Sunday 3/20/2016 Show: Writer Chris Becker

Photo: Connie Crothers on the cover of Freedom of Expression.
 
The next show will air on Sunday, March 20, 2015 from 11:00 PM – 1:00 AM Monday Eastern Standard Time on WBAI, 99.5 FM in the NYC metro area or streaming online at wbai.org. This broadcast will feature an interview with Chris Becker, author of Freedom of Expression: Interviews With Women in Jazz.
 
The interviewees, including Terri Lyne Carrington, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Eliane Elias, Anat Cohen, Helen Sung, Diane Schuur, Ellen Seeling, Val Jeanty, Carmen Lundy, Mindi Abair, Cheryl Bentyne, Jane Ira Bloom, Sharel Cassity, Connie Crothers, Jane Monheit, and Sherrie Maricle, speak about their earliest experiences playing music, the years of practice and study required to become a professional musician, and what it means to be a jazz musician in the 21st century. The 320-page book includes a 25-page history of jazz, as well as introductions to each interview, to provide helpful context for readers who are unaware of the contributions by women to the development of this music.
 
“In the years since the arrival of the 21st century, jazz has evolved into a truly cross-generational, multicultural musical art form that is assimilating an unprecedented array of musical styles and techniques. At the same time, the male-dominated paradigm that has defined the historical narrative of jazz is no more. Women are shaking up the music industry while the general public is becoming much more aware of the contributions female musicians have made to the art of jazz since its inception. Freedom of Expression: Interviews with Women in Jazz documents this profound evolution.” — Chris Becker
 
Freedom of Expression was released November 16, 2015 and is available on Amazon and CreateSpace.
 
Bio adapted from Becker’s website.
 
We’ll begin the show with a brief interview with the NEA’s Ann Meier Baker, who’ll present a preview of the 2016 NEA Jazz Masters awards, who will be recognized in a livestream concert on April 4.
 
Lastly, we’ll have a ticket giveaway for the last two events of the Schomburg Center’s Women’s History Month jazz festival, curated by Toshi Reagon. We’ll be offering a pair of tickets to both the March 21 show and March 28 show. Tune in during our “On the Bandstand” segment at the end of the first hour for details.
 
This program is engineered, produced, hosted and edited by Joyce Jones.
 
Listen for our On the Bandstand segment with NYC metro area appearances of Suga’ guests at the end of the first hour with Associate Producer Hank Williams.
 
Hank Williams is assistant producer for Suga’ in My Bowl and produces the weekly “On the Bandstand” segment as well as running the show’s website and blog, where he has reviewed several jazz festivals. His writing has also appeared in Left Turn magazine and American Music Review. He teaches at Lehman and Hunter colleges in the City University of New York system.