Monday 12.15.25
Tonight on the Night Train, we mark birthdays of Latin Jazz giant Eddie Palmieri, pianist and composer Barry Harris, and hard bop trombonist Curtis Fuller (featured in a special in hour two). We’ll hear December Featured Artist Jimmy Smith from the only release he did with saxophonist Eddie Harris. Oscar Peterson recorded his classic album Night Train on this date and we’ll hear a selection from it. And this week we have two Featured New Releases of the Week – both previously unreleased concert performances from multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
Tuesday 12.16.25
There’s more music tonight on the Night Train from December Featured Artist Jimmy Smith (with Wes Montgomery) and we also have music from another soul jazz organist named Smith – Johnny ‘Hammond’ Smith – for his birthday (including a special with music and an interview in hour two). We’ll also mark birthdays of lyricist Andy Razaf who worked with Fats Waller, and guitarist John Abercrombie here with the late drummer Jack DeJohnette. Plus the latest from the Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective, Colin Hancock’s Jazz Hounds with Catherine Russell, Wayne Wilkinson (with a new holiday release), and one of our Featured New Releases of the Week from Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
Wednesday 12.17.25
Throughout this month we’re featuring soul jazz pioneer Jimmy Smith and this time on the Night Train we’’ll highlight some of the classic and contemporary players in that style who followed in his footsteps. We’ll hear selections from Kansas City’s Chris Hazelton, Richard ‘Groove’ Holmes (from his debut album with Les McCann), Red Holloway, Gene Ammons, Lou Donaldson, the late Akiko Tsuruga, and more.
Thursday 12.18.25
Night Train steps back into the Wayback Machine for music from albums recorded on this date from hard bop saxophonist Hank Mobley, and from vibes player Milt Jackson with Wes Montgomery. We’ll also hear Wes Montgomery with December Featured Artist Jimmy Smith. We’ll hear another selection from a Featured New Release of the Week by Rahsaan Roland Kirk and music from an album in tribute to Kirk from baritone saxophonist Claire Daly. And we have a birthday salute to blues and jazz singer and saxophonist Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson (in hour one with T Bone Walker and Jay McShann, and in a special in hour two).
