On part 1 of the CTI ALL-STARS: CALIFORNIA CONCERT we’ll present their historic 1971 show at the Hollywood Palladium. With Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Hubert Laws, George Benson, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham and more.

Alan Broadbent – Part Two. In this two-part show, I talk with Alan about his early years in Los Angeles and his arranging for Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, Kristen Chenoweth, his love for Mahler and finally realizing a jazz symphony composition, the idea for which he had over twenty years ago.

Reggie Watkins Quartet. Long time Pittsburgh resident trombonist, pianist and band leader Reggie Watkins has released four recordings as leader and has appeared on many others. From 1999 to 2006 he served as trombonist and musical director for trumpeter and band leader for Maynard Ferguson and later served in the same capacity with singer-songwriter Jason Mraz from 2008 to 2013. Reggie has four releases as bandleader including his May 2025 release Rivers and he performs selections from that album here. Daniel Peck is your host as his quartet joined us on stage for this June 20th, 2025 performance – Live at the Bop Stop.

Johnny Otis. This week, the late, great Johnny Otis is honored. He was a true renaissance man. Otis was a singer, songwriter, drummer, bandleader, talent scout, record label owner and radio / TV show host and that's not everything he did. He was the son of Greek immigrants, growing up in a mostly Black section of Vallejo, CA where the local kids were his friends during the 1920s and 30s. His given name -Veliotes- was shortened to “Otis” by his classmates; it stuck and he used it professionally. He celebrated the vibrancy of African American music and its power to unite people across racial boundaries, coming to think of himself as “Black by persuasion.” He went from playing drums at the Club Alabam on Central Ave. in LA to opening his own Barrelhouse Club in Watts in 1947, creating a scene of his own. His first records were made just as the big bands were dying off and the jump combos were rising. Johnny Otis did not interpret rhythm and blues, Johnny Otis WAS rhythm & blues. From his first recordings for Leon Rene's Excelsior Label in 1945 to his commercial breakthrough in 1949-50 for Herman Lubinsky's Savoy Label to his great rock n roll success with "Willie And The Hand Jive" for Capitol in 1958, Johnny Otis did more than almost anyone to push Black Music into the mainstream, creating rock 'n roll. Highlights from the early part of Otis amazing career from 1945-1958. It s not an overstatement to say that the music we enjoy today is here because of what Johnny Otis recorded, played and produced in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This Juke is truly The Johnny Otis Show.

John Scofield (ENCORE). Guitarist John Scofield picks 10 of his favorite tracks from his own catalog and shares the stories behind them as he celebrates 50 years of recorded music.

On Part 2 of the CTI ALL-STARS: CALIFORNIA CONCERT we’ll present their historic 1971 show at the Hollywood Palladium. With Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Hubert Laws, George Benson, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham and more.

Melinda Rose & Frenchy Romero. Longtime friends and musical collaborators, vocalist Melinda Rose and pianist Frenchy Romero first met in their teens during a weekly jam session in Miami, then stayed in touch with mutual support and encouragement as they continued studying and developing their individual creative visions. Now, after years of gigging and teaching together and on their own, they’ve joined forces on their first CD as a team, I’m On My Way, a collection of standards and originals.

Concurrence. Pianist Paul Horton and Bassist Greg Bryant work together as the driving forces behind beat driven improvisational Nashville based collective Concurrence. This performance celebrates the release of their 2024 album Indivisible - which examines the impact and after effects of the harm caused by the development of the interstate system within communities in the United States but with a particular focus on Nashville's Northside neighborhood. The duo collaborates with some of contemporary jazz's best drummers on tour and on Indivisible including Tommy Crane, Derrek Phillips and Aaaron Smith, whom you'll hear on this performance. Featuring Paul Horton on piano and keys, Greg Bryant on Bass and Aaron Smith on Drums, Daniel Peck is your host for this October 27th, 2024 performance of Concurrence....Live at the Bop Stop.

Julia Lee. During the 1920s, Kansas City was the heart of Jazz and the epicenter of American Music. George E. Lee and His Novelty Singing Orchestra was one of the most popular bands in that town at that time. At the center of the band, playing piano and singing was Julia Lee, the sister of bandleader George E. Lee. Julia was a fantastic singer with a powerful voice. We begin this week's program, dedicated to Julia Lee, with one of her earliest records, "He's Tall, Dark And Handsome," which was issued in early 1930 and showcases her singing style. Remembered today for her double entendre songs of the 1940s, Julia Lee was much more than that. Matt The Cat takes you through her early years in the Kansas City scene and then her rise to fame recording for Capitol Records in LA. She scored two #1 R&B records with 1947's "Snatch and Grab It" and 1948's "King Size Papa." Each of those singles remained on the charts for over a half a year! She was so popular during the late 1940s that it's hard for us today to truly appreciate her widespread success. "King Size Papa" and "I Didn't Like It The First Time (The Spinach Song)," a tune probably about marijuana, actually crossed over into the Pop Chart! An amazing feat considering the slightly risque subject matter as well as the segregation of musical styles at the time. Showcasing the records and artists that time has somehow forgotten is exactly what the "Juke In The Back" is all about and this week is no exception as we highlight the wonderful career of Julia Lee. We lost her way too soon as she died at the age of 55 in 1958, but this week, her music lives again.

Fred Hersch (NEW!). Pianist Fred Hersch, who turns 70 this year, looks back on a storied career filled with some of the most daring and imaginative collaborations in jazz. He shares 10 personal favorites, plus brand-new music.