Suga' in My Bowl
Photo Credit: @HayeurJF via Flickr. Creative Commons by-sa 2.0. Some Rights Reserved.
We plan to eventually have (almost) full Suga’ in My Bowl audio archives posted right here, with the long-form interviews we’re known for preserved. We’ll add older shows as soon as we can get them uploaded: please keep checking back for new content! New shows will be added after they air on WBAI. The latest show is also online in WBAI’s archive for 14 days after the original broadcast date.
To listen to archived audio, click on the triangles and the stream should start. Each show is approximately 2 hours long, except where noted.
Our streaming should work with mobile browsers: it works on iPads/Phones, and a few Android devices we’ve been able to test it with. If it’s not working for you on a desktop/laptop computer, make sure you are using relatively current browser software, which you can download for free. Please let us know if it doesn’t. We can’t troubleshoot your system, but it helps us to find software incompatibilities. Thanks — and enjoy the archives.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 and revisits an older interview with pianist Harold Mabern, who died September 19, 2019. Mabern discusses his development as a musician and his work with well-known musicians including Miles Davis and Lee Morgan, who he was with when Morgan was shot to death. Mabern also discusses his teaching and later work with some of his own alums who’ve gone on to successful careers, most notably saxophonist Eric Alexander. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, September 10, 2019 and focuses on the trumpeter Keyon Harrold. Harrold discusses his development as a musician, the influence of his family on his artistic development, and musical collaborations including his incredibly detailed process creating music for Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, August 27, 2019 and focuses on the vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater. Bridgewater discusses her long career, including her former political work with the Black Panther Party and her acting career. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, August 20, 2019 and focuses on the documentary film Decade of Fire, which tells the story of the South Bronx in the 1970s with an eye on the people and community organizations who didn’t flee and instead fought to keep and rebuild their neighborhood. Director Vivian Vazquez Irizzary talks about the film and the story and we provide the soundtrack from Fania Records. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 and features a new interview with one of our favorite guests: bassist Christian McBride. Since we last talked to him, Christian’s been busy. He returns to catch us up on hosting NPR’s Jazz Night in America, Roy Hargrove’s death, his developments with his groups, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, June 23, 2019 and focuses on the life and career of the late violinist Billy Bang. Along with Bang’s music, the show features interviews with bassist William Parker, trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah, and poets Monique Ngozi Nri, Ngoma Hill, and Louis Reyes Rivera. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, June 16, 2019 and features an interview with Eliane Henri, director of the in-progress documentary film Hargrove, focusing on the late trumpeter Roy Hargrove. Keyboardist Marc Cary returns to offer his insights on Hargrove’s music and Spike Wilner, owner of Smalls Jazz club, discusses Hargrove’s involvement in the New York jazz club scene. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 and continues our tribute to National Poetry Month by featuring an interview with poet Carl Hancock Rux that we originally aired in 2011. Rux takes us through a rich history of Harlem Jazz, along with his development as a poet and spoken word artist. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
Audio coming soon
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 and continues our tribute to National Poetry Month by featuring an interview with poet and Black Arts Movement legend Nikki Giovanni that we previously aired. Giovanni discusses her long career, including appearances on the early 1970s series SOUL!, recordings, friendship with Miles Davis, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 and features a new interview with pianist Aaron Parks. Parks discusses his career, including playing with Terence Blanchard, soundtrack collaboration with Spike Lee, and his current ensemble Little Big. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
Audio coming soon
Sonia Sanchez and jessica Care moore
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 and features an interview with poets Sonia Sanchez and jessica Care moore that we originally aired in 2010. Associate producer Hank Williams joins in to co-host the discussion. Sanchez and moore discuss the Black Arts Movement and its legacy, their own work, jazz influences and collaborations with musicians in jazz and hip hop, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 and features an interview with vocalist Charenee Wade. Wade discusses her musical approach, teaching, her Offering release and her approach to adapting Gil Scott Heron’s classic work, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
Audio coming soon.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 and features an interview with vocalist and flautist Melanie Charles. Charles discusses her musical approach, her The Girl With the Green Shoes release and Make Jazz Trill Again project, collaborations with Rat Habitat, and education with the New School’s Jazz program. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
Audio coming soon.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 and features an interview with pianist Carla Bley. Bley discusses her musical approach and her long career including collaborations with Steve Swallow. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
Audio coming soon.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, March 5, 2019 and features an interview with trumpeter Jaimie Branch. Branch discusses her debut Fly or Die release, development as a musician, work with the group Anteloper, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, February 12, 2019 and features an interview with vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Camille Thurman. Thurman discusses her career, approach to vocals and instrumentation, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, January 29, 2019 and features a rebroadcast of a 2010 interview with the late pianist and NEA Jazz Master Randy Weston. Associate producer Hank Williams joins regular host Joyce Jones for a discussion of Thurman Weston’s long career. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 and features an interview with organist Joey DeFrancesco. DeFrancesco discusses his career, including working with Miles Davis and his In the Key of the Universe release. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
Audio coming soon
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 and features a much older interview with vocalist Nancy Wilson. Wilson discusses her long career, including her approach and thoughts on being a song stylist. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 and features a rebroadcast of an interview with saxophonist Gary Bartz as part of our formal coverage for the 2019 Winter Jazz Fest, where Bartz appears. Bartz discusses his long career, including important collaborations and his Ntu Troop ensemble. This show also marks our shift ti a weekly Tuesday night schedule. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Tuesday, January 6, 2019 and features an interview with saxophonist Marcus Strickland. Strickland discusses his career and work with the Twi Life ensemble. This was our last show in the Sunday night time slot. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, December 23, 2018 and features an interview with drummer Billy Hart. Hart discusses his development as a musician, work with Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi, and current work with the supergroup The Cookers. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, November 25, 2018 and features an interview with drummer Leon Parker. Parker discusses his development as a musician, work with body percussion, and current work with pianist Aaron Goldberg. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, November 11, 2018 and features an interview with trumpeter Eddie Henderson. Henderson discusses his unusual entry into music–a career he entered after finishing medical school–including his stint with Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi group and his current work with the supergroup The Cookers. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
It Must Schwing! The Blue Note Story
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, October 28, 2018 and features an interview with Eric Friedler, director of the documentary film It Must Schwing! The Blue Note Story, which is having its new York City premiere at the 2018 DOC NYC Festival. Friedler discusses the filmmaking process, the two friends who ran the label during its golden years, and the Blue Note legacy. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, October 14, 2018 and features an interview with trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard. Blanchard discusses his current work with the E-Collective ensemble, work as a composer for film scores, how he sees art and politics intersecting, and his long career. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday September 30 2018 and features an interview with bassist Joëlle Léandre. Léandre discusses her current work the Tiger Trio ensemble of herself, Myra Melford, and Nicole Mitchell. She also talks about her influences and the importance of spaces such as New York City’s Vision Festival and her anger at the current political scene. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
Mr. SOUL! with Melissa Haizlip
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, September 16, 2018 and features an interview with Melissa Haizlip, producer and co-director of the documentary film Mr. SOUL! Ellis Haizlip and the Birth of Black Power TV. Haizlip discusses the creative process behind her film chronicling a groundbreaking TV show and we discuss some of the many musicians and poets who were featured guests on the early 1970s series. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, September 2, 2018 and features an interview with bassist Cecil McBee. McBee discusses his musical influences and collaborations with other musicians, including his current work as part of The Cookers. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, August 19, 2018 and features an interview with bassist Jamaladeen Tacuma. Tacuma discusses his musical influences and collaborations with other musicians, including his stint with saxophonist Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time band and an explanation of the Coleman’s Harmolodic Theory. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, August 5, 2018 and features an interview with Blues vocalist Shemekia Copeland. Copeland discusses her relationship to her father, Blues legend Johnny Copeland, her own approach to the music, and her America’s Child release. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, July 22, 2018 and features an interview with Nana Camille Yarbrough. Nana Camille discusses being part of the famed Katherine Dunham dance ensemble, her small role in the original Superfly film, the influence of Dr. John Henrik Clarke, and the influences on her The Iron Pot Cooker and Ancestor House releases. