Jazz Profiles

KPBX Thursdays 11-12 p.m.

Jazz Profiles is no longer producing new episodes, but because it was such a wonderful show, we're re-airing it from the beginning.

Singer Nancy Wilson hosts this Gold Medal award-winning, documentary series chronicling the people, places and events in jazz.

By combining archival recordings, interviews and narration, each program in the series tells an informative and engaging story that celebrates the music and those who make it. The series has covered significant anniversaries of the dearly departed, the instruments of jazz, jazz cities, jazz families and more.

Program Listings
September 9, 2010
Armstrong-Man and Music Part 1
t 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 still hear today. He did it with the force of his talent: as a singer, trumpeter, composer, author, actor and bandleader.

September 16, 2010
Armstrong-Man and Music Part 2
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 of his native New Orleans. He developed his improvisational genius with Fletcher Henderson's orchestra in New York, then returned to Chicago already billed as "The World's Greatest Trumpet Player," and recorded the legendary Hot Fives sessions. By the early 1930s, Armstrong had displayed unprecedented virtuosity, sculpting the jazz solo into a unique art form and invigorating the jazz world with a new rhythmic vision of swing.

September 23, 2010
Armstrong-Trumpeter
Before Louis Armstrong ever sang a duet with Ella Fitzgerald or Bing Crosby, before "Hello Dolly" or "It's A Wonderful World," there was just a lanky young man with a bright, beautiful horn. That young man transformed the trumpet into a solo instrument capable of astonishing range and lyrical beauty.

September 30, 2010
Max Roach
Drummer Max Roach died on August 16, 2007 in New York after a long illness. He was 83. A primary architect of the bebop revolution, Roach was one of the most innovative and influential musicians in jazz. He was also a composer, a bandleader, an activist and a teacher. His transcendent musical contributions also ranged from collaborative works for theater and dance, to his groundbreaking percussion-only ensemble, M'Boom.

October 7, 2010
Louis Armstrong: 'The Singer'
Louis Armstrong's memorable voice continues to be one of the most recognizeable in the world.

October 14, 2010
Charlie Parker: 'Bird Lives!' Part 1
He was one of the greatest improvisers in jazz and co-inventor of the music called "Bebop."

October 21, 2010
Charlie Parker: 'Bird Lives!' Part 2
He became famous for bebop, and continued to seek new sounds throughout his musical career.

October 28, 2010
Mel Tormé: The 'Velvet' Voice of Jazz
Behind the entertainer, there lay a jazz intuition of the highest order, and a voice to match.

November 4, 2010
Erroll Garner: 'The Joy of a Genius'
The composer of "Misty" was a virtuoso pianist whose unique homegrown technique delighted audiences.

November 11, 2010
Wes Montgomery: 'The Unmistakable Jazz Guitar'
The most influential jazz guitarist since before bebop his sound was synonymous with his instrument.

November 18, 2010
Billie Holiday: 'Lady Sings the Blues'
Few voices in recorded music are as immediately distinctive and arresting as that of "Lady Day."

November 25, 2010
Thelonious Monk: 'Thelonious Himself'
Instantly recognizable, the musical language Monk created was iconic in its originality.

December 2, 2010
Buddy Collette: 'Man of Many Parts'
The reedman distinguished himself as a jazz educator, activist and multi-instrumentalist.

December 9, 2010
Red Norvo: 'Mr. Swing'
A thoroughly modern musician, Red Norvo brought the mallet instruments to jazz.

December 16, 2010
Sun Ra: 'Cosmic Swing'
The pianist and bandleader charted his own adventurous course through the jazz tradition.

December 23, 2010
Duke Ellington: 'The Maestro,' Pt. 1
A bright yet unremarkable teenage boy became the leader of the world's most popular big band.

December 30, 2010
Duke Ellington: 'The Maestro,' Pt. 2
Decade after decade, Ellington's ever-talented orchestra rode incredible waves of creativity.