaders who are creating exciting, new, recorded music and giving inspiring performances with their bands on stages everywhere. Artists featured include Terri Lyn Carrington, Esperanza Spaulding, Helen Sung Big Band, Nubya Garcia, Hiromi Uehara, and Eliane Elias.

Two of the greatest jazz ensembles of all times were the First Great Quartet of Miles Davis, 1955 - 1958 (Miles - Trane - Red Garland - Paul Chambers - Philly Joe Jones) and the Classic Quartet of John Coltrane, 1962 - 1965 (Trane - McCoy Tyner - Jimmy Garrison - Elvin Jones). Join us for two hours of sublime collaboration from these bands (and perhaps a little Kind of Blue).

Abbey Lincoln, Betty Carter, Carmen McCrea, and Dinah Washington. These divine divas sing the ABC's of love and more.

Join Ye Olde Dave and DJ Funemployed for a comprehensive journey through the impressive career and catalog (so far) of this sonically visionary guitarist and collaborator…we’ll explore his solo work, his compositions with seminal post-rock band Tortoise and the groundbreaking ETA Quartet, along with rarities and side projects, with 100% forecast of After The Rain.

Your favorite Beatles songs have been reimagined through jazz arrangements here, there, and everywhere. This show picks up where last year's "Here Comes The Sun: Bright Moments in Beatles Jazz" left off, with more jazz covers of the Fab Four's catalog.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Coltrane. While Coltrane is perhaps best known for exploratory and intense improvisations, he also contributed numerous compositions to the jazz canon. His tunes have been used as test pieces and improvisational springboards by many of his contemporaries and by subsequent generations of musicians. We take this opportunity to explore the interpretations of Coltrane’s music, in varied formats and styles, by other great improvisors.

Jazz vocalist Paulien, originally from the Netherlands, brings a warm, expressive sound to the WTJU Jazz Marathon, blending the intimacy of classic jazz with a French and European flair. Her style is lyrical and soulful, marked by nuanced phrasing, effortless swing, and a distinctive emotional depth. Paulien will have an all-star group with Bill Edmonds on guitar, Joseph Nichols on bass, Trevor Williams on vibes and Michael Elswick on sax.

Wallace Roney (1960-2020) was the only musician to study under Miles Davis. Roney was accused during his lifetime of imitating Miles and that debate continues on. We'll listen to selections from the Roney discography and you can decide for yourself if Roney was an imitator or innovator.

From his earliest solo records to his time with Miles Davis to the groundbreaking fusion of Mahavishnu Orchestra and multiple side projects, McLaughlin has been regarded as one of the most powerful forces in the history of electric guitar. How many notes can we fit into two hours? Tune in to find out!

Having grown up in Philadelphia with Trane and his musician brothers Percy and Tootie, Jimmy Heath became one of the most recorded hard bop composers while releasing a swinging discography.

Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet instantly elevated Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Tony Williams ,who launched significant recorded legacies even while still playing in the band.

Celebrate the magical musical bond between vocalist Billie Holiday and tenor saxophonist Lester Young. This show explores their classic late-1930s and 1940s recordings, highlighting how "Lady Day" and "Prez" changed American jazz forever.

Miles’ orchestrated collaborations with Gil Evans on a series of albums were career highlights. His take on Porgy and Bess is a classic. Alice Coltrane collaborated with her husband John on the beautiful album Infinity that combined strings and harp with his tenor sax. Coltrane’s music was orchestrated with a brass ensemble on Africa Brass. We’ll also visit the group Turtle Island String Quartet’s Grammy winning album A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane. Hear the music of these masters in a lush setting.

Tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders was among the most important contributors to the evolution of spiritual jazz, creating emotionally complex and uncompromisingly passionate music for over 60 years. Sanders got his start playing alongside John Coltrane in the mid 60's, just as Coltrane’s playing was turning to more chaotic free jazz expressions, and Sanders carried over some of that euphoric upheaval into his own albums.

Bitches Brew sparked something that could not be put out! Hear Miles and various collaborators set fire to jazz and rock stages in the late 60s and early 70s.