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, July 8, 2018 and features an interview with Jake Maginsky, director of the documentary film Milford Graves: Full Mantis and a discussion with Graves himself. Maginsky discusses the inspiration to create a film of Graves (who is his drum teacher) and how he approached the task of filming Graves. After that, we revisit a previous interview done with Graves on the show where regular host Joyce Jones and co-host Hank Williams ask Graves about his introduction to drumming, growing up in Queens NY, the 1960s Black Arts period, his collaborations with Albert Ayler, Amiri Baraka, the experience of playing at John Coltrane’s funeral, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, May 13, 2018 and features an interview with pianist Dave Burrell as part of our coverage of the 2018 Vision Festival, where Burrell will receive a lifetime achievement award. Burrell discusses his introduction to music, his family’s fascinating connection with the Harlem Renaissance that provoked his own composition on the subject, interest with the stride piano style, and collaborations with Archie Shepp, Pharaoh Sanders, and others. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, April 29, 2018 and focused on luthier (guitar maker) Linda Manzer. Manzer’s guitars are highly sought after and clients include Pat Metheny, Milton Nascimento, and Julian Lage. Manzer discusses how she became involved in her craft, her approach to guitar design, and her collaboration with Metheny to produce the stunning Pikasso 42 strong guitar, the result of Matheny asking for a guitar with “as many strings as possible”. This is interspersed with plenty of music from Matheny, Nascimeto, and others See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, April 15, 2018 and focused on the career of the guitarist Nels Cline. Cline, possibly best known as part of the band Wilco, has deep roots in Jazz and experimental music. Cline discusses his musical influences, collaborations with guitarists Marc Ribot and Julian Lage, how he chooses a guitar, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, April 1, 2018 and focused on the career of the drummer William Hooker. Hooker discusses his Great Migration suite, an ambitious presentation that combines music, dance, visuals, and testimony of elders who made the trip northward in the African American mid-20th Century flow from the south. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, February 18, 2018 and focused on the career of drummer TS Monk, who also directs the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. Monk discusses his musical influences, growing up in the shadow of his famous father, his own career, and offers interesting insights on the development and current state of the music gleaned from his own experience and role running an institute that prepares young musicians. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, January 21, 2018 and focused the career of the vocalist Jazzmeia Horn, whose album A Social Call has been nominated for a 2018 Grammy Award. Horn discusses her musical influences, spiritual approach to art and life, and the importance of scatting and why she does it. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, December 24, 2017 and focused the career of the vocalist Fay Victor, who will be performing in several ensembles at the 2018 Winter Jazz Festival, including her own SoundNoiseFUNK. Victor discusses her musical influences, her process of developing as a musician, and her approach to the craft of singing. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
Winter Jazz Fest & Geri Allen Tribute
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, December 24, 2017 and focused the career of the late pianist Geri Allen, who will be the subject of a tribute concert at the 2018 Winter Jazz Festival. We gathered a list of Allen’s collaborators to reflect on her life, interspersed with Allen’s music. Long time Manager and friend Ora Harris, Motema Records President Jana Herzen, Drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, Professor and Author Farah Jasmine Griffin, Pianist Vijay Iyer, Ruth Cameron Haden (widow of bassist Charlie Haden) and Radio Announcer Sheila Elaine Anderson all shared their experiences with Allen. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, December 10, 2017 and focused on saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings. Hutchings discusses his musical influences, creative process, his entry to jazz, and how he approaches exposing the music to younger audiences. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, November 26, 2017 and focused on pianist Horace Tapscott. Filmmaker Barbara McCullough, director of the documentary film Horace Tapscott: Musical Griot was interviewed and talked about her process for making the film, which included footage she’d shot in the 1990s. The focus then turns to an interview with Dr. Steven Isoardi, author of The Dark Tree: Jazz and Community Arts in Los Angeles and saxophonist/multi instrumentalist Sabeer Mateen, who played with Tapscott’s Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra. The guests help draw a picture of the late Tapscott’s career and deep connection to the Los Angeles Black community through UGMAA and the still surviving Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, November 26, 2017 and focused on guitarist Bill Frisell. Filmmaker Emma Franz, director of the documentary film Bill Frisell: A Portrait, joins us for a brief discussion about the making of her film. Frisell then joins us for an exclusive interview about his career and collaborations with other musicians. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, October 15, 2017 and focused on saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa. Mahanthappa discusses his career, including his South Asian-inflected approach to jazz and his early influences. He also discusses his return to collaboration with the Indo Pak Coalition. The show begins with a quick interview with promoter Brice Rosenbloom, who gives a preview of the 2017 BRIC Arts Media Jazz Fest. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, October 1, 2017 and focused on drummer and pianist Jack DeJohnette. DeJohnette discusses his long career, including his collaborations the Sun Ra Arkestra, AACM, and Miles Davis. The show begins with a little-known aspect: his work as a pianist. Finally, DeJohnette talks about his latest collaboration, the group known as Hudson with John Scofield, John Medeski, and Larry Grenadier. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, September 17, 2017 and focused on percussionist Ray Mantilla. Mantilla discusses his long career, including his collaborations with drummer Max Roach and work on the famed We Insist: Freedom Now Suite. Mantilla also talks about his own work as a leader, including his Space Station ensembles. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, September 3, 2017 and focused on drummer Lenny White. (It was a rebroadcast of our previous August 20 show.) White discusses his long career, including his collaborations with Miles Davis and work on Davis’s groundbreaking Bitches Brew and how he got the call to work for Davis. White also talks about his work with Return to Forever and his more recent collaborations. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, July 23, 2017 and focused on saxophonist and flutist T.K. Blue. Blue discusses his latest release, Amour, and briefly talks about his noted work with pianist Randy Weston. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, July 9, 2017 and focused on the career of the late trumpeter and multi-instrumetalist Kelan Phil Cohran. We featured earlier interview we did with Cohran along with reflections from several of his sons who make up the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, June 25, 2017 and focused on the career of saxophonist James Brandon Lewis. Lewis discusses his career as a musician, influences, education, creative process, being mentored by Wadada Leo Smith and Charlie Haden, and his recently released No Filter album. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, June 11, 2017 and focused on the career of bassist Charnett Moffett. Moffett discusses his career as a musician, influences, education, and creative process. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, May 28, 2017 and focused on the career of saxophonist and educator Edward “Kidd” Jordan. Jordan discusses his long career as a musician, connection to New Orleans, influences, creative process, distinct approach to free jazz, and connection to the Vision Festival, which runs this week in New York. We begin the show with a rousing track from New Orleans-based poet Kalamu Ya Salaam, which features Jordan on sax. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, May 14, 2017 and focused on the career of pianist, Multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator, and instrument maker Cooper-Moore. Cooper-Moore is receiving a lifetime achievement award at this year’s Vision Festival. We aired excerpts of an interview done by bassist William Parker at a salon earlier this year and began the show with a brief interview of Patricia Nicholson Parker to preview this year;s Vision Fest. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, April 30, 2017 and focused on the career of bassist, cellist, composer, bandleader, educator and NEA Jazz Master Ron Carter to close out Jazz Appreciation Month. To close National Poetry Month, we played a few tracks from the late poet Jayne Cortez’s Borders of Disorderly Time, which featured Cortez reading accompanied by Carter. Carter talks about his influences, development as a musician, his experience with Miles Davis’s legendary band, teaching, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, April 16, 2017 and focused on the career of bassist, composer, and educator Linda May Han Oh. To celebrate National Poetry Month, we start with the late Abbey Lincoln’s “You Made Me Funny” spoken word piece with accompaniment by bassist Charlie Haden. Oh talks about her influences, development as a musician, and the creative process behind her Walk Against Wind release. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, April 2, 2017 and focused on the life and career of saxophonist, flutist, composer, and educator Claire Daly. To celebrate National Poetry Month, we start with the late Sarah Webster Fabio’s “Together to the Tune of Coltrane’s Equinox”. Daly talks about her influences, development as a musician, and the creative process behind her 2648 West Grand Boulevard: Jazz Interpretations of Classic Motown 45s release. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, March 19, 2017 and focused on the life and career of flutist, composer, and educator Nicole Mitchell. Mitchell talks about her entry into music (including her relatively late start as a musician), influences, work with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) Chicago, and some of the unique challenges female jazz instrumentalists face. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
Abbey Lincoln Membership Special
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, March 5, 2017 and focused on the life and career of the late vocalist Abbey Lincoln. Interviews with Duke University Professor and author Mark Anthony Neal, Columbia University Professor Farrah Jasmine Griffin, poets Jayne Cortez and Latasha N. Nevada Diggs and others were mixed with music to tell Lincoln’s life story, including her accomplishments as an actress and writer. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
Author Jon Else: True South: Henry Hampton and Eyes on the Prize
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, February 19, 2017 and focused on an exclusive interview with filmmaker and Jon Else and focuses on his book True South that chronicles the struggle of Henry Hampton and Blackside Productions to complete and bring the monumental documentary series Eyes on the Prize to TV. Fischer discusses the book, offers his insights as a member of the production team and colleague of Hampton, and relates the series to today. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, February 5, 2017 and focuses on an exclusive interview with vocalist and composer Lisa Fischer. Fischer discusses her career, singing backup for the Rolling Stones, her new work with Grand Baton, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, January 22, 2017 and focuses on an exclusive interview with bassist Melvin Gibbs. Gibbs discusses his career, growing up in New York, his introduction to the bass, work with Defunkt, Ronald Shannon Jackson and Power Tools, Harriet Tubman, Vernon Reid’s Zig Zag Trio, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist (coming soon).
