Piece Description

"Boppin' with Pekar" is an hour of hot jazz and conversation featuring Harvey Pekar, celebrated writer best known for "American Splendor," the underground comic book series and the 2003 film adapted from it. Pekar is also a jazz writer of note with telling articles and essays that have appeared in publications including Downbeat, JazzIz, The Austin Chronicle, and Ruminator. "I loved jazz," wrote Pekar in one of his autobiographical stories, "and listened to it closely and analytically." This is the rarefied expertise he brings to "Boppin' with Pekar." Hosting the program is Jerry Zolten, fellow jazz fan, record collector, producer, educator, and author on American roots music. Zolten and Pekar play jazz tracks selected by Pekar to illustrate the genre's progression from Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong in 1920s New Orleans to beboppers Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane on New York City's 52nd Street during the 1950s. Phoebe Gloeckner, artist and author of the graphic novel "The Diary of A Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures," is a special guest in the studio. Self-admittedly unfamiliar with jazz, though interested, Gloeckner brings generational perspective and "punk rock" sensibilities to the table. As Pekar and Zolten keep music and facts rolling, Gloeckner tosses into the spokes the occasional monkey wrench in the form of "outsider" observations and challenging questions. The dynamic brings out the piquant in Pekar, which only adds to the draw for listeners whether jazz fans or not. "Boppin' with Pekar" is a compelling mix of jazz music and personality with discussion ranging from gender to double entendre to just plain who did musically what, when, and why is it important.