A career-spanning look at the legendary British bassist's who remains active today. He ties in to the marathon's overall theme with his two years in Miles Davis' band. Loads of different styles of music to feature in his roles as sideman and leader, including work with well-known global artists like Anouar Brahem and Zakir Hussein.

Miles Davis and John Coltrane fundamentally reshaped modern music across genres. Their music and styles have been covered by acoustic string bands and incorporated into electric jams. They served as a key inspiration for the Grateful Dead. Hear gems and jams from artists such as David Grisman and Jerry Garcia, Carlos Santana, the String Cheese Incident, Phish, and the Derek Trucks Band.

Retired UVA history professor John Mason will join Gary for an exploration of the life and music of Abdullah Ibrahim (formerly Dollar Brand), who passed away this year at the age of 91. Ibrahim was a pianist and composer from Cape Town, South Africa, and his music reflected the many styles and influences from that melting pot.

John Mason traveled to South Africa and interviewed many of Ibrahim's friends and collaborators, resulting in a widely acknowledged article published in the African Studies Quarterly. Join us for 2 hours of music and reflections on the life of one of the great jazz artists.

Saxophonist Greg Weaver (The Hard Modes, Cville Jazz Congregation) is deploying his special project ensemble, the Limit Break 4, for this year's marathon! With special guests including singer-songwriter Devon Sproule, percussionist Sam Cushman, and more, the core quartet—Pat Hayes (drums); Gabe Planas (keys); and Ryan Gilchrist (bass)—expands its ranks to feature new arrangements of music by Cuban nueva trova legend Silvio Rodríguez. Push past your boundaries with every passing note as together we elevate our consciousnesses and journey into jazz unknown!

Though it is not clear that they ever met, Miles Davis was clearly influenced by Jimi Hendrix as Miles launched into his electric period in the late 60’s. Electric guitars were added to the brew and included some guitarists still recognized today such John McLaughlin, John Scofield, Sonny Sharrock, and Michael Stern. There were a slew of other lesser known guitarists who floated through the bands and we will sample their work as well. Join Steve and Gary for a sampling of electric Miles with emphasis on the guitarists.

A trip into the strange and stylish world of Exotica, where jazz, tropical rhythms, lush orchestration, and inventive percussion came together in the 1950s and '60s. Featuring Martin Denny, Les Baxter, Esquivel, Arthur Lyman, and more, this show explores the colorful, slightly surreal side of mid-century jazz, along with the tiki culture, cocktails, and hi-fi records that helped make it a distinctly American escape.

Tony Bennett was the first great male jazz singer to come to prominence after the Big Band Era, carving out a distinctive niche with small ensembles that gave room for his warm and intimate singing.

Having given the gift of two of the most amazing collections of compositions in jazz history, the music of Miles and Trane lives on in countless versions recorded every year by talented disciples and we'll hear some recent examples.

From 1944 to 1957 preeminent Jazz musicians toured the United States for producer Norman Granz's "Jazz at the Philharmonic" concerts. Classical Sunrise host Ken Nail dives into the exciting live performances recorded during these concerts, featuring a Who's Who of the eras greatest jazz musicians.

Two hours of Thelonious Sphere Monk to help get the day started. Is there anything better? How about making a donation to WTJU to keep it going? 434-924-3959 or online at wtju.net. Let them know Monk sent you...

John Coltrane during his association with Prestige Records, Miles Davis and Atlantic Records, wrote and performed a set of compositions using unique chord structures which became known as the Coltrane Changes. We'll play originals, covers, and antecedents of those compositions which include "Giant Steps", "Equinox", "Satellite" and many others.

Louise has some fun with jazz songs that include either Miles and/or Trane in the titles or lyrics. She'll also feature some vocalese on classic Miles and Trane tunes. Hear Mark Murphy, Eddie Jefferson, Gil Scott-Heron, Abdullah Ibrahim, Manhattan Transfer, Kurt Elling, Jon Hendricks and many more as they pay tribute to the jazz masters.

He locked himself away for months to master the beast, and when he emerged, the Hammond B3 would never again sound the same. Learn to love Jimmy Smith on the 2026 WTJU Jazz Marathon.