Winter Jazz Fest/Liberation Music Orchestra
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, January 8, 2017 and focuses on Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, which will have a performance to close the 2017 Winter Jazz Festival. There are excerpts of our interview with Haden from a previous show aired before his death and new interviews with returning guests low brass specialist (and longtime LMO member) Joe Daley and Haden’s widow Ruth Cameron, the current LMO producer and manager. They discuss the LMO, Charlie’s legacy, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist (coming soon).
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, December 25, 2016 and featured an interview with drummer and percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett and a return visit by trombonist Craig Harris as part of our continuing coverage of the 2017 Winter Jazz Festival. Harris briefly talks about his “Breathe” composition that will be performed at the festival. The show then focuses on Catlett, who talks about his introduction to music, development as an artist, his experience working with Sun Ra and the Arkestra, meeting drummer Max Roach, the development of his groups AfroHORN (with thanks to writer Henry Dumas), and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, December 11, 2016 and featured an interview with pianist David Virelles and a return visit by Winter Jazz Fest promoter Brice Rosenbloom, who introduced the themes behind the 2017 festival. Virelles talks about his introduction to music, development as an artist, his experience working with Jane Bunnett, his new Antenna ECM Records release, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, November 27, 2016 and featured an interview with bassist Dave Holland. Holland talks about his introduction to music, development as an artist, his experience working with vocalists Betty Carter and Jeanne Lee, how he got hired by Miles Davis, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, November 13, 2016 and featured interviews with DOC NYC Director of Programming Basil Tsiokos and veteran documentarian John Scheinfeld, who is behind the film Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary. Tsiokos briefly introduced this year’s DOC NYC Festival, which is hosting the New York premiere of Chasing Trane. Scheinfeld discusses the editorial choices behind the film, his creative process, selection of music, and much more. We also included audio from the Pacifica Radio Archives’ radio documentary on Coltrane and our previous show with saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, who talked about his relationship to ‘Trane. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, October 16, 2016 and featured an interview with saxophonist and flutist Jane Bunnett. Bunnett discusses her introduction to music, development as a musician, collaborations with Don Pullen and Dewey Redman, work with Cuban musicians, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, October 2, 2016. Hank Williams joined host Joyce Jones to interview drummer and percussionist Milford Graves. Graves discusses his introduction to music, development as a musician, role in the Black Arts Movement, collaborations with Don Pullen, Albert Ayler, turning down an offer to join Miles Davis’s band, his experience playing at John Coltrane’s funeral, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, September 18, 2016 and featured an interview with trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf. Maalouf discusses his development as a musician, the intricacies of the quarter tone trumpet and his fusion of Arabic music and jazz, his Kalthoum tribute to iconic vocalist Oum Kalthoum, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, September 4, 2016 and featured an interview with vocalist/ bassist/ multi-instrumentalist Richard Bona. Bona discusses his development as a musician; the variety of instruments he plays; musical relationships with Joe Zawinul and Pat Metheny; his approach to singing, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, August 21, 2016 as a tribute to pianist Connie Crothers, who died on August 13. The show featured excerpts from an interview writer Chris Becker, author of Freedom of Expression: Interviews With Women in Jazz, did with Connie. Crothers discusses her development as a pianist, entry to jazz, experience as a teacher and thoughts on improvisation. There are also original interviews with Patricia Nicholson Parker, drummer Warren Smith, and trumpeter Lewis “Flip” Barnes. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, August 7, 2016 and featured an interview with drummer and percussionist Will Calhoun, who returned to the show to discuss his new Celebrating Elvin Jones release, Jones’s influence on his drumming and music, new developments in Living Colour, the legacy of drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, July 24, 2016 and featured an interview with pianist and educator Geri Allen, who returned to the show to discuss her musical influences; the importance of pianist Mary Lou Williams; her first appearance at the 2016 Vision Festival; and current musical project: the Perfection CD and tour by the “MAC Power Trio” — a collaboration between Allen, saxophonist David Murray, and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, July 10, 2016 and featured an interview with guitarist, vocalist, and percussionist Mino Cinelu. Cinelu discusses his musical influences, working with Miles Davis, and current musical projects. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, June 26, 2016 and featured the second half of an interview with drummer and educator Andrew Cyrille. This show focuses on Cyrille’s career starting with his work with pianist Cecil Taylor. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, June 12, 2016 and featured the first half of an interview with drummer and educator Andrew Cyrille and was part of our coverage of artists involved with this year’s Vision Fest. This show focuses on the beginning and early part of Cyrille’s career. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, May 29, 2016 and was a preview of the 2016 Vision Festival. It features interviews with pianist Geri Allen (in her first time Vision appearance), guitarist Marc Ribot, drummer Andrew Cyrille, and composer/vocalist Lisa Sokolof honoring the career of bassist Henry Grimes, who received Vision’s lifetime achievement award and played with all of the interviewed musicians in the festival. Festival organizer Patricia Nicholson Parker is interviewed also. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
Miles and Me: Quincy and Margaret Troupe
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, May 15, 2016 and featured interviews writer/poet Quincy Troupe and Margaret Troupe. Quincy discussed Miles and Me, his memoir of his friendship with Miles Davis, which grew out of time spent together while interviewing the trumpeter for his autobiography. Margaret discusses the Harlem Arts Salon and the nonprofit Gloster Project. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, May 1, 2016 and featured interviews trumpeter Marcus Printup and harpist Riza Printup. They discuss their respective musical careers and influences, including Marcus’s work with the Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra. They also discuss Theodore and Hazel and The Bird, the children’s book they collaborated on. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, April 3 2016 and featured an interview with saxophonist Archie Shepp with Suga’ Associate Producer Hank Williams as special co-host. Shepp discusses his long career, the 1960s, thoughts on being recognized as an NEA Jazz Master, and the police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, March 20 2016 and featured an interview with Chris Becker, author of Freedom of Expression: Interviews With Women in Jazz. Becker discusses the book’s creation and offers previews of a few of the 37 artists interviewed for the book. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, March 6 2016 and featured an interview with pianist Amina Claudine Myers. Myers discusses her musical development and influences, work with legendary saxophonist Archie Shepp, and involvement with the AACM collective. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, January 24, 2016 and featured an interview with pianist Billy Childs. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, January 10, 2016 and featured an interview with guitarist James “Blood” Ulmer as part of our coverage of the 2016 Winter Jazz Fest. Ulmer discusses his musical influences including Harmolodic theory, working with the late Ornette Coleman, and the blues. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, December 27, 2015 and featured an interview with guitarist Julian Lage as part of our coverage of the 2016 Winter Jazz Fest. Lage discusses his musical influences, approach to the guitar, and the development of jazz guitar technique. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, December 13, 2015 and featured an interview with promoter Brice Rosenbloom as part of our coverage of the 2016 Winter Jazz Fest. In addition to promoting New York City’s annual Winter Jazz Fest, Rosenbloom also programs jazz at Le Poisson Rouge and curated the BRIC Arts Jazz Fest and the Undead Jazz Fest, which is currently on hiatus. Rosenbloom discusses his entrance into the jazz scene, the politics, logistics, and challenges of putting on a festival, and previews some of the upcoming performnces. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, November 29, 2015 and featured an interview with vibraphonist Gary Burton. Burton discusses his musical influences, including how he started on vibes, collaborations with Pat Metheny and other musicians, and his role as an educator. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, October 4, 2015 and featured an interview with saxophonist Kamasi Washington. Washington discusses his musical influences and new 3-CD debut release as a leader, the appropriately titled The Epic. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, September 6, 2015 and featured an interview with vocalist Lizz Wright. Wright discusses her musical influences and her new Freedom and Surrender release . See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, August 23, 2015 and featured an interview with Blues vocalist Alexis P. Suter. Suter discusses her musical background, including gospel and house music, how she came to the Blues, and her reaching back into gospel via her Ministers of Sound band. We also play and discuss tracks from her Love the Way You Roll release. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, July 26, 2015 and featured an interview with vocalist Kurt Elling. Elling discusses his musical influences, collaborations with various musicians, and his new Passion World release. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, July 12, 2015 and focused on Nina Simone. The show featured interviews with What Happened, Miss Simone? director Liz Garbus, Simone’s brother Sam Waymon, poet Pamela Snead, and Lehman College’s Mary Phillips, Assistant Professor in African and African American Studies. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, June 28, 2015 and was a preview of the upcoming 20th Vision Festival. The show featured interviews with festival organizer and dancer Patricia Nicholson Parker, saxophonist Oliver Lake, low bass specialist Joe Daley, Douglas R. Ewart, saxophonist Danny Ray Thompson of the Sun Ra Arkestra, and trombonist Craig Harris all remembering their first time at Vision and reflecting on the festival’s importance. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, June 14, 2015 and featured an interview with drummer and percussionist Antonio Sanchez. Sanchez discusses his introduction to music while growing up in Mexico, development as an artist, collaborations with other artists including his long stint as part of the Pat Metheny Group and Unity Group, work as leader of his own Migration group and their new Meridian Suite release, and finally the experience of developing the score of the Academy Award-winning film Birdman. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, May 17, 2015 and featured an interview with pianist and keyboardist Marc Cary. Cary talks about his musical development in Washington DC, wide range of influences (including DC’s Go-Go scene), what it was like to work with Abbey Lincoln and Betty Carter, as well as his current work as leader of the Focus Trio (and their new Rhodes Ahead, Vol. 2 release) and member of Will Calhoun’s band. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, April 19, 2015 and featured an interview with noted pianist, composer, educator, and MacArthur Fellow Vijay Iyer. Iyer brings us up to speed on his recent Break Stuff release, memories of the late Amiri Baraka, what it’s like to teach at Harvard, collaboration with the jazz veterans in TRIO3, and much more. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, April 5, 2015 and featured interviews on and music from Billie Holiday to celebrate Lady Day’s 100th birthday! We check in with filmmaker Phyllis M. Croom, whose Being Billie: Re-imagining Billie Holiday documentary is finished and had its first public screening. We also revisit a previous interview with Columbia University professor Farah Jasmine Griffin, author of If You Can’t Be Free, Be a Mystery: Searching for Billie Holiday. Finally, we interview vocalist Nona Hendryx who curated and performed in the “Parallel Lives: Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf” shows at Harlem Stage. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, March 22, 2015 and featured an interview with vocalist Carmen Lundy. In this show, Lundy discusses her musical influences and goes in depth on her critically acclaimed Soul to Soul release. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, March 8, 2015 and featured an interview with author, promoter, and radio host Sheila Anderson. In this show, Anderson discusses her introduction to jazz, radio, unlikely foray into hosting a show on Newark, NJ’s WBGO: one of the few remaining full-time jazz radio stations. She also tells the story of how she became “The Queen of Hang”. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, February 8, 2015 and featured an interview with gutiarist Marc Ribot. In this show, Ribot discusses his musical influences, the Content Creator’s Coalition that’s fighting for musicians’ rights, and work with his various collectives including the Marc Ribot Trio, Ceramic Dog, and the Young Philadelphians project. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, January 25, 2015 and featured an interview with saxophonist Ravi Coltrane. In this show, Coltrane discusses his musical influences, how he became a musician, and work with various artists including his mother, Alice Coltrane. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, January 11, 2015 and featured a 2009 interview with pianist Geri Allen by Suga’ host Joyce Jones and Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin of Columbia University. In this show, Allen discusses her musical influences and work with various artists. The show continues our coverage of artists at the 2015 Winter Jazz Fest. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, December 28, 2014 and featured an interview with saxophonist and clarinetist David Murray. In this show, Murray discusses his musical background, long career as a teacher, work with the World Saxophone Quartet, compositions of film scores, and as a band leader. The show continues our coverage of artists at the 2015 Winter Jazz Fest. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, December 14, 2014 and featured an interview with saxophonist, poet, and visual artist Oliver Lake. In this show, Lake discusses his musical background, his involvement with the St. Louis-based collective Black Artists’ Group in the Black Arts Movement, and subsequent work with the World Saxophone Quartet, Trio 3, and his own bands and big band as a leader. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, November 30, 2014 and featured an interview with Low Brass Specialist on tuba and trombone Joe Daley. It’s the second half of a 2-part show. Daley Discusses his work with Charlie Haden and the Liberation Music Ensemble, Bill Cole’s Untempered Ensemble, the late poet Jayne Cortez, and his ongoing work with Hazmat Modine. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, November 16, 2014 and featured an interview with Low Brass Specialist on tuba and trombone Joe Daley. It’s the first half of a 2-part show. Daley Discusses his work with as an educator and, the beginnings of his career, and musical training, how he started on the somewhat unlikely career path of tuba, and more. He also talks about his musical influences. See the full show description for more details or browse through the playlist.
SOS: Black Arts Movement Book Presentation
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, October 19, 2014 and featured excerpts from a presentation at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn NY of the recently released book SOS–Calling All Black People: A Black Arts Movement Reader by co-editors Sonia Sanchez and Drs. John Bracey and James Smethurst. Sanchez and Bracey were recorded at Medgar; Smethurst was interviewed separately by Joyce Jones and offers an overview of the Black Arts Movement. Bracey and Sanchez discuss their involvement with the movement and key influences. It’s a fund drive show, so the audio below is an abbreviated version of approximately the first 45 minutes. The entire show (with some extras not aired) is available for a limited time as a gift for a pledge to WBAI Radio. See the full show description for more details.
