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- Billie Holiday: 'Lady Sings the Blues'
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Few song-stylists of any era are as immediately distinctive and arresting as "Lady Day." Her rhythmic instinct for melodies brought vocals to the forefront of jazz expression. As for her voice itself: it remains one of the most influential, inimitable, simply incredible sounds of recorded music.
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Ella Fitzgerald, 'First Lady of Song'
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(00:58:00)
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One of the greatest improvisers in jazz history, Art Tatum also set the standard for technical dexterity with his classic 1933 recording of "Tea for Two."
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The best-selling jazz record of all time is a universally acknowledged masterpiece, revered as much by rock and classical music fans as by jazz lovers. The album is Miles ...
Johnny Hartman, 'The Romantic Balladeer'
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Johnny Hartman was the quintessential romantic balladeer. The only singer to record with John Coltrane — on the iconic album John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman — his fame was ...
Sidney Bechet, 'Soprano Sax King'
(00:54:00)
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Sidney Bechet was the undisputed king of the soprano saxophone and also one of the most innovative and original clarinetists in jazz.
Mary Lou Williams, 'Perpetually Contemporary'
(00:54:31)
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Mary Lou Williams was not only present for nearly every development in jazz music -- she was influential to most of them. In her compositions, arrangements, piano playing, ...
Louis Armstrong: 'The Man and His Music,' Part 1
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It is hard to overstate the incredible reach of Louis Armstrong. The music he made touched everyone who heard it, and revolutionized American entertainment in ways we can ...
Louis Armstrong: 'The Man and His Music,' Part 2
(00:54:00)
From: NPR Music
By his early thirties, Louis Armstrong had already revolutionized jazz forever. Working with his mentor "King" Oliver in Chicago, Armstrong explored and expanded the sounds ...
Louis Armstrong: 'The Trumpeter'
(00:54:00)
From: NPR Music
Before Louis Armstrong ever sang a duet with Ella Fitzgerald or Bing Crosby, there was just a lanky young man with a bright, beautiful horn. That young man transformed the ...
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Piece Description
Few song-stylists of any era are as immediately distinctive and arresting as "Lady Day." Her rhythmic instinct for melodies brought vocals to the forefront of jazz expression. As for her voice itself: it remains one of the most influential, inimitable, simply incredible sounds of recorded music.
Timing and Cues
00:00 IC: Support for NPR...
19:05 OC: ...NPR, National Public Radio.
*Music Break (:57)*
20:04 IC: Billie Holiday's rising popularity...
53:44 OC: ...NPR, National Public Radio.
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