Miles of Aisles: The Jazz Vocals of Joni Mitchell

The Juddermeister presents his favorite tunes of the alto saxophonist, bandleader, composer, and yes, vocalist, Sweet Poppa Lou Donaldson on his 100th anniversary of birth. Known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, and influenced by Charlie Parker, he became one of the funkiest in the business, playing with artists such as Blue Mitchell, Donald Byrd, Art Blakey, Idris Muhammad, to Jimmy Smith and John Patton

More Trumpet, originally an Offbeat Roadhouse concert, brings legendary trumpeter John D’Earth and rising star Will Evans back together for a powerful tribute to the music and legacy of Miles Davis. As part of the WTJU Jazz Marathon, this special performance celebrates Davis’s enduring influence through the voices of two generations of Charlottesville jazz.

From the Pentecostal Church to Hawaiian Music to the Blues Juke Joints to Country and Western Music, we will look at the different genres using this unique slide guitar music. Different tunings, different cultures, different music, this will be journey of musical contributions by the simple Lap Steel Guitar.

The Harmolodic No-Wave. Sharp, urban, chaotic, and aggressive. Explore the recently departed Ulmer's connection with the late-70s and early-80s downtown New York loft scene where jazz and punk collided.

Randy Weston was one of the first jazz players to forge a connection to their ancestral African roots, while on the way creating a fruitful musical partnership with fellow centenarian trombonist Melba Liston.

Before Trane and between Trane and Wayne Shorter, Miles recorded with a who's who of prominent tenors - Sonny Rollins, George Coleman, Hank Mobley and Sam Rivers, each with their own unique sound.

We all know the cool cats of Swing: Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, the Dorseys, Earl Hines, Lionel Hampton, Glenn Miller, and Artie Shaw. Those are wonderful and worth a listen. But American sub cultures also knew how to Swing: Western, Cajun, Hawaiian, Yiddish and Creole. And there's swing from cultures all around the world: African, Cuban, French, Hungarian, Swedish and even Korean. Come for a swinging adventure!

We celebrate the career of the great British pianist, composer and band leader George Shearing who passed away 15 years ago. Shearing joined the Stephane Grappelli band in 1942 before performing with several groups including Oscar Pettiford Trio and Buddy DeFranco’s Quartet. He developed a complex style combining classical influences with jazz, swing and bop. He recorded with too many artists to mention, but I will focus on his trio and his work with Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme and Peggy Lee.

If hard bop were a home cooked meal, soul jazz would be the biscuits and gravy. Rooted in hard bop but dripping with gospel influences as well as rhythm & blues, soul jazz is often centered around small combos containing guitar and the Hammond B3 organ. Tune in Friday, October 2, from 10am to noon, to hear The Jazz Messenger Show host Brian Keena take on soul jazz, with an emphasis on the mid-1960s. Be prepared to pledge your hard-earned dollars to WTJU while grooving to the music of Grant Green, Shirley Scott, Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Smith, Shirley Scott, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Wes Montgomery and many more!

Miles's "second great quintet:” Miles, Wayne Shorter,Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams recorded six studio albums from 1965 to 68. They were notable for Miles playing more of an A & R role than a composer, picking compositions mostly from his band all of whom were great composers. Miles assembled a stellar group and let them loose. We'll listen to selections from these albums as well as some newer covers from those lps.

Bill Frisell at 75 invites listeners into the shimmering, genre-blurring world of one of America's most inventive guitarists. Join Mike Burris and Gary Funston as they trace Frisell's restless path through jazz, Americana, folk, and ambient soundscapes, pairing his own recordings with the surf rock, country, and film music that shaped his ear. Woven between the tracks are stories from his decades-long career-collaborations with Paul Motian, John Zorn, and Elvis Costello.

Miles Davis worked with a remarkable lineup of pianists across his career, arguably one of the greatest pianist rosters any bandleader ever assembled. This show will focus on the pianists who orbited Miles across five decades, tracing how each new set of hands at the keyboard pushed him toward his next reinvention. From Red Garland's blues-soaked block chords to Bill Evans' impressionist hush, Wynton Kelly's swing, Herbie Hancock's harmonic daring, and Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett's electric rupture, "Keys to Miles" asks not just who Miles Davis was, but who he became, again and again, every time he found a new pianist to challenge him.