Cal Massey’s Legacy with Salim Washington
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, October 5, 2014 and focused on the work of the great composer, Cal Massey. Salim Washington joined us to discuss Massey, including his collaborations with Coltrane and other key artists and the efforts of the late Fred Ho to spread knowledge of Massey’s legacy through his own performances. See the full show description for more details or the playlist.
[Audio coming soon.]
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, September 21, 2014. The show revisits a 2013 show we aired of our interview and music by Joe Sample, who passed away recently. Sample discusses his long career in the music and his return to his roots for the Creole Joe project, which was his last creative effort. See the full show description for more details or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, September 14, 2014. The show featured an interview with percussionist Steve Kroon. Kroon discusses his musical influences, the Jamaica, Queens music scene in the 1970s, his work with soul superstar Luther Vandross and jazz legend Ron Carter, and his recent work as a leader. See the full show description for more details or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, September 7, 2014. The show featured an interview with poet, activist, educator, and longtime Harlem resident Abiodun Oyewole. Oyewole discusses his musical influences, role as a founding member of the legendary Black Arts Movement poetry ensemble The Last Poets, what Harlem means to him and his work, his forthcoming #Gratitude album release, and much more. See the full show description for more details or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, August 24, 2014. The show featured an interview with bassist and educator Dr. Larry Ridley. Ridley discusses his musical influences, learning from jazz greats such as Freddie Hubbard, and much more. See the full show description for more details or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, August 17, 2014. The show featured an interview with poet, writer, educator, and activist Nikki Giovanni. Although well known for her poetry and recordings aligned with the Black Arts Movement in the early 1970s, Giovanni has continued writing, recording and teaching. On this show, she discusses the legacy of her work, relationships with other artists from the period, including Nina Simone, and her new book Chasing Utopia. See the full show description for more details or the playlist.
Party Music with Author Rickey Vincent
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, August 10, 2014. The show featured an interview with Rickey Vincent, author of Funk: The Music, the People, and the Rhythm of the One discussing his latest book, Party Music: The Inside Story of the Black Panthers’ Band and How Black Power Transformed Soul Music. Associate Producer Hank Williams joined regular host Joyce Jones to interview Vincent on his book and delve deeply into the history of The Lumpen, the Black Panther Party’s short-lived Funk and Soul band, and make connections to the wider popular music of the time. See the full show description for more details or the playlist.
Dr. Greg Kimathi Carr tribute to Dr. John Henrik Clarke
This show aired on WBAI on August 2, 2014. This special summer fund drive show featured audio from a tribute to the legendary Pan African activist scholar Dr. John Henrik Clarke by Dr. Greg Kimathi Carr, Associate Professor of Afro American Studies at Howard University. In this talk, Carr does a biographical overview of Clark’s life and places it in the context of Black Studies scholarship. Thanks again to Dr. Carr and event hosts the Eastern Region of ASCAC for permission to record and use the audio to help raise funds for WBAI Radio. An abbreviated version of the show is below. You can pledge for the full presentation on CD at WBAI’s donation website. See the full show description for more details.
This show aired on WBAI on July 20, 2014. This week we re-aired a 2011 interview we did with the late bassist Charlie Haden and his wife and collaborator Ruth Cameron. haden discussed his long career in the music, including collaborations with Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Pat Metheny and how he has addressed political engagement with his music. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on July 13, 2014. This show continues the discussion from last week on the career of drummer and percussionist Bobby Sanabira, who was live in WBAI’s studio with Joyce Jones. He was joined by Elena Martinez, a Folklorist at CityLore, who discussed the Bronx Music Heritage Center. Sanabria talks about his origins in the South Bronx, how he started drumming, his education, some of his early recordings, and experience at the Berklee College of Music. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on July 6, 2014. This show focuses on the career of drummer and percussionist Bobby Sanabira, who was live in WBAI’s studio with Joyce Jones. Sanabria talks about his origins in the South Bronx, how he started drumming, his education, some of his early recordings, and experience at the Berklee College of Music. This is part 1 of 2: Sanabria will be live in studio for the next show as well. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on June 22, 2014. This show focuses on the career of drummer Hamid Drake. Drake discusses his career with host Joyce Jones, and delves into his explorations of AvantJazz/ free jazz and world music. He also talks about his collaborations with bassist William Parker and saxophonist Peter Brötzmann in various groups and saxophonist Fred Anderson. He also discusses his long affiliation with the Vision Festival, New York’s annual AvantJazz extravaganza. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on June 15, 2014. This show focuses on the career of drummer JT Lewis, a long-time New York-based session drummers and part of “avant metal Jazz” band Harriet Tubman. This exploration is mostly conducted by Suga’ Associate Producer and webmaster Hank Williams joined Joyce Jones for this interview. Lewis discusses the jazz music scene in Jamaica, Queens (where he grew up), lessons learned from jazz greats Stanley Turrentine and Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, and his thoughts on the many artists he’s worked with including Don Pullen, Henry Threadgill, Marc Ribot, and Sonny Sharrock. Lewis also discusses his love of teaching drumming, which he does at CUNY’s York College. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on June 8, 2014. This show focuses on the Vision Festival, which has annually showcased AvantJazz and arts for the past 2 decades. Patricia Nicholson Parker joins host Joyce Jones to give some history on the festival and the politics that drive their approach to the art. Then, multi-instrumentalist Charles Gayle, whose this year’s Vision lifetime honoree, talks about his career and approach to music. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on June 1st, 2014. This special spring fund drive show was a departure from our usual format. It featured selections from a February 2014 event at the Brecht Forum moderated by Yusuf Nuruddin (Lecturer of Africana Studies, College of Liberal Arts at University of Massachusetts Boston) where longtime activists Komozi Woodard (Professor of History, Public Policy & Africana Studies at Sarah Lawrence College), Cleo Silvers (former member of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers and NYC based community organizer), Sam Anderson (activist-teacher-writer), Joan Gibbs (former member of and co-chair of the Brecht Board) assessed the movements of Black workers in the 1970s and the turn to Marxism in some sectors as a strategy for struggle. The file below is the abbreviated version that was aired on WBAI. The full presentation is available as a thank you gift for a pledge to WBAI. See the full show description.
This show aired on WBAI on May 11, 2014. This special spring fund drive show featured selections from a tribute to Amiri Baraka by the Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church. Poets Ammiel Alcalay, Anne Waldman, Qunicy Troupe, and others read Baraka’s works in this latest salute to a fallen warrior. The file below is an abbreviated half-hour version of the show. The full presentation is available as a thank you gift for a pledge to WBAI. See the full show description.
This show aired on WBAI on May 4, 2014. To highlight the centennial of Sun Ra’s arrival on Earth, this show featured short interviews with former and present Arkestra members Danny Ray Thompson, Knoel Scott, Michael Ray, Dick Griffin, Craig Harris, Ahmed Abdullah, and Vincent Chancey on how they joined the Arkestra. It also features a longer interview done by Joyce Jones and Hank Williams with Marshall Allen, who currently directs the Arkestra after Ra’s departure from the planet. Finally, there are excerpts from previous Suga’ interviews with Pharoah Sanders and James Spaulding highlighting their experience with the Arkestra. See the full show description or the playlist.
Web Extra: Craig Haynes on how he joined the Sun Ra Arkestra.
This show aired on WBAI on April 20, 2014. The last show in our series highlighting National Poetry and Jazz Appreciation months, this show focuses on the career of Nuyorican poetry pioneer Jesus Papoleto Meléndez. Hank Williams and joined regular host Joyce Jones to interview the legendary poet, playwright, educator and activist, who discussed his wide-ranging career, his approach to politics and poetry, the theatrical adaptations of his work, and much more. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on April 13, 2014. To highlight National Poetry and Jazz Appreciation months, we’re airing a re-mixed version of a 2011 interview with late Black Arts Movement veteran and wordsmith Amiri Baraka. Hank Williams and Kazembe Balagun joined regular host Joyce Jones to interview the legendary poet, playwright, educator and activist, who discussed his wide-ranging career, Newark NJ politics, his musical-poetic collaborations with Blue Ark, and much more. See the full show description or the playlist.
