Monday, August 8
Tonight on the Night Train we mark the birthday of saxophonist, composer, arranger and bandleader Benny Carter. We'll hear him as a leader, as a guest with Marian McPartland, Oscar Peterson, and Sarah Vaughan (on an album recorded on this date in 1962), and in a special in hour two of the show. We'll also hear August featured artist Jack DeJohnette in the 'Standards Trio' with Keith Jarrett and Gary Peacock. Plus, the latest releases from the WJ3 All Stars, John Stein, Juan Carlos Quintero, and Larry Vuckovich.
Tuesday, August 9
Night Train devotes the show tonight to our August featured artist, the legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette who turns 80 today. We'll hear him from his early days working with Charles Lloyd, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, and local guitar hero Jerry Hahn, from his ECM days with the Standards Trio (with Keith Jarrett and Gary Peacock) and Gateway (with John Abercrombie and Dave Holland), in later recordings with McCoy Tyner, and as a leader. In hour two, we'll hear a special interview and music with DeJohnette recording around the time he became an NEA Jazz Master.
Wednesday, August 10
Night Train has birthday celebrations tonight for singer Cyril Aimée (on a new album from The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra), saxophonist Arnett Cobb, organist Trudy Pitts, and composer, arranger, and bandleader Claude Thornhill (including in a special in hour two of the show). We'll hear August featured artist Jack DeJohnette with Sonny Rollins and with his Special Edition. New music comes from singer Kim Nalley, pianist Thomas Linger (with an impressive debut album), and the Alternative Guitar Summit (in a tribute to legendary guitarist Pat Martino).
Thursday, August 11
Tonight, we continue a 13-part series, Jazz Singers. Produced by the Smithsonian and hosted by acclaimed singer Al Jarreau, the programs trace the history of jazz singing from the early days to the present, exploring the roots, evolution, key styles, and major artists in the music.
Jazz singing has always benefited from women's innovations and talents, from trailblazers Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan to contemporary explorers like Casandra Wilson, Diane Reeves and Diana Krall. In hour one, "It's Our World…Sometimes," looks at the special concerns of the extraordinary women who juggled family demands and battled gender discrimination while steadfastly pursuing their artist's muse and mastering their craft. Interviewees include Abbey Lincoln, Anita O'Day, Nancy Wilson, Carol Sloane, Nneena Freelon, and more.
Then in hour two, with "On the Road and in the Club," today's singers and yesterday's tell of their experiences, joys, trials, and tribulations performing this in every kind of venue, from bars and roadhouses to the concert hall. Nat King Cole, Lena Horne, O.C. Smith, Oscar Brown Jr., Louis Jordan, Nellie Lutcher, and others share their stories.
