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The Pulse

Singer-songwriter Candice Hoyes carefully curates everything she presents to the world. She has made it her mission to perpetuate positive imagery of Black women and girls through her empowering creative content and social media footprint. 

Hoyes stopped in for a  virtual edition of The Pulse with Keanna Faircloth. They talked the impetus behind Zora's Moon, Hoyes'' forthcoming album, and were joined by Jonathan Edward Thomas for a performance of "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free," made famous by Nina Simone.

Dorthaan Special

Sunday, August 23, 8PM
WBGO 88.3FM and WBGO.org

We continue to celebrate Dorthaan''s induction as an NEA Jazz Master this week with a one hour radio special featuring Dorthaan Kirk in a lively conversation with bassist Christian McBride, the host of Jazz Night in America. They discuss her formative years in Houston, TX; her deep bond with second husband Rahsaan Roland Kirk, who bestowed her name; her core involvement with Bethany Baptist Church in Newark; and the frontier resourcefulness that was necessary, 40 years ago, to start up a musician-focused public radio station committed to jazz.

Steve Grossman

Steve Grossman, a saxophonist whose lunging projection, sure rhythmic footing and clarity of attack helped propel him into the spotlight in the 1970s, notably in bands led by Miles Davis and Elvin Jones, died on Aug. 13 at Glen Cove Hospital in Glen Cove, N.Y. He was 69. The cause was cardiac arrest after a long illness, his brother Myles Grossman confirmed to NPR.

A brilliant exponent of John Coltrane''s powerful saxophone language, and a key figure in what would come to be known as the post-Coltrane school, Grossman had a frame of reference broader than that reputation would suggest.

Sunday Spotlight

One year ago, WBGO bid a reluctant farewell to Rhonda Hamilton, whose voice has been a beacon for our audience since Day 1. 

Rhonda, a legend in broadcasting, was the longtime host of Midday Jazz, and the voice of nationally syndicated programs like NPR's JazzSet and Toast of the Nation. We are thrilled that she is once again on WBGO, with a special program that will air every Sunday at 2PM ET. 

Nate Chinen recently spoke with Rhonda about her new show, Sunday Spotlight, which began this past weekend, with a personal take on the musician profile.

Jazz News

Nate Chinen spoke with Micah Thomas about his current career rise.

Pianist Micah Thomas is having the jazz equivalent of a standout rookie season. Just within the last several weeks, he finished his graduate studies at Juilliard and released a terrifically assured debut album called Tide.

It introduces an artist of superb technical facility, along with something even more striking - a deep understanding of the sprawling lineage of modern jazz piano and a youthful determination not to get caught retracing anybody''s steps.

Keith Jarrett

The musical community absorbed some devastating news this week, when Keith Jarrett revealed that he may never return to public performance. On this episode of Jazz United, hosts Nate Chinen and Greg Bryant talk about what Jarrett''s solo work has meant to them, and how it ascends to another peak in the soon to be ECM release, Budapest Concert. 

Newark COVID News

The city of Newark is imposing new restrictions on businesses as COVID 19 cases continue to rise.

The positivity rate in the city's east ward has now surpassed 25 percent with the city surging above 11 percent, prompting Mayor Ras Baraka to take action. Baraka says beginning yesterday all non-essential businesses must close at 8 p.m. except grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations.

Take Five

On this week''s Take Five, Gary Walker ponders if Halloween has a different sense of rhythm now, though some of the best Halloween ear candy hasn''t changed. Hear tracks from Nina Simone, Wayne Shorter, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Raymond Scott and Philly Joe Jones.

Jazz Night in America

A Swingin'' Sesame Street Celebration - the title of a boisterous concert, a new album and PBS broadcast special - was a 50th-anniversary party for Sesame Street, the beloved educational television series.

On this episode of Jazz Night in America, we''ll feature music from that show while exploring the jazz undercurrent in Sesame Street''s history, which goes back to its first musical director, the late Joe Raposo. We''ll hear from Raposo''s fellow songwriter Chris Cerf, and Hoots the Owl (ahem, that would be Chris Thomas Hayes,) who sings Cerf''s tune "Put Down the Duckie." Marsalis will share his thoughts about Big Bird and Elmo too.

