
Alex Ariff
Producer, Jazz Night in AmericaAlex Ariff has big ears. A musician first, he straddles the worlds between performance/songwriting, media production and storytelling. Alex earned his B.A in Music from Florida State University where he fell for all facets of jazz music, history, and culture. He went onto earn his M.A. in Jazz History and Research from Rutgers University-Newark. It was during this time that Alex began working at WBGO, where he currently works as a producer on Jazz Night in America. Outside of WBGO, Alex enjoys lapsang souchong, bike rides, and playing with his band The Wali Sanga.
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More than a decade after BADBADNOTGOOD's viral debut upsetting the "jazz police" and carving their own niche playing rap covers, they take the stage in Brooklyn with a wildly psychedelic set.
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Hear music and field recordings from bassist, composer, and fashion icon Jamaaladeen Tacuma's residency in North Carolina, where he explores his familial and musical roots.
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Jazz Night in America talks to pianist and composer Sean Mason about his musical journey from North Carolina to New York, and how the South never really left his music.
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Jazz Night In AmericaJazz Night in America spotlights a young musician and composer who is wise beyond his years. Hear Isaiah J. Thompson's story and his unquestionable gift at the keys.
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Jazz Night In America puts the spotlight on Samara Joy, a young vocalist and songwriter who is taking cues from the past to create music that is both classic and contemporary.
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Host Christian McBride talks with vocalist and 2020 NEA Jazz Master Bobby McFerrin. We'll hear tracks from his vast catalog, stories from his illustrious career, and an impromptu jam with Christian.
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Jazz Night In AmericaSung reflects on how, as a young classical pianist, she stuck to her jazz dreams. More recently, she's translated her emotions on social justice into a thematic composition for her quartet.
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Jazz Night shines a light on the reclusive 74-year-old pianist Billy Lester. Lester has spent his whole life in Yonkers, N.Y. We hear his story and listen back to a trio set recorded in 2019.
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Jon Batiste was born for show business. Hear him play an intimate set in New York and on our radio show as we trace his story to his current gig as band leader of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.