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NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Owens remembers sitting in with the Miles Davis Quintet when he was 15 years old, as he prepares to lead an all star band at Flushing Town Hall in honor of Davis’ centenary.

Jazz pianist and club owner Spike Wilner reflects on Smalls and Mezzrow not just as venues, but as living containers for a scene that’s always alive—exploring community, stewardship, and his belief that jazz, practiced with care, can be a quiet force for human connection.

22-year-old aron! built an audience online, got signed to Verve Records by channeling the American songbook through his original tunes, without ever trying to sound “modern”. Leo Sidran revisits their recent Third Story Podcast interview together ahead of aron!'s upcoming NYC performance at Mercury Lounge on April 14th.

For Producer Larry Klein, generosity is its own reward

French-Chilean rapper Ana Tijoux traces a path through hip hop that began in Paris, took shape in Santiago, and ultimately connected her back to the global culture that inspired her. Her story reflects how American music travels — and how it evolves when artists make it their own.

Leo Sidran reflects on saxophonist John Ellis on his birthday — a master improviser, trusted collaborator, and generous presence whose unmistakable voice has made him a quiet cornerstone of modern jazz.

Celebrating Madeleine Peyroux on her birthday. A look at her early years, tracing how a runaway teenager found her voice busking on the streets of Paris — and how that formative period shaped one of the most distinctive jazz singer-songwriters of her generation.

After nearly three decades of resisting fixed categories, Julieta is returning to the place where that sensibility began. This year she releases Norteña, an album that turns back toward the border city where all of that started. She describes it as a tribute to the feeling of growing up on the border.

WBGO's Dave Popkin chats with pianist John Beasley about touring with Miles Davis in the 1980s and the invaluable education of that experience, as well as Beasley's current tour entitled Unlimited Miles – Miles Davis at 100 which makes a stop at Birdland in New York, March 31-April 4.

WBGO’s Dave Popkin recently spoke with Joe Bonamassa about the life and music of BB King, the two’s 25-year friendship/mentorship, and Bonamassa’s new project honoring King “B.B. King's Blues Summit 100"