NEA Jazz Masters 2021

A hard-bop stalwart. An avant-garde original. A ceiling-shattering bandleader. A bebop-obsessive broadcaster. These are some brief descriptors for the incoming class of NEA Jazz Masters, announced last week by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Those four 2021 inductees - saxophonist, flutist and composer Henry Threadgill; drummers Albert "Tootie" Heath and Terri Lyne Carrington; and radio host and jazz historian Phil Schaap - will each receive $25,000 along with their title. The NEA Jazz Masters fellowship, awarded every year since 1982, is the nation''s highest honor reserved for living jazz artists and advocates.

Charlie Parker

For our "Bird at 100" show, Jazz Night in America locks in on a Parker tribute featuring two alto saxophonists well suited to the task: leading bebop practitioner Charles McPherson and the ever-soulful Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson. They joined forces for a Jazz at Lincoln Center concert organized by trombonist Vincent Gardner, with a focus on the iconic Charlie Parker with Strings recordings - a crossover landmark, and a byproduct of Parker''s sincere interest in classical modernism.

Take Five

During the second week of March, as the New York area was just shifting into lockdown mode, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah decided to keep an engagement at the Blue Note Jazz Club. The trumpeter and bandleader came with his combustible working band and a dynamic book of tunes. That blistering live set has now been released on Ropeadope as Axiom.

Joining him this week on Take Five: new music by Joel Ross, Tom Guarna, Ezra Collective, along with a new collaboration between Angelica Sanchez and Marilyn Crispell.

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald had a brilliant night in Germany 60 years ago, as captured on the iconic album Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife. 

Two years later, on March 25, 1962, she performed again in Berlin - meeting, if not exceeding, the high bar she'd famously set. That concert is now about to see the light of day for the first time, when Verve releases The Lost Berlin Tapes on Oct. 2. The first single from the album, appropriately, is an ebullient new take on "Mack the Knife," the title song from Ella in Berlin.

Ron Miles

Nate Chinen

A few years ago, cornetist and composer Ron Miles managed what I consider something of a hat trick. He played on, and helped define, not one but three extraordinary jazz albums - all of which landed on my year-end best in 2017.

The finest of the three was I Am A Man, featuring Miles at the helm of an all-star band with guitarist Bill Frisell, pianist Jason Moran, bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Brian Blade. The same enlightened personnel is set to return for a follow-up, Rainbow Sign, due on Blue Note Records on Oct. 9. Hear the first single from the album, "Queen of the South," 

Jazz United

On this fifth episode of the Jazz United podcast, hosts Nate Chinen and Greg Bryant delve into their shared love of Thelonious Monk. While "it is always a good time to talk about Monk," the episode was meant to celebrate the release of Palo Alto, a live album recorded in 1968. When Impulse! announced an indefinite postponement of the release, Greg and Nate decided to keep Monk in focus regardless. They talk about the fascinating story behind this elusive album, and why it's more than a minor inconvenience to have it shelved again.

Willie Torres

Willie Torres, whose bell-like tone and nimble phrasing helped make him one of the most recorded singers in Latin music, died at South Lake Hospital in Claremont, Fla. on Aug. 13. He was 90. 

Torres is best recognized for his tenure in the Joe Cuba Sextet, which had a string of crossover hits in the early 1960s. But that was just one association in a career both prolific and enduring, mainly in Afro-Cuban dance music - and not as a solo artist, but in the supportive role of background vocalist. 

Latin Jazz Cruise host Bobby Sanabria remembers Torres.

Gary Peacock

Gary Peacock, a versatile bassist who collaborated with some of the 20th century''s most notable jazz musicians, has died. He was 85.

His family confirmed in a statement to NPR that Peacock died peacefully Friday, Sept. 4, at his home in upstate New York. No cause of death was provided.

Over a career that spanned seven decades, he played on recordings alongside Albert Ayler, Paul Bley, Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, among many others.

Deep Dive

Dr. Lewis Porter shares his final contribution to WBGO''s Deep Dive, the second part of a two part piece on John Coltrane''s A Love Supreme.

In his previous installment of Deep Dive, Porter discussed his personal history with A Love Supreme, and examined John Coltrane's own planning notes for the suite. In Part 2, he remembers his conversations with Rudy Van Gelder about overdubbing, explores theoretical analysis and dives track by track into the second CD.

Community Advisory Board Meeting

September 22, 4pm
Via Zoom - Register here

The WBGO Community Advisory Board (CAB) is comprised of current WBGO Members who wish to provide input into programming decisions for WBGO Radio, and WBGO.org.

