Rapp on Jazz

South Carolina–born Lauren Meccia is a saxophonist, composer, and University of South Carolina professor known for her versatility in jazz, classical, and contemporary music. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Ann Caldwell, born in Denmark, South Carolina, is known as Charleston’s “First Lady of Jazz.” With her powerful voice, elegant phrasing, and deep commitment to preserving jazz traditions, Caldwell has become a beloved figure in the Charleston music scene.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

James “Blood” Ulmer was born in St. Matthews, South Carolina, and is a visionary guitarist known for his daring blend of avant-garde jazz, blues, and free improvisation. His nickname, “Blood,” comes from his stinging, cutting guitar style—raw, electric, and impossible to ignore.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Charleston-born Alphonse Mouzon was a groundbreaking drummer and a pioneer of jazz fusion. Known for his explosive energy, technical mastery, and rhythmic creativity, Mouzon helped redefine what jazz percussion could be. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Every musician is the sum of the voices they’ve listened to, and my sound is shaped by the artists who came before me. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Born in Dillon, South Carolina, Jimmy Hamilton was a masterful clarinetist and tenor saxophonist best known for his 25-year tenure with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Born in Aiken, South Carolina, Bubber Miley was a key figure in the 1920s Harlem jazz scene and a pioneering trumpeter whose sound helped define the early Duke Ellington Orchestra. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

When you watch a jazz pianist, it’s easy to focus on the notes but there’s so much happening behind the keys. This is true whether they're performing solo or as part of an ensemble.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Jazz played a surprising yet powerful role in the desegregation of U.S. military bands. During World War II, African American musicians were often restricted to all-Black units despite their talent and experience. Yet their exceptional skill in jazz ensembles and big bands could not be ignored. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Jazz played a quiet but powerful role in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Artists like Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim used music to protest racial segregation, promote unity, and give voice to the oppressed.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Louis Armstrong was a global ambassador for music and goodwill. During the Cold War, he toured the world under the auspices of the U.S. State Department, performing in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

In the 1950s and ’60s, Dave Brubeck led some of the most influential U.S. State Department jazz goodwill tours, bringing his quartet to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

During the Cold War, Duke Ellington became one of America’s most powerful cultural ambassadors. Beginning in the 1960s, Ellington and his orchestra toured Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa as part of U.S. State Department goodwill missions. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

In 1956, Dizzy Gillespie led one of the Cold War’s most influential cultural missions—the U.S. State Department’s jazz goodwill tour. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

During the Cold War, jazz became a form of cultural exchange. As the United States and the Soviet Union competed for influence, jazz traveled the world as a symbol of creativity, freedom, and individuality. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Failure is one of the most important teachers in jazz. Every missed note, every rough gig, every moment that didn’t go as planned carries a lesson—if you’re willing to listen. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

I started ColaJazz because I saw both a need and an opportunity. I was performing, teaching, and traveling, but I kept asking myself a simple question: How do we build something that lasts—for musicians, for students, and for the community?Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Mentorship has always been at the heart of jazz. You can learn scales, theory, and history in the classroom—and that foundation matters—but the bandstand teaches lessons no book ever can. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Jazz still matters because it teaches us how to listen -- to each other and to the moment we’re living in.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Technology has always shaped how jazz is recorded—and how it’s heard. Early jazz musicians crowded around a single microphone, capturing performances in one take. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Some of jazz’s most important stories are preserved in archives that safeguard music, history, and culture for future generations. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Before the trumpet took center stage, the cornet was jazz’s leading voice. With its rounded tone and agile response, the cornet helped define the sound of early New Orleans jazz. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

The flugelhorn offers a different voice in jazz—softer, warmer, and more intimate than the trumpet. With its wider bore and conical shape, the flugelhorn produces a mellow tone that invites reflection rather than fanfare.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

From the very beginning, the trumpet has been a defining voice in jazz. In early New Orleans ensembles, it carried the melody—bold, clear, and leading the way. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Few artists pushed the boundaries of jazz like Sun Ra. Composer, bandleader, and visionary, Sun Ra believed music could reshape consciousness. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

In jazz history, record labels helped shape it. No label did that more profoundly than Blue Note Records. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

When people think of Southern jazz, New Orleans often gets the spotlight—but the music’s story stretches far beyond the Crescent City. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