Web Extra.
Approximately 15 minutes that we couldn’t fit into the broadcast interview.
The Jazz Poetry of Langston Hughes with Dr. Arnold Rampersad
This show aired on WBAI on April 6, 2014. To highlight National Poetry and Jazz Appreciation months, we take a look at the jazz legacy of Langston Hughes, whose work had deep connections with jazz and the blues and took early explorations into recording his work with jazz musicians. Hughes biographer Dr. Arnold Rampersad lends his insight into Hughes and Dr. Ron McCurdy talks about his “Langston Hughes project” multimedia theatrical show that revives Hughes’s musical and poetic work in a multimedia performance. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on March 23, 2014 and featured an exclusive interview with Jana Herzen, head of the legendary jazz club, Motéma Music and also a performer who plays guitar, percussion, and sings. Motéma has made a name for itself by signing both new and established artists working in the jazz tradition and releasing recordings at a time when large labels have been backing away from the music. Herzen discussed the formation of Motéma, her own music, upcoming releases, and the joys and challenges of running a record label now. Herzen was also the final installment in our focus on women in various areas of the music for March. See the full show description or the playlist.
Village Vanguard’s Deborah Gordon
This show aired on WBAI on March 16, 2014 and featured an exclusive interview with Deborah Gordon, owner of the legendary jazz club, the Village Vanguard. Gordon discussed the legacy of the club, her parents Max and Lorraine Gordon, who ran the club for decades during jazz’s golden age, the series of live recordings from the club, and what she looks forward to for the future of the club. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on March 9, 2014 and featured an exclusive interview with vocalist Catherine Russell. Russell discussed her career in music, collaborations with artists as varied as Steely Dan, and Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, and Roseanne Cash. She also discussed the legacy of having parents as musicians, and her father Luis Russell’s connections to Louis Armstrong, and her new release Bring it Back. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on March 2, 2014 and featured an exclusive interview with Rhonda Hamilton Carvin, who currently hosts WBGO Radio’s “Mid Day Jazz” show and has been on-air for 35 years. Hamilton discussed her long career on public jazz radio, the art of choosing music for her show, and her thoughts on the future of jazz and jazz radio. See the full show description or the playlist.
Jayne Cortez and Amiri Baraka Tribute
This show aired on WBAI on February 16, 2014 and featured audio from an event at NYU with friends and colleagues paying tribute to the late Black Arts Movement veterans and wordsmiths Jayne Cortez and Amiri Baraka. the show features poetry and reflections from Sandra Maria Esteves, Felipe Luciano, Marvin X, Haki Madhubuti, Rashidah Ismaili Abubakar, Sonia Sanchez, and others along with sound from Amiri and Jayne. You can see the full show description or view the playlist on our playlists page.
This show aired on WBAI on February 2, 2014 and featured an exclusive interview with bassist Alex Blake, who talked about his career, work with jazz greats Randy Weston and others, and his style of bass playing. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on January 19, 2014 and featured an exclusive interview with trombonist Steve Turre, who talked about his career, trombonist JJ Johnson, working as a musician for Saturday Night Live collaborations with with Chico Hamilton, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Woody Shaw. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on January 12, 2014 and featured an exclusive interview with drummer Alphonse Mouzon, who talked about his long career, collaborations with with Miles Davis and other artists, work as a leader, and much more. See the full show description or the playlist.
Web Extra: Approx 44 minutes, including a portion of the interview and additional songs not included in the original show.
This show aired on WBAI on January 5, 2014 and centered on a 2010 interview Suga’ had previously done with the late saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist and educator Yusef Lateef and journalist and educator Herb Boyd, who co-wrote Lateef’s autobiography The Gentle Giant. We also featured a new interview on Lateef’s legacy with percussionist and longtime collaborator Adam Rudolph. In the main interview, Lateef discusses his work, teaching, and why he prefers to call his music “Autophysiopsychic” rather than jazz. See the full show description or the playlist.
Nelson Mandela and the South African Freedom Struggle
This show aired on WBAI on December 15, 2013 and featured a talk by retired CCNY Black Studies Professor Dr. Leonard Jeffries and original interviews with Harvard University Professor Ingrid Monson (author of Freedom Sounds: Civil Rights Call Out to Jazz and Africa), poet Rashidah Ismaili Abubakar, and Omowale Clay of the December 12th Movement. The show was a tribute to the recently deceased Nelson Mandela and placed his life in the larger context of the anti-apartheid struggle and made connections to the musicians who also involved themselves as artists and activists. See the full show description or the playlist.
Web Extra: A fuller (slightly edited) version of Dr. Jeffries’s talk we featured in the show at a forum in Brooklyn an December 17th, 2013. Running time for the extra is approximately 45 minutes.
This show aired on WBAI on December 8, 2013 and featured an original interview with Bob James that was originally recorded in 2006 as part of WBAI’s Hip Hop Takeover. James discusses the issue of sampling of his music, his thoughts on being associated with “smooth jazz”, his work with the group Fourplay, and much more. See the full show description or the playlist.
Harlem Nocturne with Farah Jasmine Griffin
This show aired on WBAI on December 1, 2013 and featured an original interview with Columbia University Professor Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin, author of Harlem Nocturne: Women Artists and Progressive Politics During World War II. Griffin tells the stories of three black female artists whose creative and political efforts fueled this movement for change: novelist Ann Petry, a major new literary voice; choreographer and dancer Pearl Primus, a pioneer in her field; and composer and pianist Mary Lou Williams, a prominent figure in the emergence of Be-Bop. As Griffin shows, these women made enormous strides for social justice during the war, laying the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement before the Cold War temporarily froze their democratic dreams. See the full show description or the playlist.
Eartha Kitt Tribute with Rene Marie
This show aired on WBAI on November 17, 2013 and featured an original interview with (Eartha Kitt’s daughter) Kitt Shapiro and selections from our earlier interview with Rene Marie discussing the life and influence of Eartha Kitt. This show highlights Marie’s just-released I Wanna Be Evil, a tribute to Eartha Kitt. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on November 10, 2013 and featured an original interview with saxophonist and educator Rene McLean discussing his own career, collaborations with his father Jackie, and much more. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on November 3, 2013 and featured an original interview with Pat Thomas, author of Listen Whitey: The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 and an accompanying soundtrack CD from Light in the Attic records. Thomas’s book documents many 1960s and 70s releases associated with the Black Power Movement including jazz, spoken word, and speeches and resurrects bygone record labels such as Motown’s Black Forum (which they reserved for edgy political releases), Juggernaut, Flying Dutchman, and Douglas. We discuss the movement’s relationship to wider popular culture and play several selections featured in the book.
This show aired on WBAI on September 22, 2013 and featured an original interview with saxophonist Kenny Garrett, who talked about his Pushing the World Away release, work with jazz greats such as Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, and Woody Shaw. The show begins with a short interview with the directors working on BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez, a documentary of Black Arts Movement poet (and Suga’ guest: scroll down for the audio archive) Sonia Sanchez.
This show aired on WBAI on September 8, 2013 and featured an original interview with pianist, composer, and educator Michele Rosewoman talking about her career, thoughts on teaching and development of new artists, moving to New York and the avant jazz scene, her New Yor-Uba release, and much more. We began the show with a brief interview with Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, head of New York’s Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, who offered a preview of Let the Spirit Move You, her new documentary film on African descended spiritual traditions in Puerto Rico.
