Work Samples: Jazz Night in America
McLean’s Scene: How Jackie McLean Made Hartford a Jazz Destination
Hartford, Conn., falls under the radar by most standards. A relatively small city smack dab between New York and Boston, it's been dubbed the "Insurance Capital of the World" and was, at one point, home of the Whalers, a beloved hockey franchise. When it comes to jazz, though, the Greater Hartford area stands out as one of the hippest creative communities. The city wouldn't be where it is without the arrival of alto saxophonist McLean over 50 years ago.
The Harlem-born and raised musician made a name for himself as a ubiquitous fixture on the hard bop scene during the 1950s and 1960s with his unmistakable tone. After tenures in Miles Davis' early groups and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, McLean embarked on a prolific run of albums as a leader on the Blue Note Records label. The loss of his Cabaret Card however, sent McLean on a path of teaching and mentorship — with the University of Hartford as an eventual destination for McLean and his family.
At a time when jazz was not widely seen in higher education, McLean brought the wisdom learned on the bandstand to the classroom; he transformed the school into a destination for aspiring musicians to learn from one of the masters. His commitment to Hartford extended beyond the campus of the university with the founding of The Artists Collective, an arts nonprofit for youth in the area that provides an educational springboard for young musicians. The list of alumni from the University of Hartford and The Artists Collective reads like a who's who of top jazz talent on the scene — and is one of the defining examples of McLean's impact on the city and beyond.
Songs for the Fathers: A Tribute to Jazz Dads
When we talk about the "Granddaddies of Jazz," Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Count Basie come to mind. Jelly Roll Morton dubiously claimed to have invented the art form thus giving himself that "Father of Jazz" distinction.
But when it comes to some actual fathers — who are bestowing whole traditions of great music and passing it down to their children — those come in many different forms. This Father's Day, we celebrate a variety of dads: well-known musicians, passionate moonlighters and die-hard music fanatics.
On this Fathers’ Day, we'll hear stories and songs from Catherine Russell, Cory Wong, Benny Green and the late Chick Corea — all toasting the "Dads of Jazz." But first, vocalist Bobby McFerrin, whose father was the first African American man to sing under contract with the Metropolitan Opera, and Bobby’s daughter Madison who is carrying on the torch.
Youngbloods, Vibes: Joel Ross, Sasha Berliner and Simon Moullier
In 2022, we introduced our first installment of Youngbloods, a new class of jazz artists paving their way, and more importantly, pushing the music forward.
Our inaugural class featured five exciting artists, all under the age of 30. For our second season, we spotlight six artists divided between vibes and brass, presented amongst their peers. In this episode, we tell the story behind three trailblazing vibraphonists: Joel Ross (28), Simon Moullier (29), and Sasha Berliner (25) .
Surprisingly, all three mallet swingers got their start banging on drums before moving over to aluminum plates. We trace their individual trajectories toward jazz stardom; Ross from Chicago, Moullier from Nantes in France, and Berliner from the Bay Area.