Straight Life: Art Pepper @ 100 / The Contemporary Recordings, Part 1. Art Pepper was one of the greatest alto saxophonists in the history of jazz. On this episode we’ll be featuring Art in some of his greatest sessions, made between 1956 and 1959. In the company of the likes of Warne Marsh, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, and with an 11-piece band arranged and conducted by Marty Paich.

Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton have individually and collectively won, Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and on and on. Emma’s father, costume, set and production designer, Tony Walton (who passed away in 2022) won three Tonys, an Academy Award and an Emmy. Yes, it’s a talented family. Emma and Julie have written thirty-five children’s books, many illustrated by Tony. Their latest, Waiting in the Wings, is based on a family of ducks who took up residence outside Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, NY, the theater Emma started with her husband Steven Hamilton and Cybil Christopher in 1991. Tony Walton generously agreed to be my first guest on Jazz Inspired, twenty-five years ago, so having Emma and Julie on now is a wonderful way for me to celebrate Waiting in the Wings, and 25 years--so far--of Jazz Inspired.

Andy Bianco. New York City based jazz artist/composer/educator/advocate Andy Bianco has performed with Kandace Springs, Bob Moses and Deborah Cox. When he’s not busy touring, he’s an educator and an advocate through the establishment of scholarships through the Phillip Bianco Memorial Scholarship Fund. He took time out of teaching at the New York Jazz Workshop to present selections from his most recent album NYC Stories with a trio. Featuring Jordan McBride on Bass and Andrew Kirk on Drums, and from a July 23rd, 2023 performance, Daniel Peck is your host for the Andy Bianco Trio – Live at the Bop Stop.

Atlantic Records, Part 1 - 1947-49. Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this behemoth 14 part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part one, we'll look at Atlantic's first recordings from 1947-49, which mostly feature Jazz and Jazz-inspired Rhythm & Blues. Joe Morris had a killer group, highlighted by future jazz legends Johnny Griffin, Elmo Hope, Percy Heath and Philly Joe Jones. Tiny Grimes' outfit rounded out Atlantic's early instrumental offering, before "Stick" McGhee gave Atlantic its first hit record with his big #2 smash "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" in 1949. With the addition of Ruth Brown and her #4 hit, "So Long," Atlantic was on its way in establishing itself as a Rhythm & Blues powerhouse. This program is highlighted by excerpts of an interview conducted with Atlantic's co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, a few years before his death in 2006. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.

August 25 would have marked Wayne Shorter’s 92nd birthday. To honor the occasion, Jazz Night in America presents an encore of our tribute to this iconic saxophonist and composer. We celebrate Wayne Shorter’s eternal body of work with concert performances, interview moments, and music picks from our host, Christian McBride.

Straight Life: Art Pepper @ 100 / The Contemporary Recordings, Part 2. In Part 2 we’ll be featuring Art in three sessions he did in 1960, in the company of Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, Conte Candoli, Jack Sheldon, Frank Butler and more.

Jurassic World Rebirth producer, Frank Marshall, is an Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Oscar winning producer/director. But it’s not just about dinosaurs, as Frank is a lifelong jazz fan too! Frank grew up on picturesque Lido Isle in Newport Beach, CA surrounded by the musical friends of his father, jazz guitarist, composer, arranger, Jack Marshall, whose arrangement of “Fever” for Peggy Lee was one of many celebrated albums he worked on for Capitol Records in the late ‘50s and 60s. Frank Marshall has produced and/or directed multiple stage shows and films, including the Jason Bourne, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future and Jurassic World franchises. Through it all, music has played a major role in Frank’s life and his memories of being surrounded by great musicians growing up is a vivid and joyous. In the summer of 1972, Jack Marshall and trumpeter/vocalist, Jack Sheldon joined forces to entice trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker back into the studio after Chet had stopped recording, due to an injury to his mouth. The record was made but never released until Frank recently discovered the master and together with Zev Feldman, produced Chet Baker & Jack Sheldon, In Perfect Harmony: The Lost Album.

Aidan Plank Presents the Music of Lyle Mays. While Lyle Mays was widely known for his work with Pat Metheny, his solo work has warranted considerably less attention, unfortunately. In this performance, Northeast Ohio based bassist Aiden Plank enlisted performers from the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra alongside other Midwest based musicians to explore and perform compositions from the catalog of the 11-time Grammy winner. Featuring Anthony Fuoco on Piano, Dan Bruce on Guitar, Dustin May on Drums, Brad Wagner on Saxophones, Garret Folger on Trumpet and Flugelhorn, Dan Bailey on Keyboards, Patrick Duke Graney on Percussion and Aiden Plank on Bass, and from a December19th, 2024 performance, Daniel Peck is your host for Aiden Plank Presents the Music of Lyle Mays - Live at the Bop Stop.

Atlantic Records, Part 2 - 1949-50. Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc. is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this 14-part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part two, we'll see how Atlantic continued its sporadic hit streak with a few charting instrumentals from saxophonist Frank "Floorshow" Culley as well as Professor Longhair's debut record for the label. Ruth Brown, who had a pretty quiet start to 1950, ends the year with the biggest hit of her career and one of Atlantic's bestselling records of all-time. "Teardrops From My Eyes" hit #1 in early December and remained there for 11 weeks, carrying it deep into 1951. This was the beginning of Brown's decade-long reign that earned Atlantic the nickname, "The House That Ruth Built." This program is highlighted by excerpts of an interview conducted with Atlantic's co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, a few years before his death in 2006. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.