JazzStories

The versatile pianist Mulgrew Miller was never confined by the boundaries of the piano -- or of one particular sound. In this 2001 interview with Murray Street's Ave Carrillo, he remembers his move from the Methodist church to the Ellington Orchestra to the resurgent 1980s New York jazz scene. He remained a mainstay of that scene until he passed away on May 29, 2013.

Michael Cuscuna is the co-founder of Mosaic Records, a jazz label that specializes in limited edition boxed sets that collect both the released and unreleased recordings of artists like Thelonious Monk, Louis Armstrong, and Sam Rivers. In this interview he traces his path from radio dj to record producer and denizen of long forgotten archives.

Reid Anderson is the bassist for The Bad Plus, a trio which also includes fellow Minnesotans, pianist Ethan Iverson and drummer Dave King. Anderson talks about being part of a "leaderless" trio, and avant garde tinged covers of rock and pop songs.

Stefon Harris has been hammering out cascades of sound on the marimba and vibraphone since 1996. A leader of his own groups, he's recorded six solo albums for Concord and Blue Note, and has played with Ry Cooder, Joe Henderson and the SF Jazz Collective.

Guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson pushes into new territory with daring, unpredictable improvisations. Though rooted in jazz, her guitar sound is personal, well-crafted, and borrows practices from rock and experimental music. A longtime member of saxophonist Anthony Braxton's ensembles, she leads a trio, quintet and septet, and is a member of almost two dozen other groups.

Siblings Yuval, Anat and Avishai Cohen have been developing their musical connection since birth -- while growing up together in Tel Aviv, attending the Berklee School of Music and now in their band 3 Cohens. In this Jazz at Lincoln Center Listening Party, they discuss their musical education in Israel and how three siblings come together in one band.

For over thirty years ,the guitarist and composer Bill Frisell has mined jazz, country, bluegrass, and rock and forged these sounds into a unified whole. In this Jazz at Lincoln Center Listening Party, he discusses how he forms his original ensemble sound and remembers his collaborator and friend, the late drummer Paul Motian.

In 1958, when twenty year-old Freddie Hubbard moved to New York City, the city was full of legends in the making - Lee Morgan, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane and many others. Hubbard, who died in 2008, jammed with all of them and hones his sound to become one of the defining voices of 1960s hard bop. In our 1992 interview by Bill Brower and Steve Rowland, Hubbard looked back to the Brooklyn music scene in the early 60s.

With a style steeped in jazz, classical, funk and hip hop -- Christiane McBride has played on more than three hundred recordings. The Philadelphia born bassist is one of the most sought after players in jazz. Our producer David Goren talked with McBride about the Philly tradition, his own work in jazz and the shrinking distances in the world of music.

Vibraphonist Gary Burton's album Hot House with pianist Chick Corea has been nominated for two Grammy awards this February. Burton's also demonstrated a knack for discovering and collaborating with great guitarists -- Bill Frisell, Mick Goodrick, Pat Metheny and most recently 24 year old Julian Lage. In a Jazz at Lincoln Center Listening Party, Burton and Lage discuss their "chamber" approach to jazz and the unique sound of the "guitarvibe."

Dr. Lonnie Smith has developed his own idiosyncratic style on the famous Hammond B3 organ. The master musician talked with our Andrew Rosenblum about life in jazz, the nature of funk and why he turned down a chance to join up with the 'Godfather of Soul.

The late bassist Percy Heath was a member of The Modern Jazz Quartet for over forty years, one of the great innovating groups of its time. But his success did not happen overnight. Heath talks about his initial unease around drummer Kenny Clarke, getting lessons from Charles Mingus and the close friendships that were essential to The MJQ sound.

The pianist and big band leader Toshiko Akiyoshi's musical exploration has spanned two continents and nearly 7 decades. She first discovered jazz as a teenager in post World War II Japan. She then moved to the United States to study at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. And in the 1970s, along with her husband and collaborator Lew Tabakin, Akiyoshi put together a rehearsal group to play her compositions and in the process helped revitalize the big band sound. Reed has worked as a sideman with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson and many other jazz greats, and led his own ensembles for nearly two decades. In October of 2011, he sat down with Ken Druker at a Jazz at Lincoln Center Listening Party to discuss the making of his twentieth album.

Eric Reed got his start on piano at age six, playing in his father's storefront Baptist church in Philadelphia. When the family relocated to Los Angeles, Reed began a deep study of jazz piano, developing a style overflowing with technique but steeped in driving swing. Word got out about the young man burning up the keyboard. In 1991, he left college in his freshman year, to go on the road with Wynton Marsalis.Reed has worked as a sideman with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson and many other jazz greats, and led his own ensembles for nearly two decades. In October of 2011, he sat down with Ken Druker at a Jazz at Lincoln Center Listening Party to discuss the making of his twentieth album.

In 1967 Saxophonist Joe Henderson and trumpeter Kenny Dorham assembled a big band that never toured or recorded an album, but attracted top musicians like Chick Corea, Randy Brecker, and Joe Temperley to its weekly rehearsals. Henderson tells us about composing for one of the great bands that was never heard.

In 1967 Saxophonist Joe Henderson and trumpeter Kenny Dorham assembled a big band that never toured or recorded an album, but attracted top musicians like Chick Corea, Randy Brecker, and Joe Temperley to its weekly rehearsals. Henderson tells us about composing for one of the great bands that was never heard.

The young pianist Jonathan Batiste hails from one of the renowned musical families of New Orleans. He played in various family bands and with the clarinetist Alvin Batiste. At age 17, he moved to New York to study at the Julliard School of Music while pursuing a career as a sideman with Roy Hargrove, Cassandra Wilson and Wynton Marsalis among others. Now he leads the Stay Human band, and serves as associate artistic director of The National Jazz Museum in Harlem. In this interview, he discusses his family's musical roots, taking the music to a higher level, and fitting himself into the New York jazz scene.

For the innovative pianist Fred Hersch, attaining a candid communication with his audience has been a process of evolution --moving from sideman to leader, from trio leader to pioneering solo pianist and living openly as an HIV positive gay man during the 1980s and into the present. In this interview recorded in 2000, he reveals how he learned to play his own experiences.

The Cuban pianist Chucho Valdes combines formidable technique with power, spinning out fast melody lines simultaneously with each hand. In this interview recorded in October 2010, Valdes talks about growing up in Cuba the son of famed bandleader, Bebo Valdes and about the historic visit of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to Havana.

Bobby McFerrin has spent some four decades breaking ground in vocal music – and always feels fresh. His work VOCAbuLarieS is featured in our live performance Jazz at Lincoln Center Radio series. At rehearsals, and later backstage, he told producer Alexa Lim and Howard Mandel about his introduction to improvisation - courtesy of Miles Davis and friends.