This show aired on WBAI on August 18, 2013 and featured an original interview with master teacher and drummer Michael Carvin talking about his long career, work with jazz legends Jackie McLean and Freddie Hubbard, his service in Vietnam and work with violinist Billy Bang on Vietnam: the Aftermath, teaching, and much more.
This show aired on WBAI on August 4, 2013 and featured an original interview with Hammond B3 organ master Dr. Lonnie Smith talking about his long career, work with the legendary Blue Note and Atlantic record labels, his approach to experimental music, and much more.
This show aired on WBAI on July 14, 2013 and featured an original interview with drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts discussing his career, his role as drummer “Rhythm Jones” in Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues, and much more. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on June 23, 2013 and featured an original interview with vibraphonist Roy Ayers discussing his long career, his collaborations with singers, his take on the music industry, and much more. See the full show description or the playlist.
This show aired on WBAI on June 9, 2013 and featured an original interview with pianist and composer Joe Sample talking about his work with the Jazz Crusaders/Crusaders, his famed collaborations with singers Randy Crawford and Phyllis Hyman, his thoughts on “free jazz” and the 1960s, his more recent work as a leader, and much more. See the full show description here and the playlist here.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday May 19, 2013 and featured a Suga’ in My Bowl fund drive special dedicated to the life and legacy of Abbey Lincoln. This excerpt of the show is approximately 45 minutes and begins with a short interview with pianist Marc Cary, who played with Abbey and has released For the Love of Abbey, a solo piano CD of her songs. Next is an excerpt from the Abbey Lincoln special. Duke University’s Dr. Mark Anthony Neal presents “Abbey 101,” a quick primer to her career and influence. You can get the entire 2-CD set with a pledge to WBAI. See the entire show description here.
This show aired on WBAI on May 5, 2013 and featured an original interview with drummer and percussionist Will Calhoun talking about his approach to drumming, new release Life in This World, his embrace of African rhythms, and much more. See the full show description here and the playlist here.
This show aired on WBAI on April 14, 2013 and featured an original interview with poet, writer, singer, playwright, and educator Carl Hancock Rux talking about his prolific writing and poetic career, the history of jazz in Harlem and much more. See the full show description here.
This show aired on WBAI on March 24, 2013 and featured an original interview with singer, songwriter, and pianist Diane Schuur talking about her prolific music career, cats, and much more. See the full show description here.
This show aired on WBAI on March 10, 2013 and featured an original interview with singer, songwriter, and storyteller René Marie talking about her career in music, her late (and unexpected) entry into the world of being a jazz singer/songwriter, her politics (including the uproar over her unique interpretation of the US national anthem), and much more. See the full show description here.
This show aired on WBAI on February 3rd, 2013 and was an encore presentation of a show originally aired in 2009 in conjunction with the WBAI Hip Hop Takeover. We’re presenting it in honor of alto saxophone great Lou Donaldson‘s recent designation as an NEA Jazz Master. Donaldson joined Joyce Jones for an interview covering his long career and with a particular focus on how his work has been sampled by hip hop artists. See the full show description here.
Jayne Cortez Memorial
On Friday, December 28, 2012, Jayne Cortez left this world. As a tribute to her life and spirit, we decided to rebroadcast our 2011 exchange with this extraordinary writer, poet, performance artist, and co-founder of Yari Yari, an international conference on literature by women of African descent. You can see the full show description here (with links to obituaries) or view the playlist on our playlists page.
Harold Mabern
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday December 23rd, 2012. Pianist and educator Harold Mabern stopped by WBAI’s studio for an interview with Joyce to talk about teaching at William Paterson U, the merits of being a good sideman, his collaborations with Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, current work with Eric Alexander and Joe Farnsworth and much more in his inimitable entertaining style. You can see the full show description here
John Medeski
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday December 9, 2012. Organist, pianist, and keyboardist John Medeski, best known for his work as part of Medeski, Martin, and Wood, joined Joyce for an interview about the environment and fracking, his work, and much more. You can see the full show description here or check out the playlist on our playlist page.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday November 18, 2012. Joyce Jones and guest co-host Hank Williams sat down with saxophonist and free jazz stalwart Pharoah Sanders in a wide-ranging interview where he discusses growing up in Arkansas, joining the jazz scene in 1960s New York, Sun Ra, John Coltrane, and much more in an encore presentation of a show that originally aired in 2010. You can see the full show description here.
Onaje Allan Gumbs
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday November 4, 2012. Pianist, keyboardist, producer, arranger, and songwriter Onaje Allan Gumbs stopped by the WBAI studios to give us an exclusive interview and discuss his long career and wide range of collaborations ranging from Woody Shaw to Betty Carter. You can see the full show description here The playlist will be up shortly..
Miles Davis and Gil Evans: Still Ahead
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday September 14, 2012. The focus was the “Miles Davis and Gil Evans: Still Ahead” New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) event that is part of the annual James Moody Democracy of Jazz Festival and featuring music from the Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain albums. Bassist (and former Suga’ guest) Christian McBride, trumpter Terence Blanchard, conductor Vince Mendoza, and NJPAC President and CEO John Schreiber joined us to discuss the event itself, the Miles Davis-Gil Evans collaboration, what that music means today, and how it feels to reinterpret these classic works. You can see the full show description here and view the playlist here.
Now Dig This: Black Art and Los Angeles/ Horace Tapscott
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, September 2, 2012. It had a dual focus on the Now Dig This: Black Art and Los Angeles show at NYC’s Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) PS 1 center and the work of pianist, composer and cultural activist Horace Tapscott, well known for his work with the UGMAA and the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra. It featured exclusive interviews with author Steven Isoardi, author/ Professor/ curator Kellie Jones, and Multi-instrumentalist Sabir Mateen. You can see the full show description here.
Howard Johnson
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, August 12, 2012. Tubuist Howard Johnson joined host Joyce Jones for an exclusive interview to talk about his career playing tuba, baritone sax, and more as part of Gravity, Substructure and many other groups and collectives over the years. You can see the full show description here.
Web extra: Howard Johnson talks about his association with saxophonist (and former Suga’ guest) Pharoah Sanders, Levon Helm and The Band, and John Lennon. The length is 28 minutes.
Christian McBride on Jazz Fusion
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, July 8, 2012 and featured a return visit by previous Suga’ guest bassist Christian McBride, who came back for an interview to talk about jazz fusion. You can see the full show description here and the playlist on our playlist page.
James Mtume
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, June 17, 2012. Hank Williams and Kazembe Balagun joined host Joyce Jones for an exclusive interviews with drummer and producer James Mtume, who discussed his experience as part of Miles Davis’s band during his electric period in the early 1970s. You can see the full show description here.
Betty Carter
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, June 3, 2012 and featured exclusive interviews with pianist Danny Mixon and Ora Harris, who discussed their experiences working with legendary jazz vocalist Betty Carter. You can see the full show description here and the playlist here.
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, April 22 2012 and featured an exclusive interview with pianist and educator Barry Harris discussing teaching and his music. You can see the full show description here.
Billie Holiday Birthday Special
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, April 8 2012 and featured exclusive interviews with Columbia University Professor Farah Jasmine Griffin, author of If You Can’t Be Free, Be A Mystery: Searching for Billie Holliday and Phyllis M. Croom, executive producer of the forthcoming documentary film Being Billie: Searching for Billie Holiday. This show replaced an originally scheduled show with James Mtume, which we hope to air later on.
Carol Maillard
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, March 18, 2012 and featured an exclusive interview with vocalist Carol Maillard, one of the founding members of Sweet Honey in the Rock. She joined us to talk about her long career, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and much more. You can see the full show description here.
Dianne Reeves
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, March 4, 2012 and featured an exclusive interview with stellar vocalist Dianne Reeves, who discusses her career in jazz and approach to her craft as a singer. You can see the full show description here.