In 1959, at the height of his career, saxophonist Sonny Rollins disappeared from the jazz scene. But Rollins wasn’t done -- he was searching. He found his practice space high above New York City on the Williamsburg Bridge.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Jazz has always been rich in creativity—but making a living as a jazz artist can be a different story. From the earliest days of big bands to today’s streaming era, musicians have had to balance artistry with economic reality. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Jazz has always been more than notes—it’s a conversation, a release, and a way to center the mind. When musicians improvise, they enter a state of focused presence. The past and the future fall away, and the only thing that matters is the phrase unfolding in the moment. That’s mindfulness.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Many of the innovators who shaped bebop’s explosive new sound had deep roots in the Carolinas. They brought with them the rhythms of the South, the spirituals of the church, and the blues traditions that defined their communities.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

From the early days of jazz, a remarkable musical exchange flowed across the Atlantic—connecting the creativity of Harlem with the cultural embrace of Paris.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Detroit has long been a powerhouse in American industry—and in American jazz. In the mid-20th century, the Motor City’s working-class neighborhoods produced a wave of extraordinary musicians who shaped the sound of modern jazz.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Jazz is constantly evolving—shaped by fresh voices and new waves of creativity. Today, two powerful movements are commanding attention: the return of the alto sax to center stage, and a rising generation of innovative vocalists.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Alice Coltrane’s music is a journey -- one that extends far beyond jazz tradition into the realms of spirit and transcendence. After her husband, John Coltrane, died,  she devoted herself to exploring sound as a path to healing and enlightenment.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Duke Ellington, one of jazz’s greatest composers, believed his music had a higher purpose. In the 1960s and ’70s, he created a bold and visionary series of Sacred Concerts—large-scale works that blended jazz orchestra, choir, soloists, and dance. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

In the late 1950s, jazz legend Mary Lou Williams underwent a profound spiritual transformation that reshaped her music and mission. Out of that calling emerged her groundbreaking sacred works—compositions that blended jazz with liturgical tradition.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Jazz and hip-hop share a deep, creative lineage, even though they emerged decades apart. Hip-hop artists have long drawn inspiration from jazz’s rhythm, improvisation, and harmonic complexity. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

DuBose Heyward’s most significant artistic legacy came from the world he created in his novel Porgy. Written in 1925, the book inspired a Broadway play, adapted by Heyward and his wife, Dorothy, and later became the foundation for Gershwin’s legendary opera Porgy and Bess. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

DuBose Heyward helped shape one of the most iconic works in American musical history. Born in Charleston in 1885, Heyward came from an old, respected South Carolina family. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Trumpeter Johnny Helms was a pillar of Columbia’s jazz scene for more than fifty years. A gifted musician from an early age, he was performing in local clubs by thirteen and leading his own band by sixteen. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Drummer Stockton Helbing is one of the most dynamic musicians to emerge from South Carolina’s jazz community. Born in 1980 and raised in Florence, he picked up the drums in sixth grade and quickly earned spots in the South Carolina All-State Jazz Band before graduating from West Florence High School. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Saxophonist Lonnie Hamilton III has long been one of Charleston’s cultural leaders—both on stage and in public life. Born in 1927, he grew up immersed in the city’s rich musical traditions and played in the Jenkins Orphanage bands during the 1940s.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Ralph "Iron Fingers" Goodwin was a self-taught pianist whose lightning touch made him a beloved figure in South Carolina’s jazz community. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Kip Anderson was one of South Carolina’s most soulful and resilient musical voices. Born in Starr, SC around 1938, he first sang in church and was discovered early on by gospel great Edna Cooke.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Leonard Feather was among jazz’s most influential voices -- not as a performer, but as a critic, historian, and tireless advocate for the music. Feather contributed to Down Beat, edited Metronome, and authored The Encyclopedia of Jazz, still a vital reference today.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Jazz impresario George Wein was one of the most visionary figures in American music. As founder of the Newport Jazz Festival in 1954, Wein changed how jazz was presented, moving it from clubs to large outdoor venues, creating a true festival experience that brought together legends, emerging artists, and passionate audiences to celebrate the music.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Jazz impresario Norman Granz had a strong passion for justice that influenced both the music and the culture surrounding it. In 1944, he started Jazz at the Philharmonic, which brought jazz out of smoky clubs and into major concert halls.Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Behind every legendary performance, groundbreaking recording, and thriving jazz scene, there’s often an unsung hero: the jazz impresario. These visionaries champion artists, build audiences, and create the spaces where jazz flourishes. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

Before bebop and the cool jazz era, swing dancing was the heartbeat of American nightlife. In the 1930s and ’40s, big bands filled ballrooms with lively rhythms that practically lifted dancers off the floor. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.