WBGO's Community Advisory Board welcomes relevant constructive comment from the public at its meetings. The CAB encourages input from all individuals and groups across the station''s listening and viewing area. On the agenda is a public comment period, which will be facilitated during this Zoom meeting via the Q&A function on Zoom.

Madison McFerrin

Madison McFerrin sat down with Simon Rentner in her Brooklyn apartment the day before New York City declared a coronavirus-related state of emergency. She opened up about her childhood, revealing some ridiculous tales - but she also got serious in reflecting on her father's career as a vocalist, improviser, composer and arranger, recently named NEA Jazz Master Bobby McFerrin.

This episode of The Checkout also explores Madison's latest EP, You + I, a collaboration with her brother Taylor, an electronic artist and producer.

Livestream of the Week

The Jazz Gallery, which has led the field with virtual musician hangs, dance parties and conversations, officially begins its livestream performance series tonight at 8pm with a set by the young vibraphone phenom Joel Ross; he leads a trio with Or Bareket on bass and Jeremy Dutton on drums.

Rio Sakairi, Artistic Director at The Jazz Gallery, didn't exactly come running into the age of virtual concert presentation. "If I'm speaking honestly, I'm only doing this because people have been asking for it," she told WBGO''s Nate Chinen. "I'm not crazy about it. But I know the musicians are craving to play with each other, so for that, it's great."

SportsJam

WBGO News Director and host of SportsJam, Doug Doyle, lost his father last month. As a Father''s Day tribute, Doug remembers his dad on SportsJam.

"Francis "Spike" Doyle, Jr. is the reason that this host became a sports fan and played high school sports in Western Pennsylvania," said Doug. "My dad passed away in his sleep next to his loving wife Josie on May 29, 2020 at the age of 90."

Spike was honored in Delmont, PA with a military sendoff than included a gun salute and bagpipes.

On this episode, revisit Doug''s interview with his father from 2014.

Take Five

During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, no song captured its spirit of dauntless solidarity better than the gospel hymn "We Shall Overcome." As an anthem and a rallying cry, it played a stirring role in everything from the March on Washington to the 1963 Newport Folk Festival. And it's in this spirit that Blue Note just released "We Shall Overcome" as the first single from Bill Frisell's album Valentine, which kicks off this week''s Take Five.

This week''s theme of exhortation and encouragement continues with Gregg August and Nubya Garcia, along with a timely track by pianist Mike King, and a video exclusive by Joey Alexander.

New Thelonious Monk

The summer of 1968 looked like the summer of 2020. Americans were in the streets protesting racism, among other things. And a high school student in Palo Alto, Calif., got in on the action by enlisting the help of a jazz legend. Danny Scher came up with the idea to book Thelonious Monk to play his school''s auditorium and now, a professional recording of this concert will be released publicly for the first time on July 31. The album is called Palo Alto.

NPR''s Noel King talks to Nate Chinen about where Thelonious Monk was in his career at the time of the concert, how the community politics in Palo Alto in 1968 affected the show and how the album resonates in the present day. Listen to the interview, including unreleased music from Palo Alto.

10 Books

As Amiri Baraka and so many others have aptly noted, jazz music is inseparable from the Black experience. The history of jazz is deeply entangled with the history of Black people in America.

Naomi Extra, award winning writer, poet, activist and doctoral candidate at Rutgers in Newark, and Jerome Jennings, drummer, bandleader, composer and educator, collaborated on a list of ten books highlighting the history of racial injustice and resistance in jazz. The list centers Black voices and offers potential for thinking about social justice that is intersectional.

Herbie Hancock

The latest episode of the Jazz Untied podcast looks back fifty years to the formation of a sextet on the vanguard of electroacoustic music, Herbie Hancock''s Mwandishi, so called for the title of their first album. Mwandishi embodied a distinct alignment of time and space, a moment unlikely to be replicated.

Candido Camero

Candido Camero, a virtuoso percussionist who had a major hand - or more precisely, two of them - in the development of Afro-Cuban music, died November 7 at his home in New York City.  He was 99.

Earlier this year, WBGO host Bobby Sanabria took a Deep Dive into this influential artist.

Take Five

Swing into the holidays with jazz recordings celebrating the season on Take Five. This week, hear songs from Warren Wolf, Lauren Henderson, Mars Williams, Brian Bromberg and and Andrew Bird.

