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Venturing onward to New York seems to be a necessary step in the careers of most aspiring jazz artists. Guitarist Tim Picard has been a Northeast Ohio mainstay, equally adept in straight ahead and free jazz. But time marches on and opportunities abound in the Big Apple, so Tim is off to New York, but not before one last performance of originals and favorites. Backed by Theron Brown on Piano, Jordan McBride on Bass and Zaire Darden on Drums, and from a July 24th, 2025 performance, Daniel Peck is your host for the Tim Picard Quartet . . . Live at the Bop Stop. -
Imperial Records, Part 1 - 1947-50. Imperial Records was a major player among the indie labels of the late 1940s and the entirety of the 1950s. Started in Los Angeles in 1946 by Lew Chudd, a Canadian raised in Harlem, Imperial began filling the ethnic and cultural voids left by the majors at the time. Chudd knew there was a large market for Latino Music in America, so he headed to Mexico City and recorded some Mexican jump bands that sold very well. He then included square dance records which also racked up sales as now square dances could be held without callers. He began recording Rhythm & Blues in 1947 and by '49, he had hired Dave Bartholomew to scout talent in fertile New Orleans. The Braun Brother had beat him to The Crescent City by recording Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie first, but with Bartholomew's help, Chudd was able to sign Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, Archibald and Jewel King, dominating the New Orleans R&B scene. This week, we begin a series looking at the huge impact that Imperial Records had on R&B during the late 1940s into the mid-1950s. In part 1, Matt The Cat will showcase Imperial's earliest R&B releases from 1947-1950. We'll see how the boogie woogie stylings of Dick Lewis, "Poison" Gardner, Charlie "Boogie Woogie" Davis and Lloyd Glenn gave way to the New Orleans blues of Tommy Ridgley, Jewel King, Smiley Lewis and Fats Domino, who would become the biggest artist ever on the Imperial label.
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Stacy Dillard and Keigo Hirakawa. A chance meeting with Wynton Marsalis in Dayton, Ohio led Stacy Dillard to New York where the saxophonist thrives fronting three of his own bands that cut across R&B/Funk and Hip Hop and serves as an in-demand sideman.It’s also where he met pianist Kiego Hirakawa with whom he partners for this performance. Keigo has spent the last 20 years touring the Midwest with his piano trio and has released three full length albums as a leader including his most recent release Pixel. From a July 20th, 2025 performance, Daniel Peck is your host for Stacy Dillard and Kiego Hirakawa…Live at the Bop Stop. -
Imperial Records, Part 2 - 1950-51. Imperial Records was a major player among the indie labels of the late 1940s and the entirety of the 1950s. Started in Los Angeles in 1946 by Lew Chudd, a Canadian raised in Harlem, Imperial began filling the ethnic and cultural voids left by the majors at the time. Chudd knew there was a large market for Latino Music in America, so he headed to Mexico City and recorded some Mexican jump bands that sold very well. He then included square dance records which also racked up sales as now square dances could be held without callers. He began recording Rhythm & Blues in 1947 and by '49, he had hired Dave Bartholomew to scout talent in fertile New Orleans. The Braun Brother had beat him to The Crescent City by recording Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie first, but with Bartholomew's help, Chudd was able to sign Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, Archibald and Jewel King, dominating the New Orleans R&B scene. This week, we continue our Imperial series with part two, focusing on the 78s released during the 2nd half of 1950 and into the first half of '51. Fats, Smiley and Jewel are back, but with the departure of Bartholomew over an argument in late '50, Imperial turns to more down-home blues recordings. We'll dig on some stellar records from accomplished bluesmen: Country Jim, Smokey Hogg, Mercy Dee and Lil' Son Jackson. The future Guitar Slim made his very first records for Imperial before topping the charts in '54 for Specialty with "The Things That I Used To Do." Child actor and future music producer H.B. Barnum made his musical debut on shellac with Chudd and Imperial in 1950 and blues icons T-Bone Walker and Big Joe Turner recorded some fine sides for the label as well. Matt The Cat keeps those records spinning as he features part two of the Imperial Records Story. -
Pianist Fred Hersch looks back on a fearless life in jazz, sharing personal favorites, stories behind bold collaborations and music from his new album. -
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We revisit my 2000 conversation (one of my first for Jazz Inspired) with author, film critic and film historian Leonard Maltin. We discuss Leonard’s favorite jazz, growing up in a musical family, his own piano playing and his four-hand duet with me on Entertainment Tonight early in my career. Yup, Leonard did a five-minute feature on me for ET. In TV terms that’s VERY long. These days even Taylor wouldn’t get five minutes on ET, so this was a career changing moment for me that I owe to Leonard. -
Nathan Paul: Life’s Notes. Nathan-Paul grew up a pastor’s son in Cleveland, and knows how to deliver sound medicine to the people. His velvety lo-fi sounds are a vibe-heavy soul party, fusing modern trap, 70s funk, and fiery southern gospel. And Fusion is an apt word for this performance, which he terms Life’s Notes. This show is steeped in improvisation, borders on free jazz but really is best described as an hour of experimental Fusion. Featuring Garret Folger on Trumpet, Zaire Darden on Drums, Kip Reed on Bass, Chris Anderson on Trombone, Howard Alexander on Piano and Nathan Paul on Saxophones and from a September 27th, 2025 performance, Daniel Peck is your host for Nathan Paul: Life’s Notes…Live at the Bop Stop. -
Ponta Lopud Jazz festival. On a picturesque island off the coast of Dubrovnik, the Ponta Lopud Jazz Festival creates a rare space for artists to connect and create. Co-founder and Croatian American singer Thana Alexa is at the heart of it. Hear how a quaint festival becomes a larger-than-life experience, with performances by Sofía Rei and more.
