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Playdate with Matt Wilson is WBGO's series of highlights from our archive of concert recordings. You can't hear these great live moments anywhere else!WBGO thanks the musicians who have offered their music to Playdate, and all the concert and radio producers, and engineers who worked over three decades to preserve amazing live jazz.For years, WBGO has been the source for live jazz from stages nationwide and around the world. Enjoy these great moments with us on Playdate!

WBGO'S Playdate: Coryell Honors Basie, Braith

This archival material comes from our Playdate series and was originally published March 24, 2014. Click here for Playdate Show #8, which features, among others, Larry Coryell.

This poignant "Body and Soul" was played by guitarist Larry Coryell with pianist Albert Dailey, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Billy Hart at the Village Vanguard on April 26, 1984.

Legendary bandleader William "Count" Basie passed away that very morning, and Coryell dedicates his performance to The Count.

Also at the Vanguard was George Braith, who sat in with the band on the Braithophone, an instrument he created by welding two saxophones together.

The result is similar to the sound created by Rahsaan Roland Kirk, who also played multiple woodwinds simultaneously. Read more about George and his inventions here.

Alex 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.