“The Journey” with Bobby Sanabria
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, 2/5/2012 and featured an exclusive interview with drummer/ percussionist/ educator Bobby Sanabria, who takes listeners on a musical journey from Africa to the South Bronx via Puerto Rico as he explores the roots and connections of Afro-Latin jazz. As this is a fund drive special for WBAI, there is only an abbreviated version online. You can make a pledge to support WBAI here for the full show during the month of February if you like what you hear. You can also see the full show description here.
Paris Blues Revisited
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, 1/15/2012 and featured interviews with Columbia University professor Robert O’Meally and the Romare Bearden Foundation’s Diedra Harris-Kelley, co-curators of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s “Paris Blues Revisited” exhibit, which resurrects an unfinished collaboration between Bearden, writer Albert Murray, and photographer Sam Shaw. Jazz was the common thread between the three. You can see the full show description here or see the playlist on our playlist page here
Creed Taylor
This show aired on WBAI on Sunday, 1/1/2012. It is a remixed version of an original 2007 interview with legendary producer Creed Taylor, best known as the creative force behind Impulse! and CTI Records. As it first aired as part of WBAI’s annual Hip Hop Takeover, the focus is on jazz recordings sampled by hip hop artists. You can see the full show description here or see the playlist over on our playlist page here.
2011 Shows
Christian McBride
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 12/11/ 2011 with bassist Christian McBride discussing his work. You can see the full show description here or see the playlist over on our playlist page here.
Dexter Gordon
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 11/20/ 2011 with Maxine Gordon and Woody Shaw III as guests discussing the work of the late Dexter Gordon. You can see the full show description here or see the playlist over on our playlist page here.
Woody Shaw
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 11/6/ 2011 with Woody Shaw III as guest discussing the work of Woody Shaw. You can see the full show description here or see the playlist over on our playlist page here.
Terri Lyne Carrington / Nona Hendryx
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 9/18/ 2011 with vocalist Nona Hendryx and a return visit by drummer Terri Lyne Carrington to discuss their new collaboration on the Mosaic Project release and Hendryx’s own career (in the show’s second hour). You can see the full show description here or see the playlist over on our playlist page here.
Larry Mizell
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 9/4/ 2011 with composer/musician Larry Mizell as guest discussing his own career and that of the Mizell brothers. You can see the full show description here.
Dee Dee Bridgewater
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 8/14/ 2011 with vocalist Dee Dee Brigewater as guest discussing her work. You can see the full show description here or see the playlist over on our playlist page here.
Bobbi Humphrey
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 7/10/ 2011 with Flutist Bobbi Humphrey as guest discussing her career. You can see the full show description here or see the playlist over on our playlist page here.
Jymie & Mike Merritt
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 6/19/ 2011 for a Father’s Day special with bassist/composers Jymie and son Mike Merritt discussing their work. You can see the full show description here.
Billy Harper
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 6/5/ 2011 with saxophonist Billy Harper as guest discussing his work. You can see the full show description here.
Billy Cobham
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 5/1/ 2011 with drummer Billy Cobham as guest discussing his career. You can see the full show description here.
Charlie Haden / Ruth Cameron
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 4/10/ 2011 with bassist and composer Charlie Haden and his wife and manager Ruth Cameron as guests discussing Haden’s career. You can see the full show description here or see the playlist over on our playlist page here.
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 3/20/ 2011 with poet/ writer/ performance artist Jayne Cortez as guest discussing her work. You can see the full show description here.
Brandee Younger / Dorothy Ashby
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 3/6/ 2011, focusing on women, jazz, and the harp. Brandee Younger joins us as a guest in the first hour discussing her work and the second hour shifts to the career of the late Dorothy Ashby. You can see the full show description here.
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 1/16/ 2011. Hank Williams and Kazembe Balagun joined regular host Joyce Jones to interview the legendary poet, playwright, educator and activist Amiri Baraka, who discusses his wide-ranging career. You can see the full show description here.
2010 Shows
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 12/19/2010 and featured with an interview with educator/composer/alto and soprano sax player and Grammy award winner Gary Bartz. His son Keem also joined in the interview. You can see the full show description here.
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 11/21/2010 and featured with an interview with composer/trombonist/visual artist Dick Griffin. You can see the full show description here.
This show originally aired on WBAI on Tuesday, 9/21/2010. Associate producers Hank Williams and Kazembe Balagun joined regular host Joyce Jones to interview “African Rhythms” pianist Randy Weston. You can see the full show description here.
This show originally aired on WBAI on Tuesday, 7/20/2010 and featured an interview with bassist and jazz musicians’ union advocate Bob Cranshaw. You can see the full show description here.
Vijay Iyer / Tia Fuller
This show originally aired on WBAI on Tuesday, 6/15/2010. The first hour featured an interview with pianist Vijay Iyer. In the second hour, saxophonist Tia Fuller joined us to talk about her work. You can see the full show description here.
Mary Lou Williams
This show originally aired on WBAI on 3/16/2010 and featured interviews with Peter O’Brien (friend and former manager) and documentary filmmaker Carol Bash (who is working on a Mary Lou Williams documentary called The Lady Who Swings the Band) as guests discussing the career of late pianist and educator Mary Lou Williams. You can see the full show description here.
Yusef Lateef
This show originally aired on WBAI on Sunday, 1/16/2010 and featured an interview with 2010 NEA Jazz Master and educator Yusef Lateef discussing his long career. You can see the full show description here.
2009 Shows
This show originally aired on WBAI on December 22, 2009 and featured an interview with alto saxophonist/flutist James Spaulding.
Freddie Hubbard
This show originally aired on WBAI on January 26, 2009 and featured an interview with legendary trumpeter Freddie Hubbard that Joyce originally recorded in 2006 as part of WBAI’s original Hip Hop Takeover. Alto saxophone and flute player James Spaulding also joined Joyce to talk about his long musical and personal relationship with Freddie Hubbard.
Sonia Sanchez and Jessica Care Moore
This show originally aired on WBAI on November 24, 2009. Joyce Jones and Hank Williams co-hosted an interview with poets/performers Sonia Sanchez and Jessica Care Moore.
Reggie Workman
This show originally aired on WBAI on September 21, 2009 and features an interview with legendary bassist Reggie Workman.
Michele Wallace
This show originally aired on WBAI on August 17, 2009 and features an interview with Michele Wallace, author and Professor of English and Women’s Studies at the City College of New York and CUNY Graduate Center. In this episode of the show, she talks about the Blues and women’s Blues narratives.
Makanda Ken McIntyre
This show originally aired on WBAI on July 20, 2009 and focused on the career of the late composer, multi-instrumentalist, and educator Makanda Ken McIntyre. Guests included trombonist Craig Harris and one of Makanda’s sons, Kheil McIntyre.
Queen Mother Mabel Williams
This show originally aired on WBAI on May 18, 2009 and features an interview with Queen Mother Mabel Williams, widow of Robert F. Williams discussing her long commitment to the Black community and her work on the Williamses’ Radio Free Dixie show that they broadcast from Cuba while they were in exile.
Women in the Blues
TThis show originally aired on WBAI on April 20, 2009 and focused on female Blues singers. The show spotlighted “Blue Fire on the Water,” a staged reading by Renita Martin and includes an exchange with the production’s lead, Alexis P. Suter. It also featured a conversation with Maria V. Johnson, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology in the School of Music at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale and author of the paper “Jelly Jelly Jellyroll: Lesbian Sexuality and Identity in Women’s Blues.
Geri Allen
This show originally aired on WBAI on March 16, 2009. Columbia University Professor of English and author Farah Jasmine Griffin joined Joyce as guest co-host to interview award-winning pianist, composer, and bandleader Geri Allen, who is also an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan.
More shows coming soon!
Suga' in My Bowl 
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