On a special Jazz Marathon edition of On With the Show, we’ll hear jazz greats Miles Davis and John Coltrane’s versions of some classic show tunes, featuring music by Richard Rodgers, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin and more.

Saxophonist Sharel Cassity, Director of Jazz Performance at the University of Virginia, is an acclaimed performer, educator, and DownBeat Rising Star. A dynamic voice on the contemporary jazz scene, she brings her virtuosic playing and deep musicality to the WTJU Jazz Marathon.

We pay tribute to the recently departed WTJU DJ Dave Rogers (Professor Bebop) by listening to some of the blues artists the Professor championed during his nearly 5 decade career at WTJU.

Follow us down the rabbit hole into Alice Coltrane's life of music. We will explore the different chapters of her career, beginning with recordings done with her husband and ending with her devotional music.

Following in Jimmy Smith’s footsteps, Jack McDuff created a personal Hammond B3 sound in collaboration with saxophonists Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Lou Donaldson, Sonny Stitt and Red Holloway, and guitarists Grant Green and George Benson.

While neither Miles nor Trane recorded with Latin rhythms, their compositions have inspired a myriad of players to wrap the familiar themes with traditional Afro-Latin rhythms.

The Canadian record label, Jazz Oracle existed from about 1994 until 2020. Their mission in life was to restore and reissue some of the rarest and most obscure jazz recordings of the 1920's & 1930's. They were able to release about 70 albums featuring artists such as; Ben Pollack, Frank Trumbauer; Georgia Washboard Stompers; George McClennon; Fess Williams; Red Nichols and more. So get up early and tune in for some of the best early classic Jazz.

Jazz is most often associated with woodwinds, horns and drums with electric guitar sometimes featured. However, many folk musicians include jazz numbers in their repertoire as well. During this show, we'll focus on banjos, mandolins, fiddles, acoustic guitars (including resonators) and upright bass as 'folk' musicians explore various sub genres of jazz on their instruments.

We celebrate the late WTJU announcer Dave Rogers who brought his Professor BeBop show to the WTJU airways for nearly 5 decades. We’ll feature classic Bebop intros and the great jive, soul, R&B and soul he fed into our knowledge boxes. Special guests including Charlie Pastorfield will share stories about what made the Professor such a Charlottesville institution, putting some hip in your hop and bip in your bop, blowtop.

Syncopated Soul Sounds, Jamaica-style… bass-and-guitar as one, horns as punctuation, the Heart of STAX in the soul of the Caribbean.

For some of us, our first introduction to jazz was via the hip hop gateway and the jazz samples artists used on their albums. Rocker Panels and DJ Nowhere Girl will focus on A Tribe Called Quest and the jazz samples they seamlessly incorporated into their albums.

Miles and Coltrane. Dylan and Bloomfield. Peter Welch and David Soyka. Wait, what do the last two guys have to do with the first two pair? Well, just as Mile and Coltrane brought often misunderstood innovations to jazz, Dylan and Bloomfield brought equally misunderstood innovations to electric blues. Peter Welch, host of WTJU's longest running blues show, and David Soyka, host of Jumpin' on the Bed that frequently features Dylan's catalog, take an in-depth look at Bob Dylan and the Blues. From Dylan's roots as a folk and blues artist to the infamous "gone electric" phase and beyond, Dylan plays the blues like nobody else (except maybe Willie McTell). In addition to Dylan's own blues, we'll also feature covers by the many major blues artists that have been inspired by Dylan. Please tune in and don't let us be misunderstood in raising funds to support this unique radio station.

Bill Graham presents the Miles Davis Quintet at the Fillmore Auditoriums. Sample some of the new brew from Miles Davis's 1970 live performances in New York and San Francisco.

Trombonist Ryan Snow takes his inspiration from the improvisation of Miles Davis electric groups with ideas flying and the music going into the unknown. Joining Ryan is the brilliant guitarist Jamal Millner and an adventurous rhythm section of André La Velle and Pat Hayes.