Lakecia Benjamin

Lakecia Benjamin hadn't played with a band since mid-March. A saxophonist and bandleader unmistakably on the rise, she admits being hesitant to step outside of her protective bubble. But last Friday, she lead a group at Roulette in Brooklyn, kicking off Jazzfest Berlin-New York. She spoke with Simon Rentner on this episode of The Checkout podcast.

Ask Governor Murphy

On last night''s edition of Ask Governor Murphy,  New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced a new statee initiative to provide assistance to small business owners who have been hurt by COVID-19.  

The Governor also gave his reaction to last Tuesday''s Presidential Election and the vote-by-mail process in New Jersey.

Newark''s Information Needs

A new collaborative study has revealed what Newark residents feel they need the most.  

WBGO Community Engagement Reporter Brit Harley chats with Vanessa Maria Graber of the Free Press about the results of the study that shows some of the top priorities are getting timely and useful information about food and education, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.

Coltrane Church

September 24 marked what would have been jazz giant John Coltrane''s 94th birthday. Two years before his untimely death from liver cancer in 1967, a young San Francisco couple heard him play - and their experience was literally religious.

They founded a spiritual community inspired by his music and 50 years later, they''re still preaching that gospel at the Coltrane Church in San Francisco.

Take Five

Dayna Steven triumphs at the Village Vanguard, Joe Locke takes a stand, the latest from Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra, jazz-vocal supergroup s?je, and keyboard whiz kid Justin Lee Schultz all on this week''s Take Five.

Jazz Night in America

On this episode of Jazz Night in America, we throw the spotlight on the NEA Jazz Masters class of 2020, beginning with a storied bassist whose career parallels the history of jazz from the early 1960s onward. Reggie Workman grew up in Philadelphia with Lee Morgan and Archie Shepp, and played in the John Coltrane Quartet and Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, before collaborating with almost every big name in the book for half a century.

Gov Murphy Announces Budget

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signed a state budget that he and top Democratic lawmakers say will help the state recover from the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for a possible second wave of the virus.

The $32.7 billion, nine-month spending plan also includes Murphy's long-sought tax hike on millionaires, which he said will allow the state to help low-income and middle-class families.

Sullivan Fortner + Adam Birnbaum

Tuesday, December 1, Noon (EST)
WBGO''s Facebook page

WBGO is giving back this #GivingTuesday with an exciting livestream event featuring APA winners Sullivan Fortner and Adam Birnbaum from Yamaha Artist Services'' New York Studio.

Get Involved

WBGO welcomes the public to participate in our Board meetings, both the Board of Trustees, and the Community Advisory Board. Both have meetings in early December that we hope you will join us on Zoom.

WBGO Board of Trustees Meeting
Thursday, December 3, Noon EST
Add to calendar (Zoom link in calendar info)

WBGO Community Advisory Board Meeting
Monday, December 7, 4PM EST
Add to calendar (Zoom link in calendar info)

Eddie Palmieri

Friday, December 11, 9PM on WBGO''s Facebook Page
and during Latin Jazz Cruise 9-11PM

Latin Jazz Cruise turns 40!

To celebrate, host Bobby Sanabria invited the maestro Eddie Palmieri to perform with him at Yamaha Artist Services'' New York Studio.

John Coltrane

The jazz historian, pianist and retired Rutgers-Newark Professor of Music Dr. Lewis Porter plans to spend more time on his own music. With that goal in mind, Dr. Porter gave his final Deep Dive analysis for WBGO this month, an in-depth analysis of John Coltrane''s riveting instrumental "Alabama," which was the saxophonist''s reaction to the horrific 1963 bombing of a church in Birmingham.

"In this era when it has been necessary to affirm that Black Lives Matter, John Coltrane's powerful piece "Alabama" feels more relevant and urgent than ever.

In 2020, many people who had previously been silent finally had enough and made themselves heard, on the streets and online. Coltrane was a man who chose to keep his political opinions to himself; he once famously declined to give an opinion when pressed about hearing Malcolm X speak. So the fact that he recorded a piece called "Alabama" soon after the ghastly 1963 church bombing in Birmingham shows that he too had enough."

Ask Governor Murphy

Tune in Thursday, December 3 at 7pm for the next edition of Ask Governor Murphy. 

Joe Zawinul

This Crate Digging episode of Jazz Night in America finds our host, Christian McBride, selecting a must-hear 2006 concert from The Zawinul Syndicate, with Zawinul leading the way through a career-spanning setlist. We''ll also look back on 50 years of Weather Report with some esteemed alumni of the band joining McBride in conversation.