The ancients believed that Euterpe, music muse, created wind instruments to delight the gods with artistry. We mortals have our own artists that take Giant Steps to inspire generations. Miles and Trane gave Impressions to today's bards to capture the spirit of the Moments, Notice the Milestones along the way, and Tune Up. Today's talent draws from those waters and combines it with funk, club, and afro-beat to ignite Solar flares in your dome. Don't be a Lazy Bird! Dig, and allow the echoes of the past, mixed with the grooves of today to bring you joy! Countdown to the next rump shaker!

New artists who sound like vintage Miles and Coltrane, even while pushing new ideas. Hear music from Christian McBride, Gregory Porter, and newer Jazz artist.

Coming up the Stan Kenton's Big Band, saxophonist Bud Shank became a first-call studio player in LA, recording a series of fine small ensemble records over a long career while contributing to may pop records.

Pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones became well known through their membership in John Coltrane's Classic Quartet, trading on that notoriety to shape extensive catalogs on their own.

Is more always better?

If one great voice is, well, great, wouldn't two be greater?

Gospel Quartets in the 1930's and 1940's were a defining feature of Black American church music, evolving from early jubilee quartets into a distinct, full voiced style that blended spirituals, hymns and new compositions. Join us as we visit with the Southern Wonders, the Silvertone Jubilee Quartette, the Shelby Gospel Four, Mitchell's Christian Singers, the Heavenly Gospel Singers and many, many more favorite quartets.

"The Gentle Side of John Coltrane" was a two record set released by ABC Impulse! eight years after the passing of John Coltrane. Join the legendary duo of Charlie Curtis (Straight, No Chaser) and Brian Keena (The Jazz Messenger Show) as we move you and groove you with many tracks from this compilation, as well as other Coltrane-centric tunes. There is quite possibly no better way to spend the first October Sunday morning than in the Church that Trane Built.

Miles Davis was just 21 years old when he first connected with Canadian arranger/composer Gil Evans in New York in 1947. Despite their 14-year age gap, Miles and Gil found in one another musical kindred souls, interested in experimentation and the new. This show will highlight this extraordinary collaboration, built over 40 years, on albums such as Birth of the Cool, Sketches of Spain, Porgy and Bess, Miles Ahead, and Quiet Nights.

The quintet V.S.O.P. featuring Miles alums Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter and Tony Williams along with trumpet giant Freddie Hubbard began as a project paying tribute to Miles at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1977. By this point, each of the musicians had carved out successful careers as leaders and composers. The festival show went so well that they got together several more times for tours and recordings. Hear these giants nurtured by Miles as they perform material from all the members.

Get your funk on with jazz funk legends like the Meters, Greyboy Allstars, New Mastersounds, and many more!

The Habibi Funk reissue record label is mostly known for Arabic funk and soul bands from the 1960-80s. We'll lean into the psych heavy sounds of Arabic Jazz from this label and others.

Corey Harris is an acclaimed blues guitarist, vocalist, scholar, and cultural ambassador whose music draws deeply from the blues traditions of the American South and their connections to African and Caribbean music. A celebrated performer and MacArthur Fellow, Harris brings a soulful, deeply informed voice to the WTJU Jazz Marathon live broadcast.

Prolific composer, virtuoso pianist, self proclaimed inventor of jazz,Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, aka Jelly Roll Morton (1890-1941), was jazz's first arranger, proving that a genre rooted in improvisation could retain its essential characteristics when notated. Here we'll explore the interpretations of the many artists who have performed his arrangements.

Soul ballads that are unusually intense, with heavy playing and/or overly passionate singing. Featured: The Dells, Jerry Butler, Irma Thomas, P-Funk, Swamp Dogg, and a slew of obscure small label gems.

From his membership in the band that became the Jazz Messengers in fifties through a long tenure at Blue Note Records, Lou Donaldson charted an increasingly funky path with a series of organists.

The 1949 Miles Davis sessions that became the LP The Birth of The Cool, captured a vibe that informed a generation of West Coast players, yet the composers and players on the original recordings were New Yorkers, among them Gerry Mulligan, John Lewis, Lee Konitz, JJ Johnson and Kai Winding.